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Wizards restructure their coaching and training staff

Wizards restructure their coaching and training staff

The Washington Wizards announced their re-structured coaching and training staff for the 2018-19 season today.

Joining Scott Brooks and Tony Brown on the front of the bench will be Robert Pack and Ryan Richman, while Kristi Toliver will join David Adkins, Mike Terpstra and Maz Trakh on the back of the bench as an assistant coach/player development. Additionally, Alex McLean and Landon Tatum have both been promoted to assistant coach/player development.

“We’re excited to begin the season with a revamped, versatile staff of coaches and trainers,” said Wizards Head Coach Scott Brooks. “We have a good mix of returning veteran NBA coaches, valuable new additions and promotions from within the organization that will help our players improve.”

Pack joins the Wizards after spending last season as a scout with the Portland Trail Blazers. Prior to that, he spent the previous two seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17) as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans, his second stint with the organization. Pack spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Brooks’ staff from 2013-15. He began his coaching career in New Orleans, serving as an assistant coach during the 2009-10 season before spending three seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers in a similar role.

Richman, who served as the Wizards’ 2018 Summer League head coach, is entering his fifth season with the team. Following two seasons in the video room, Richman transitioned into a player development coordinator/assistant coach role for the 2016-17 season under then-new Head Coach Scott Brooks. He began his coaching career with the University of Maryland basketball program prior to joining the Wizards’ staff in 2014.

Toliver comes to the Wizards’ bench after helping to lead the Washington Mystics to the 2018 WNBA Finals. She also assisted the Wizards’ coaching staff during 2018 NBA Summer League and training camp. The 10-year pro, two-time All-Star (2013 and 2018) and WNBA champion (2016 with Los Angeles) has averaged 12.3 points and 3.4 assists over her WNBA career and posted 13.9 points and 4.4 assists for the Mystics last season. She was originally drafted third overall by Chicago in the 2009 draft out of Maryland, where she led the Terrapins to the 2006 national championship.

McLean spent last season with the Wizards’ player development staff, assisting with on-court work for Wizards players and travelling/training with players on G-League assignment. Tatum is in his third season with the Wizards, spending time as both an assistant video coordinator and as part of the team’s player development staff.

In addition to the changes to the coaching staff, the Wizards announced that they have added Blair O’Donovan as director of physical preparation and have promoted Jeff Bangs to athletic trainer, joining Steve Smith, Jesse Phillips and Navin Hettiarachchi on the team’s training staff, headed by Dr. Wiemi Douoguih of MedStar Health.

O’Donovan has trained elite athletes in the DC metro area and around the world, including time spent with both the Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Capitals. Bangs enters his third season with the Wizards after spending the previous two years working with the training staff and has also worked with the training staffs of the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Heat.

Wizards trade Jodie Meeks to Bucks

Wizards trade Jodie Meeks to Bucks

The Washington Wizards have traded guard Jodie Meeks along with cash considerations and a protected second round pick to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a protected second round pick.

Meeks, 31, averaged 6.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 77 games last season for Washington. A nine-year NBA veteran, Meeks has averaged 9.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 531 games. Drafted by Milwaukee in the second-round (41st overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft, he has played for six NBA teams including the Bucks, 76ers, Lakers, Pistons, Magic and Wizards.

The Bucks roster stands at 18 players with Meeks beginning the season on the NBA’s Suspended List.

Championship or bust, says John Wall

Every NBA player wants to win a championship, but for most, of course, it simply won’t happen. And of course, simply making the league is a great accomplishment, let alone enjoying a full career, especially as a star. But Wizards guard John Wall, he definitely wants that ring. Here’s NBC Sports Washington  with more:

Wall, naturally, wants to win an NBA title. But it’s not just a goal, it’s the benchmark for which Wall will measure his basketball career.

“I think for me to have a heck of a career – if I don’t win a championship, I feel like my career was a failure. So that’s my ultimate goal,” Wall said.

Wall, 28, has never been past the second round of the NBA playoffs. The closest his Wizards team has been to advancing further was in 2017 when they lost in Game 7 of the second round to the Boston Celtics.

The Wizards as they currently stand face an uphill battle in reaching the 2019 NBA Finals, but they remain one of the East’s better teams. But several key players on the squad must emerge as serious difference-makers for the team to reach that elusive next level.

Tomas Satoransky feels ready to do big things for Wizards

Wizards shooting guard Tomas Satoransky is 6-foot-7, 210 pounds, will turn 27 years old a few weeks into the upcoming regular season, and was taken in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft. He received limited minutes as a rookie in 2016-17, but last season averaged 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 22.5 minutes per game, shooting 52.3% from the field. Solid numbers for a backup only in his second NBA season, though age-wise he should be approaching his prime any season now. Perhaps this one. Here’s NBC Sports Washington reporting:

The Wizards clearly wanted to see more from him last season and he took that to heart.

“That’s what these two years have taught me, never be sure of your situation or position,” Satoransky told NBC Sports Washington. “On the other hand, I feel very confident now. I also feel confident knowing how things go and how I can be patient when I’m not playing. I still have to work hard, which I do every time. But I feel confident knowing everything and there is a big difference coming into something where you have no idea what’s going to happen.”

The Wizards explained their decisions to bring in other point guards, a process which also included trading for Tim Frazier last summer and signing Ramon Sessons in March, as not an indication of Satoransky’s shortcomings. Instead, they wanted him to develop at other positions and use his athletic 6-foot-7 frame in other ways.

Head coach Scott Brooks even mentioned this after Wednesday’s training camp practice.

“Tomas, he is very versatile. He can play a lot of different positions on both ends of the court. We have to use that,” Brooks said.

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On Dwight Howard and the Wizards

The Wizards center spot used to be manned by Marcin Gortat, but now the job belongs to Dwight Howard. What’s the realistic impact Dwight may have? Here’s NBC Sports Washington reporting:

On Dwight Howard and the Wizards

As the Wizards opened training camp this week at the Medstar Performance Center in Southeast Washington, head coach Scott Brooks’ first message to his team was about defense and how he believes they can make a significant leap this season. Part of his thinking is rooted in the fact they added Dwight Howard through free agency this summer, as Howard gives them a level of rim protection they have not enjoyed in years.

It also wasn’t that long ago that the Wizards were a top-shelf defensive team. When Washington first began making playoff runs with John Wall and Bradley Beal running the show, they were an above average team on defense. From the 2012-13 season through 2014-15, they were top 10 in points allowed.

Their roster has changed significantly from those days and some of their best defenders like Trevor Ariza moved on. But last year they were 15th in defensive rating and 15th in points allowed, and Brooks feels a jump into the top 10 isn’t out of the question.

Howard himself believes they can be even better than that.

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Wizards hosting open practice, free for fans, on September 28, 2018

The Washington Wizards will host their annual Open Practice on Friday, September 28, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Congress Heights.

The event is open to the public and seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

The first 500 fans through the door will receive a free T-shirt, and the first 200 fans will receive a pass to participate in a post-practice autograph session with select Wizards players.

Activities planned for the event in addition to the open practice and team scrimmage include a dunk contest, half-court shooting contest, performances by the Wizards Dancers and Wiz Kids and music from the Ballou High School Band.

Fans interested in attending the open practice are encouraged to RSVP here:

http://info.washingtonwizards.com/Wiz-OpenPractice09-20-18.

Doors for the open practice will open at 5:00 p.m.

G League: Capital City Go-Go host local tryouts

Open tryouts are always fascinating, in that anybody with a dream and hopefully some actual talent can head to an event and get a shot at making their dreams come true. Of course, in pro sports, the vast, vast, vast majority of players hoping to play the game of their lives when it matters most will fall short. Still, an open tryout for a pro team is a fun event. Here’s NBC Sports Washington reporting on the Wizards’ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go:

These were basketball players, young and old by the sport’s standards, all waiting for their chance to try out for the Wizards’ new G-League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.

G-League teams are permitted to hold local tryouts and this was the first one in the history of the inaugural franchise.

The Wizards hosted over 100 players total across two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They ran them through shooting drills, taught them two plays and then let them go in 5-on-5 scrimmages spread out between three courts; one in the main arena and the other two in the back of the building.

Just about everyone from the Wizards front office was in attendance. Team president Ernie Grunfeld, senior vice president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard and others looked on as hoopers from all walks of life played what were essentially pickup games, one after another.

The Go-Go are allowed to keep up to four players from the event. Those four would merely get invites to the team’s training camp, which begins in October. The odds for these players to even get that far are minuscule and from there they get no guarantees for a roster spot.

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On new Wizards forward Jeff Green

Here’s NBC Sports Washington reporting on an offseason addition to the Wizards that probably deserves more attention, forward Jeff Green:

The Wizards had been eerily quiet through the first two days of free agency this summer as others around the league made bold moves to change the NBA landscape. But on July 3, Washington agreed to a one-year minimum contract with Jeff Green, a favorite son of the D.C. region for his accomplishments at nearby Northwestern High School and then at Georgetown University.

Green was brought in to replace Mike Scott, who had departed to join the L.A. Clippers. On paper, it appears the Wizards did quite well for themselves. Scott was an important piece and will be difficult to replace. But Green can do many of the things Scott provided for the Wizards and will be paid about half of what Scott is earning in L.A. Those savings allowed Washington to make other moves in an offseason with few resources at their disposal within the NBA’s salary cap.

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On new Wizards guard Austin Rivers

Here’s NBC Sports Washington on new Wizards guard Austin Rivers, who should certainly improve the team’s backcourt as he likely comes off the bench behind starters John Wall and Bradley Beal:

Rivers, though far from perfect, is potentially a significant upgrade for the Wizards at backup shooting guard and that help is coming at a good time. All-Star Bradley Beal played in all 82 games last season, but that was arguably not a good thing, as he ended up logging the fourth-most minutes of any NBA player and seemed to run out of gas at times late in the season.

Rivers should at the very least be able to take some of the workload off of Beal’s shoulders. Rivers could also help solve the Wizards’ issues at backup point guard behind John Wall and possibly even play some in three-guard lineups with both Beal and Wall on the floor.

Rivers’ likely role is clear. The question is how he will adjust to it given what he has grown accustomed to in recent years in L.A. and given he will be in a contract year. Rivers started 59 games last season for the Clippers and averaged 13.2 field goal attempts per night. Barring injuries, he will not get those opportunities in Washington.

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