 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
Every time I see someone sporting some old school Bullets gear, I’d like to buy them a beer. They weren’t selling any brews on the Mall today so I didn’t get a chance to toss one to this cat. Instead, he gets a blog post dedicated to his retro sweetness.
Happy Inauguration Day Ya’ll! Up in the morning and about to take the metro bus (at least as far as I can get) down to the National Mall to partake in the day’s events. I’ll be Twittering observations and the occasional photo with my B-Berry Storm if you want to check it. Yes, this is a Washington Wizards-ish blog, but DC is my city and I put on for it.
If you’re looking for something involving the Wizards, check the pictures below from last Friday’s win against the New York Knicks, a match which was attended by yours truly and Jake The Snake of Bullets Forever and Gilbertology fame.
Enjoy.
Milestones: MLK day, Inauguration eve, JaVale McGee is 21, Michael Adams celebrates a B-Day as well, Wiz playing the team against which Ed Tapscott got his first win and Captain Jack does not care.
Q1
11:00:
The Good Thing: Wizards don’t have too much of a reason to collapse into the paint on Biedrins
Bad Thing: Blatche is sometimes allergic to blocking out…Biedrins gets a board and then Azubuike gets 2nd chance three. 5-2 G-State.
Not sure what Caron Butler going behind the screen on a shooter like Jamal Crawford has to do with him having to play the two-spot.
Jamison starts out focused against his former team with 6 of the first 8 points for the Wiz…..he’s also being guarded by rookie Anthony Randolph (who has to check out with 2 early fouls). 8-8 tie.
Kiss Cam hijinks have been covered before…..and usually the victim(s) from the visiting team treat their infamy with a smile and a wave.
But not Nate Robinson and Al Harrington of the New York Knicks, who seem to be enjoying themselves a little too much….(insert your own “hey boys, get a room” zinger).
Poor Anthony Roberson, he gets no love.
The Wizards winning last night (pictures to come), the commencement of a four-day weekend, and videos like this:
Link Rec:
We have a tax problem, and the only prescription is more trades [Bullets Forever]
I Say: Ernie Grunfeld has been catching some fire lately (injuries = give the guy a break), but I still trust that he has some crafty moves under his sleeve.
Yes, yes he does.
Nick Young has averaged 25.8 points on 71.6% from the field while knocking down 8 of 13 three point attempts in the last four games. Four out of 38 games, a mere tenth of the season to date, is a small sample. But overall, what are Young’s chances to suit up for the sophs in the NBA Rookie-Sophomore Challenge? Let’s look at some more numbers.
Nine players are selected for each team in the Challenge. Who are the locks?
As you see, I have PER, minutes per game, and points/rebounds/assists per 36 minutes listed. Can’t really argue with the numbers and what these guys are doing on the court. But that only leaves three spots left, and there are a lot of talented sophs out there.
Now I’m going to get all anonymous on you.
Q1
11:23: David Lee gets on board for the Knicks as they move the ball well while Andray Blatche flounders around the paint, quizzically pointing fingers at lost defensive assignments. 2-2.
11:09: Blatche, however, scores the first four points of the game….the latter pair coming on a nice behind the back dribble and pull up on Lee who gave him too much space.
It’s nice to see confidence from Andray, but I see two big problems with him: 1) being able to keep up with the energy/hustle of David Lee, and 2) lack of concentration.
8:44: Nice NY ball movement from a driving Lee to a moving Jared Jeffries leaves Blatche’s head hanging. 11-9 Wizards.
The Wiz are moving the ball fairly well themselves though and have taken a 15-9 lead on a Mike James three.
First of all, I’d like to thank all who participated in this the 5th round of NBA blogger MVP/ROY voting, the first of 2009. I’m honored to have been the host. Second, the esteemed panel:
Previous Rounds:
Without further ado, here goes……
Some will tell you that Michael Redd killed the Wizards with his All-Star play, especially that huge three he hit to put the Bucks up 93-89 with 1:20 left (Dominic McGuire got caught on a screen and Andray Blatche didn’t help like he was supposed to).
Some will tell you that Andrew Bogut was a heavy-weight in the paint with 18 points and 10 boards (sure he was trouble, but at times, the Wizards guards focused on him too much, losing sight of perimeter assignments).
I will tell you that the #1 problem in my book was one which has consistently plagued the Wizards’ defensive efforts for years: backcourt defense. During crucial moments of the game, it seemed that either Luke Ridnour or Ramon Sessions were getting their way against the likes of Javaris Crittenton and Mike James.
The ball handling duo for the Bucks combined for 14 assists and only 2 turnovers (both on Ridnour, who had 10 of the assists). The quick offensive movement they spawned was contagious to their teammates…..and it was the poor down-the-stretch defense of the Wizards which helped thwart any easy chances to be had on offense.
But in reality, one could point to a number of reasons and be correct. They all add up to a choking mentality, and that’s the tragedy with which this Wizards team is faced. It’s not the way they play, it’s the way they think.
It never fails. Right after the ending timeout buzzer sounds, the Verizon Center ‘Kiss Cam’ operator pans to a couple players on the opposing bench and giggles spread throughout the arena like a pandemic. I imagine that said cameraman is also crossing his fingers that he’s not by chance capturing the next John Amaechi in an uncomfortable situation.
But last Saturday against the Charlotte Bobcats, Juwan Howard served as not only a victim of boo-birds throughout the night, but also of Kiss Cam hijinx. No one is quite sure why Wizards fans hold a grudge against a man who simply took the money which was offered to him. Perhaps Howard was simply serving as an outlet for the frustrations of a lost season; either that or people just don’t like cats who get paid and then suck Nonetheless, as you will see in the photos and web hits below, Howard seemed to be a good sport about the whole ordeal.
The Wizards? Well, they haven’t been very sporting at all lately, have they?
Wizards-Bobcats Web Hits:
Attended the game on Saturday (obviously), and one of the few highlights can be found courtesy of Mac G’s World…..JaVale’s Jam.
[Washington Times]
Butler made two foul shots and center Andray Blatche got a putback to fall, pulling the Wizards within one with 56 seconds left. But with the Bobcats denying Butler and Jamison a chance at heroics, Mike James, Andray Blatche and Nick Young all missed shots in the final 40 seconds.
The Question: “Which Wizard do you think would finish last in a race?”
The Answer: According to the voting via text messaging public, team choir boy, Darius Songaila, would “win” a race between him, Etan Thomas and Andray Blatche in a landslide.
Blatche received a decided 45% of the attending fan vote. Perhaps they believed Blatche’s flatulance would be a detriment, or that a stomach full of nachos would weigh him down, but most likely chose Andray because he just lacks stamina.
After the finally tally, the jumbotron displayed a video montage of answers from the Wizards themselves. Some claimed that Songaila would, in fact, finish last, but more seemed to believe that an unlisted candidate, Oleksiy Pecherov, would be pulling up the rear.
Songaila himself vehemently denied any accusations that he would be last, and I believe him. Have you ever seen Songaila run? He gets those arms moving like the propellers of the Spruce Goose, surely giving him an edge, and more than compensating for the stigma of being slow and white.
Well, I thought I had evidence to the contrary, but leave it to the guys at Didn’t Draw Iron, to prove me wrong. The proof is actually in the pudding crab bisque, just check out the video below.
Well, there you go…..keep doing what you’re doing Bron-Bron. It’s your world and everyone else is just witness to your powder tossing ways.
[photo via This Is God Given]
Darryl and Maxwell had been at odds for what seemed like ages over their dictionary defined opposite hair styles. “Look brospeh, we just gotta agree to disagree,” Darryl would say. “Why don’t you just let me be me,” Maxwell would retort.
And so the debate raged on, until last Saturday night when both Darryl and Maxwell set aside their differences in cranium fur stylistics to attend a match between the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Bobcats.
The ultimate hope for the duo was that the futile efforts of the Wizards would serve as a distraction from the daily argument grind, as well as make them feel better about themselves. And the Wizards did not disappoint as they blew a 13-point lead with 4:38 left in the 3rd quarter, and later a five point lead with five minutes left in the 4th.
Yep, ol’ Darryl and Maxwell left the Verizon Center feeling pretty good about themselves, until Darryl said, “Maxwell, what the fuck is up with all those braids and shit?,” to which Maxwell responded, “Give it up Darryl, that horseshoe you have going looks like a burnt turd wrapped around rotten meat.”
‘Bout to head down to Chinatown for some football watching and then some Wizards-Bobcats game attending. Brett from Queen City Hoops was gracious enough to answer some questions about his team, here they go…..
1) The moves that Michael Jordan while in DC left a sour taste in the mouths of many Wizards fans. How satisfied are you with the direction of the Bobcats under MJ’s leadership? And actually, in what direction are the Bobcats heading?
Brandon Wright for Jason Richardson…who turned into Boris Diaw at 9ish Million per season. Walter Hermann and Primoz Brezec for Nazr Mohammed, who has gotten about 9 minutes a game this year, yet makes over 6 million dollars (with another year and a big money early termination option after that). Adam Morrison instead of Rudy Gay – and Ammo’s option got picked up for next year at $5 million, despite a PER of less than 8. How satisfied do you think I would be with those moves? The Bobcats seem firmly on a path to sustained mediocrity (or less), tying up big money in a core of decent but not great players. With Gerald, Emeka, Matt Carroll, and Boris Diaw under contract for the next several years, the Bobcats have already committed $35+ million to payroll, with no sure fire all-star among them.
2) Larry Brown, in comparison to the headlines he’s made in the past, has flown relatively under the radar this season. What do you think of the job he is doing?
With Larry staying away from bashing the team in the media for the most part (save for Sean May and his conditioning), I have been pleased by that aspect. With the team headed to a comparable win total to last season, barring a surprising second half run during their road heavy portion of the schedule, I have to say I am a bit disappointed in the outcome – yet pleased by what I have seen on the court generally. The defense is far improved, with the Bobcats moving up to about average in defensive efficiency.
Last night was the first time this season that I just watched the game, instead of trying to take notes/blog during. I can’t say whether it caused me to have a different perspective, but it led me to finally conclude: we are just a bunch of losers (oh, the “we” thing….no, I’m not on the Wizards, nor part of the franchise, but I am a fan, and “with” the team in good times and in bad).
You might be asking yourself what took me so long to come to said conclusion? Sure, the Wizards have been bad pretty much all year, but there have been signs of hope. And despite Mike Wise writing off this season as an inevitable mulligan four days ago (although technically not a “do-over”), some, perhaps myself included, thought that the Wizards could come together as a team, show some spry, accumulate some wins, and then look up and see themselves suddenly in a playoff chase.
Not so, not so at all. I’m not going to call out veterans like Caron Butler or Antawn Jamison for not trying. No, they’re out there, seemingly giving it their all. And I’m not going to call anyone else out for misplaced effort. Well, maybe Andray Blatche…I mean does the picture below look like a guy who is ready to play a basketball game?
Last night, it was the little things that you don’t think about, a bobble of the ball, a travel, that led me to succumb to the thought of writing the entire 2008-2009 season off. I twittered this, and even made the same comment on the Bullets Forever game thread, but I’ll reiterate: The Washington Wizards are simply stuck in a state of mental absence from the game of basketball.
Latest from ESPN TrueHoop Network