Washington Wizards: Colin Cowherd Was Right About John Wall

A little over a year ago when John Wall first entered the league, he came out and did the Dougie during introductions in the Washington Wizards' home opener.

He then followed it up with a 29 -point performance and was a steal (or two turnovers) shy from a triple-double. 

ESPN personality Colin Cowherd came on radio the following day and lashed out on Wall for his 34-second dance and eight turnovers. 

Cowherd essentially said that his dance before the game exemplified that he's an "all-about-me" kind of guy. He added that he turns the ball over too much and is going to be more Steve Francis and Allen Iverson than Magic Johnson and Rajon Rondo.

Obviously, Cowherd was bashed in return by the Washington media. 

A year and a few months later though, what can Wizards fans say? John Wall has done absolutely nothing to disprove Cowherd's statements that day.

Sure, he's not a team killer and his Dougie was pretty cute, but would you make a bombastic and flamboyant entrance in your third career pick-up basketball game at your local YMCA even if an elder teammate asked you to? 

People are going to look at you awkwardly and say, "Who the hell does this guy think he is?"

But forget the dance for a second—let's look at John Wall's stats from last season and this season.

He averaged 8.3 assists per game, which is fantastic for a rookie. However, he was second in the league in turnovers with 3.8 per game.

He also had the second-lowest shooting percentage (41 percent) among league leaders at point guard. Those stats are pretty pedestrian. They're definitely not elite and Wall was an average point guard at best.

Meanwhile, the Wizards' 3-38 road record last year, and their 1-8 record this year, exemplifies that Cowherd's rant wasn't as outrageous as you may have initially thought.

The road is generally a big test for young players. Hostile road crowds are a good measure of how a young player deals with adversity. Wall, as the leader of the Wizards, couldn't get the job done on the road at all last season. What does that say about him? 

Nothing positive, that's for sure. 

Someone might say that that was just his rookie season and should receive a mulligan.

Okay, fair enough. Now please explain why the Wizards' 2011-12 season is already over. The team is 0-4 on the road and Wall is responsible.

His numbers are down from last year, thus far. He averages eight more minutes per game than Nick Young, yet he's averaging less points per game than Young. His field goal percentage is just over 35 percent, which is also lower than last year's average. And, finally, Wall's assists per game are down (6.8).

By the way, Wall's only taken five three-pointers, yet his field-goal percentage is ridiculously low. That means he's missing a lot of easy shots. It would be one thing if his field-goal percentage was so low due to undisciplined shot-selection from beyond the arc, but that's not the case here with Wall.

And those turnovers? 

He's still coughing up the ball 3.9 times per game. 

A point guard's job is to facilitate the offense, and Wall is struggling to do so. 

A fair argument for Wall would be that he's surrounded by marginal players. He doesn't have much help in DC. However, that doesn't mean he's supposed to come away with just three road wins in 41 chances. That's also not an excuse to lose nine out of the team's first 10 games.

Sure it's going to be hard to win games with Washington's roster, but they're the worst team in the league right now. 

Tim Tebow has a fraction of the talent John Wall has in his respective sport, but he still wins games. Tebow doesn't have amazing, superstar teammates on the Denver Broncos roster either.

Also, another point guard who was drafted No. 1 overall, Kyrie Irving, is at least leading his team to some wins in Cleveland. That roster isn't stacked either. 

Irving has a higher shooting percentage (43.8 percent), has a legitimate three-point game (36.8 percent), and has only three turnovers per game in his first eight games. He also has the pressure of filling in LeBron's shoes. 

So, it's interesting how quickly Wizards fans attacked Cowherd. Sure, Wall will have a solid career—no one is saying he's going to a bum. He'll lead the Wizards to a few playoff appearances. 

That being said, NBA careers are not based on how many times you end up on SportsCenter's Top Ten plays. It's about being a team player and winning rings.

Can Wall do that?

Of course he can. He needs to change as a player though, and use the media's criticism as the fuel to succeed and take his team to new heights.