Michael Lee of the Vertical on Yahoo recently spent four days with John Wall, and wrote about it here.
One thing that Wall spoke about was the whole “Kevin Durant going home” to D.C. theory. From Lee’s article:
With only 28 games remaining, the Wizards are running out of time and excuses if they plan to make a third straight trip to the postseason. Team president Ernie Grunfeld provided “a jolt” with the trade-deadline acquisition of Markieff Morris from Phoenix – a move that perhaps signaled the desperation in a critical season for a franchise that has seemingly been in a holding pattern, waiting for this summer, when hometown superstar Kevin Durant will decide what he’ll do in free agency.
“I know what our goal is, to try to go after Kevin, which is not a bad situation. But my ultimate goal is this year. I ain’t trying to waste a season,” Wall recently told The Vertical. “I’m in my sixth year. Time don’t wait for nobody and I’ve dealt with it my first three years of not being in the playoffs. I know how it feels to have a longer summer, a longer vacation. I don’t want that. I want to be seen on TV. I know the city wants to see that. And as a point guard, you get known as being a winner in this league, not being a loser. And that’s something I never want to do. Since I’ve been in the playoffs, I want to finish my career making the playoffs every single year if I have the opportunity.”
Wall is optimistic about the remainder of this season:
The addition of Morris should help, giving the team a 26-year-old forward who can consistently hit midrange jumpers and post up. The team’s depth is also strengthened with Jared Dudley moving to a reserve role. “I think this is the piece that helps us get over the hump,” Wall told The Vertical. “I don’t think we were throwing [the season] away but it kind of felt that way because we had nine guys on one-year contracts. We definitely want to win, we don’t want nothing to drop.”
It sounds like Wall’s head is in the right place. If you’re a fan of the Wizards(or a player), it’s fine to salivate at the idea of landing Kevin Durant, but don’t count on it as a certainty. Players only get so many prime years, and Wall understands that. He doesn’t want to waste one of them. Focus on the present, not the future.
