John Wall (Photo : Streeter Lecka / Getty Images Sport)
The Washington Wizards had a disappointing season by all accounts and they might not even reach the playoffs.
Their superstar, John Wall, recently shared his personal thoughts on his team and also his city with Michael Lee of The Vertical at Yahoo Sports.
"The type of player I am, and person I am, character I have, I should be seen on commercials, in the nation's eyes and the people's eyes. And I haven't," Wall said. "I want to leave a legacy and you can't leave a legacy hiding behind the doors, and I think that's what I did my first six years really. It ain't like I want to be bigger and better than anybody; I just think it's an opportunity to be seen. Where's my little share?"
He added: "[At Kentucky] I was everywhere," Wall said. "I ain't got no billboards in D.C."
That may sound self-centered, but it was part of a discourse Wall gave airing his frustration on not being able to win after six years with the team that drafted him.
Another underlying reason was the team's pursuit of Kevin Durant. Wall supports that, but he had some misgivings.
"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 clarified.
"I still think I get overlooked sometimes," Wall said. "Some people say I'm not a top-five point guard. In my opinion, I think I'm top three. I only see two people ahead of me: Steph [Curry] and Russ [Westbrook] right now. Steph is on a heck of a pedestal and Russ is putting up triple doubles and they're winning. That's my opinion. That's just being honest, but I just go out and compete and if I'm winning games, my game will do the talking for itself."
The Kentucky standout and former first overall pick does not lack for confidence, but he does have a game to back-up his claims. The team picture is a different matter, as Basketball Insiders points out.
"How much longer can the Wizards expect Wall to wait around for them to figure things out as a franchise?" is the question on BI writer Steve Kyler's mind.
Wall is under contract until the 2018-19 season, but frustrated franchise players have forced themselves out of franchises. The aforementioned Carmelo Anthony is the best example.
The comments by Wall prove that in the absence of winning, players want individual recognition. Anthony, despite the Knicks missing the playoffs, seems reluctant to leave the Big Apple and part of that is what Wall mentioned, "he's everywhere."
If a team fails to provide the victories and appreciation for their star, there are 29 other teams waiting for that chance.
