Bradley Beal of the Wizards is getting a first-hand look at what a Hall-of-Fame coach looks like, and he’s loving it, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.
“(Gregg Popovich is) perfect, man,” Beal said. “He’s an awesome coach to be around and his energy, his intensity, it just trickles down to everybody. It’s contagious.”
The timing is interesting, Hughes notes, as the Wizards are currently in the midst of a coaching search. Whomever the Wizards hire will be the third head coach of Beal’s career, and now that Beal has experience playing under Popovich, it will be interesting to see what he makes of the new hire. It’s been reported that Beal will have input in the decision.
We have more notes from around the Southeast Division:
- In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses the question of whether the Heat missed an opportunity by not doing more to keep Suns GM James Jones – 2021’s Executive of the Year – in the Heat organization. It’s unlikely Jones would’ve gotten the same opportunity that he got in Phoenix as quickly in Miami, Winderman concludes.
- Much has been made of Jimmy Butler‘s combative nature, Winderman writes, but Heat legend Chris Bosh says some of that is the nature of the NBA, and that competitive fire looks different when the team is winning versus when it’s losing. “There’ll always be reports of conflict when the season isn’t that good. The conflict is different. When they’re winning and arguing, it’s great, it’s a great thing,” Bosh said. “What I find is most important, is you have to talk about it. We’re all adults, right?”
- Winderman also checks in with Heat free agent Nemanja Bjelica on the heels of Serbia’s elimination from the Tokyo Olympic qualifying tournament last weekend on their home floor. “Disaster, it is fair to say, failure,” Bjelica said. “We are always expected to always win. The only thing left is that we wanted to make these people happy. I can only apologize, if it means something. I will take responsibility as a player with the most experience here.”
How much longer are the Wizards gonna waste Beal’s career? Portland? Charlotte? Philly? Dallas? Imagine.
Beal must ask for a trade. If not, the wizards won’t trade him. He is in his prime, he can choose where to go; one day he won’t be able to choose and he will regret it. On the other hand I love loyalty, I just wish the wizards built a better ptoject for him. Same for guys like Lillard who may also be thinking what to do with his career
He’s is afraid to go to another team. He’s happy being the main guy, no pressure to win, getting passes for not winning, and collecting super mega contracts.
I mean, at least Dame had a consistently respectable team in Portland. Beal is basically becoming this generation’s Mitch Richmond.
The Beal-Washington pairing just makes no sense for either side. This team is not good. There is no way for them to get good in the near-term. The best way for this team to get good eventually, from a percentages standpoint, is to get draft assets for Beal. Bradley Beal’s value in a trade depreciates the longer they wait.
Would Beal just rather be a big fish in a small pond, so to speak?
Would Philadelphia trade Simmons for Beal?