Bleav in Wizards

0:00 - Intro/Season overview 3:22 - Coulibaly & Vukcevic: Is this the Wizards’ best two-person rookie class this century? 12:37 - Coaching staff’s takeaways from the season 21:24 - Front office attempts to rebuild the organization’s reputation 27:00 - Team chemistry  32:43 - Keefe’s reception from players 34:06 - Players’ exit interviews, expectations for next season 40:27 - What happens to Ty...

0:00 - Intro 0:50 - Playoff watch 4:12 - Matt & Jahadi’s “grades” for the season 14:19 - How is the rebuild really going? 25:26 - Jared Butler’s new contract 27:08 - Selling high on younger players 29:20 - Does Wes Unseld Jr. deserve to be the scapegoat? 37:35 - What must be done to effectively lay out roles & expectations for players? 47:33 - Who stays for the Wizards’ long-term future? 5...

We talk about the emergence of rookie Tristan Vukcevic, whether they've found a diamond-in-the-rough in Jared Butler, and if Jordan Poole has finally turned a corner. We also talked about Deni Avdija's recent play and how he's been the Wizards' best player the last few months. Also, Matt asks what the benefit there is from playing Anthony Gill over some of the young guys, if any other young player...

American University head coach Duane Simpkins joins the podcast this week. Simpkins provided his perspective on how American's season went, having some key players returning for next year, bringing out the best in his players, and the type of program he wants to build and style of play he wants to implement. He also talks about playing at the University of Maryland for Gary Williams and what he's...

Domo (@Domo8186 ) of the Wizards of Gallery Place podcast joins Matt Modderno this week to talk about NBA Draft prospects the Wizards could take with their three 2024 draft picks. With the NCAA tournament coming up, this episode is primarily focus on guys who are competing in March Madness this year so Wizards fans will know who to keep an eye on during the tournament. Prospects covered include: R...

Jahadi White and Matt Modderno break down what they want to see from the Wizards the rest of the year and what they need to address to improve next season. They also talk about the late-season addition of Tristan Vukcevic. Jahadi gives advice to Vukcevic and they go over things the Wizards can do to help him acclimate more seamlessly. Jahadi explains how a young center can improve his defense and...

In the episode, Matt Modderno and Nick Kalinowski (@kalidrafts) covered NBA draft prospects who are currently playing at schools in the greater DMV area. We break down their games and the likelihood of them making it onto an NBA roster. Find more detailed DMV basketball coverage on our separate Bleav in DMV Hoops feed: https://bleav.com/shows/bleav-in-dmv-hoops/ Virginia: Reece Beekman, Ryan Dunn...

Jahadi White and Matt Modderno covered: -the Lakers game and any positive takeaways -whether Jordan Poole has turned the corner & his fit next to Tyus Jones -what the team needs from Kyle Kuzma moving forward -the positives of Marvin Bagley's game -Is Deni Avdija on the best contract in the NBA? -pregame routines based on an article from Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports -the Wizards giving Jo...

Jahadi White and Matt Modderno react to the All-Star game, share what they'd do to fix it, and discuss what the top Wizards-related ASG moment is. They weigh in on Jordan Poole being moved to the bench and his post-game comments about the move, while also reviewing the Denver game as a whole. For the last half of the show, new member of the BIW team Laura Shaughnessy joins the show to ask Jahadi a...

Eran Soroka (@sorokman) of Sport5 in Israel (@sport5il) and the Osim NBA Podcast (@OsimNBA) joins the show to talk about Deni Avdija's breakout and what that means for the Wizards moving forward. Soroka has seen Avdija play from a young age so he's particularly well-suited to point out the areas that he's improved in. We discuss Avdija’s growth, whether his defense has fallen off with his increase...

Jahadi White and Matt Modderno discuss the Wizards buy out of Delon Wright and what that means for their rotation and Johnny Davis moving forward. The Wizards also reportedly gave Kyle Kuzma a choice on whether he would be traded or not. Are these types of actions an attempt by the front office to rehab the image of the Wizards organization throughout the league? They also address Deni Avdija's re...

Wizards forward Deni Avdija has a career night against the Pelicans and Wizards superfan Will Clayton (@WillCIayton) joins the podcast to discuss! Avdija recorded 43 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block. He was 13-24 from the field, 6-10 from three, and 11-13 from the free throw line. Yes, the Wizards lost the game 133-126, but who cares? Just let us enjoy our nice moments when we can get t...

Jahadi White and Matt Modderno react to the Wizards deadline trade that sends Daniel Gafford to Dallas and brings back Richaun Holmes and a late first round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. They discuss why the Wizards likely made the deal, what they get back in Holmes, the value of a late first in this year's reportedly weaker NBA Draft, and what that means for the rotation. They discuss potential buy...

Jahadi White and Matt Modderno discuss Bradley Beal's return to DC, what reception to expect from fans, what Beal is likely feeling, predictions on how the game, and who will step up for the short-handed Wizards. Kyle Kuzma and Tyus Jones are the subject of lots of trade rumors these days so we discuss their likelihood, what would be a worthwhile return, and what other players might also get moved...

Jahadi White and Matt Modderno go more in-depth on what caused the Wizards to move on from Wes Unseld Jr. now and what we should take away from the comments made by the front office and the players. They also discuss the promotion of Brian Keefe to interim head coach and whether he's likely to get the job longer term. Jahadi provides from really great insight in what type of head coach would be th...

Osman Baig joins the podcast to discuss the Wizards moving on from Wes Unseld Jr. as head coach. We discuss the timing of the move, what caused it, what his new front office role will look like, his overall job performance, and whether the development of Bilal Coulibaly played any role in this move. Lead assistant Brian Keefe has been named interim head coach so we discuss his background and fit w...

Jahadi White and Matt Modderno recap the Marvin Bagley trade briefly to start before getting into the latest trade rumors and reporting regarding Wizards players like Kyle Kuzma, Tyus Jones, and Daniel Gafford. They discuss who is likely to be traded, who is actually on the block, what they could potentially get back in return, and who they would prefer to see stay. They also discuss Daniel Gaffor...

The Washington Wizards are trading Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala to the Detroit Pistons. In return, they will receive Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers, and two second-round picks. Bryce Simon of Motor City Hoops and the Pistons Pulse podcast joins to dissect the move. He tells Wizards fans what to expect from Bagley and Livers and we address which picks are coming over as well. Presented by be...

Jahadi White and Matt Modderno discuss Ryan Rollins being waived by the Wizards and the reporting by Josh Robbins of The Athletic about Rollins being accused of shoplifting. Jahadi talks about seeing weird behavior from some teammates in the past but neither of us remember anything quite like this. Hamidou Diallo has been signed to a 10-day contract to fill the open roster spot so we break down th...

Rafael Barlowe of NBA Big Board, Locked on NBA Big Board, and NBA Draft Junkies joins the podcast to break down all of the names for Wizards fans to know in the lottery range, plus a few sleepers later on. Prospects covered: Nikola Topic, Alexandre Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, Ron Holland, Ja'Kobe Walter, Tyler Smith, Rob Dillingham, Stephon Castle, Isaiah Collier, Tidjane Salaun, Reed Sheppard, Jayl...

Jahadi White and Matt Modderno open the show by breaking down what happened in the Wizards' blowout loss to the Cavaliers, specifically keying in on their defensive shortcomings. Have the players and coaches already thrown in the towel on the season? Jahadi then provides a player's perspective on whether the Wizards moving to a shiny new arena would help them recruit better free agents in the futu...

Jahadi White and Matt Modderno are back to catch up on all things Wizards! Rookie Bilal Coulibaly's usage has been trending downward recently and Wes Unseld Jr. seems unconcerned. We weighed in on if this could potentially limited Coulibaly's long-term development and if fans should be worried. Jahadi also explained what's missing from this team from a mentality standpoint and what the mood is pro...

Matt Modderno runs down the holiday gifts he would give to each member of the Wizards. Some of them are a little tongue-and-cheek but most could actually help, or at least make Wizards fans feel a little better. After that, we include an older conversation that Matt had with former Wizard Sam Dekker on February 11, 2023. Dekker provides a lot of valuable insight that could help his fellow Wisconsi...

Longtime Wizards insider Troy Haliburton joins the podcast to address the Wizards' potential move to Virginia. Troy wrote a great piece on his Substack (link below) about the move and what, if any, responsibility Ted Leonsis had to the District of Columbia after taking their money to support various projects throughout the years. We covered the series of events that led to this, why this move is g...

Bleav in Wizards Draft: Matt Modderno is on the road this week and was able to check out a couple of intriguing mid-major prospects during the Utah State at Santa Clara game. Adama Bal, a 6'6 French wing, is the go-to guy for Santa Clara, a program that recently produced Jalen Williams and Brandin Podziemski. Could Bal be next? Matt shares his perspective after seeing him live. He also gives a sco...