The Wizards schedule for the upcoming season was released this past Monday. I know, I know, it's Wednesday already. A late-ish night at work putting a proposal or two together and then a night out at Wolf Trap with the Stray Cats delayed my posting this by a couple of days. Wrote most of it Monday; just had to find some pics to go with the words.
This season promises to be pretty darn grim for the Wizards die-hard faithful but I've written this post every year but the first that I've been writing this blog and so I'm doing it again. Here are my lucky seven takeaways from the annual schedule release.
But first...what is with this graphic the Wiz have rolled out this year? All-Star Bradley Beal and this year's number one draft pic Rui Hachimura make a ton of sense on the schedule. But what's with Troy Brown Jr. in street clothes and a backpack? Don't get it. Must be getting old. Let's get to my seven things.
1. Rough Start
So this year's already going to be rough enough with no John Wall likely for the whole year, the team trading away or just letting veteran talent walk and no cap space whatsoever to restock the larder. On top of all that, the league has to start this traditionally slow-starting team with three road games in four nights against Dallas, Oklahoma City and San Antonio? Looks like an 0-3 start to me to point this team in a great direction to start the season. I guess the good thing is if they manage to steal a game, the trip is a success.
Think things get easier once we open at home? Umm...no. The season opener is against James Harden, Russell Westbrook and the Houston Rockets (God that Westbrook part sounds odd). I'm thinking 0-4 here.
2. Sell High
I have paid entirely too much money for Wizards tickets over the past few years. This year I deleted a couple of generally worthless upper deck seats from my account but I'm still in for north of $8K with no help this year (thanks, Mike!). Looks like I'll be looking to sell what I can when I can, which means I'll likely be absent from the marquee games this year. Again.
So what are those? I'm thinking the Lakers, Golden State, the Clippers, New Orleans and Houston in that order. We get lucky with three of those five after football season is over (always a better time to sell) and got a gift with the Lakers game on a Saturday in March. No Eastern Conference games on the list? I'm thinking no. It's going to be another down year for the East now that the spectacularly successful Kawhi rental in Toronto is over. We didn't even get any resale value out of that one since amazingly Kawhi was still under most fans' radar last regular season.
Maybe Milwaukee provides some value.
3. No TV Love
By my count, the Wizards are on national television twice this year. Twice!!! And once is in November against Cleveland. I mean who's going to tune into that game unless ESPN gets guest broadcaster Steve Buckhantz to sit in on the play-by-play mike. It will probably just get cancelled.
I get that the Wiz aren't a draw this year. Or maybe really any year the way some other teams are. But two games on national TV??? I mean we do still have one All-Star active. They can't get us one or two more slots? One of the two is an NBA TV game, which doesn't really count since it's just a broadcast of one of the two teams' live feeds. No respect! Not saying this team has earned any. Just no respect anyway.
4. MLK Day!
The Wizards have enjoyed a pretty nice run of consecutive years on the annual NBA Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. These things used to get interrupted by presidential inaugurations but it turns out it's really just by popular presidential inaugurations. As a result of the lack of conflict with the sparse Trump 2017 showing, this is the Wizards seventh consecutive MLK Day hosting a home game. Despite the seriousness of this day, this game is always welcome no matter how bad a season this Wizards are having. Here's hoping this one is just as meaningful as the rest. January 20 vs. Detroit in case you want to mark your calendar.
5. Big 3
No, this isn't a reference to the league started by Ice Cube that continues to spurn D.C. (the league - probably legitimately - claims Cap One is significantly more expensive than other venues) but I just had to get that in there.
Every year the schedule allows the Wizards to play each Western Conference opponent home and away and twice that amount for Southeast Division rivals. The rest of the schedule is filled with four games against six of the remaining 10 teams and just three against the other four. Getting three games against the right teams can get you an easier 5% of the schedule but get the wrong teams missing at home and it can cost you a couple of bucks on the re-sale market.
This year's three game teams? Toronto, Brooklyn, Indiana and Cleveland. Three playoff teams (including the champs...sort of) is not a bad draw to get. Of course, the Wizards will be so bad this year that none of that will matter anyway. Just one home game against the Raps and Pacers this year. Not too broken up about that since Kawhi's not up north any more. No resale impact there for me.
This year's three game teams? Toronto, Brooklyn, Indiana and Cleveland. Three playoff teams (including the champs...sort of) is not a bad draw to get. Of course, the Wizards will be so bad this year that none of that will matter anyway. Just one home game against the Raps and Pacers this year. Not too broken up about that since Kawhi's not up north any more. No resale impact there for me.
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| NBA apparel in Rotorua, New Zealand. No Wizards stuff. Shocker!!! |
6. Vacation Time!
Last year I went on vacation in early March figuring the Wizards would be on the road. They weren't. I missed six home games and in the process squandered more than $1,000 in loss via the resale market. This year, I'll be smarter. It's been a few years since I've worried about making sure I'm in town for Wizards games but this season I feel like I have to get to these un-sellable games rather than skipping town.
March is a great time to get out of D.C. Maybe the weekend of the 14th or 28th. Yes, I know there's a home game on the 28th but come on, it's the Lakers. No way am I giving up that resale opportunity.
7. Road Trip?
I believe I've left Washington and seen some hoops on the road each year I've been writing this blog so it would be a shame to not do that this year. But honestly, I want to go somewhere I haven't seen a ball game yet and the more places I go, the fewer there are left on the list.
This year's possibilities for uncharted territory? Considering I'm looking ideally for a Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon game, it looks like I'm stuck choosing between San Antonio in late October (out of town the next weekend so not good) and at Charlotte on April 11. I'd love to go to Charlotte for a game but honestly, this Wizards team will have probably crushed all my spirit by that time. If I open it up to Friday nights, then I can consider Oklahoma City in game two of the season (carries the same problem as San Antonio), Boston on March 13 (yeah I know I said that would be a great weekend for a vacation but I didn't mean to Boston) and Houston on April 10 (which has the same killed my spirit issue as the Charlotte game).
This might be the year I'm done. In more than one way. Holding out hope that the Wiz will be in contention in late March so I can go to the Queen City.
Too little to get out of this year's schedule? Too much? That's all I got. Season starts October 23. Not necessarily looking forward to this one I have to say.
