Posts in month: November, 2009

{flickr/ragesoss}

It’s as if we’re forced to admire or respect the outspoken views of Etan Thomas just because, well, they are outspoken. The mere fact that he’s a rare beacon of political activism amongst professional athletes somehow lends more credibility to his point of view.

Kind of ironic when you think about it. Because he plays in a capitalism-fueled league that he’s at times criticized, Thomas’ soap box (via the Huffington Post, et al.) has been amplified more than your average Joe (except if “The Plumber” follows ‘Joe’ I suppose). When you consider the privileges athletes receive because of their status in society, no one ever thinks about such perks including a higher platform for activism. But as Thomas points out in his blogging debut on HoopsHype, there are plenty of NBA players who have been politically (or more accurately, socially) conscious. It’s just that not all of them opine on a regular basis like Thomas.

A vocal Etan Thomas isn’t a bad thing. He’s done an admirable job in his attempt to push ‘need to be discussed’ topics to the forefront. But I won’t always pay attention to or agree with all of Thomas’ utterances. As I alluded to, the fact that he’s an athlete doesn’t lend him any sort of credibility in my mind. Then again, Thomas is no more or less credible than the oodles of political pundits out there on CNN, Fox News, and the what-not … the types John Stewart so often rips down with reason and comedy on the Daily Show (Which is, by the way, my ‘source’ for news … just kidding, kinda. Would you blame me if, at times, I’d rather digest current events with heavy doses satire via a self-proclaimed “fake news”?)

Ok, I’m digressing and speaking in generalities. This post is not meant to be of a political nature. Rather, how Etan Thomas’ recent blog entry of “questions” applies to the Wizards. Read more »

{flickr/Keith Allison}

One thing I didn’t to mention in my post-game write-up … and I’m not sure if it had a proper place there anyway … was the “mood” of Gilbert Arenas after the Suns game.

I’ve only been around the new, media unfriendly Arenas at media day, practices, and home games. And he’s only talked once after a practice (to my knowledge), the first one after he got fined. I also haven’t been to every practice, but his routine usually has been to say, “They said I don’t have to talk to you guys today … only on game nights.”

Most are still getting acclimated to the melancholy, aloof Gilbert Arenas … the one who has become so jaded by the media that he started putting on a rendition of himself that’s a far cry from the entertaining Arenas of old. A seemingly 180-degree turn, but still 100% quirky.

If you ask his teammates, he’s still the same Gilbert. Maybe he’s not pulling the pranks he has in the past, but he’s certainly not putting on a terse facade with them. The media has witnessed Arenas joking around with others, only to see his alter ego take effect when “official” media time commences. I’ve found myself wondering if Arenas’ “act” causes him internal strife, in the sense that it takes energy to suppress part of his being. Or, is the whole charade something he enjoys?

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Well, the Wizards certainly played better against the Suns than they did against Indiana last Friday. But this time, they simply lost to a better team. It’s another day, another loss … the Wizards’ fourth in a row with their record now standing at 2-5. One would hope that this doesn’t become routine, but that didn’t keep members of the media from groaning “feels like last year” as they made their way to the media room to wait for Flip Saunders’ press conference.

Of course, I wasn’t operating under an “official” media capacity last season, but I can imagine letting out a sigh, shrugging my shoulders, and wondering what to ask Saunders as I did on Sunday. But this isn’t like last year. There isn’t a sense that losing is inevitable. This team conveys a strong belief that everything will come together with time, health … and more trust on offense.

The Wizards started against Phoenix not necessarily lacking energy, but were plagued by defensive mismatch problems  … a theme that’s not unique to this one game. While Fabricio Oberto concentrated on Amar’e Stoudemire, Brendan Haywood had to worry about Channing Frye and his three-point shooting, spreading the court ways. Frye finished 4-8 from deep.

Haywood seemed to have trouble moving his feet fast enough to cover all the offensive looks from the Suns. At times, the spinning and turning Haywood was doing on defense looked to be some sort of interpretive dance in the paint. The Wizards center was curiously limited to 11 and a half minutes in the first half, but finished the game as a rebounding (10) and shot blocking (5) presence in his 32 total minutes.

Many of the issues can also be attributed how tough it is to guard Steve Nash. Often, it wasn’t the guy setting the screen and rolling who caused trouble for the Wizards. Rather, it was the secondary cutter who broke free as the Washington help defense became focused on Nash and the screener. Nash finished with 17 assists, two more than the Wizards’ team total … which became a primary topic of discussion after the game.

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2:02:59 PM: Your Wizards starters: Arenas, Foye, Butler, Oberto & Haywood vs. Nash, Richardson, Hill, Frye & Stoudemire for Phoenix.

2:06:08 PM: Flip Saunders said he’s starting Randy Foye for his “offensive consistency” – [insert jabs at Nick Young here]

2:08:09 PM: Thunder Dan Majerle was wearing cargo shorts during the Suns’ early pregame warmup — just thought you might want to know.

2:09:03 PM: Will the Wizards come out with Energy today? The 1 pm game time makes it more of a challenge to do so.

2:10:58 PM: @craigstouffer advises to get the fruit plate ready in his pregame write-up http://tinyurl.com/y86uabz

2:11:40 PM: RT @DCWIZ DSteve rockin a straw ala Butler

2:14:11 PM: Wizards start 0-2 on jumpers, Jason Richardson starts 2-2 in the post vs. Foye — Haywood is on Frye, Oberto on Stoudemire.

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Reporting today from the Verizon Center for a 1 pm start between the Wizards and the Suns. So … I’ll be missing out on the Redskins-Falcons game … not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Considering I’m a Wizards fan first and foremost (and the Redskins are likely to lose), it’s probably a good thing. However, confidence in this Wizards team is a bit waning right now. How they respond after a horrid, horrid effort in Indiana will be extremely key.

Things you need to know:

• The last time the Wizards beat the Suns was on December 22, 2006 in Phoenix — the night that Gilbert Arenas put up 54 points.
• Randy Foye and Fabrico Oberto will start today … along with Arenas, Butler and Haywood.
• In reference to Foye, Saunders said he was looking for “offensive consistency”, i.e., what Nick Young does not provide.
• Before the game Saunders said Oberto is an excellent pick-and-roll defender — so, it will be interesting to see if Fab matches up against Amar’e Stoudemire while Haywood chases the 3-point shooting Channing Frye around the perimeter.
• ENERGY! – The Wizards need a heavy dose of it. When I asked Flip how, aside from Antawn Jamison speeches/tirades, this team gets themselves going today, he essentially said, “We’ll have to wait and see.” He went on to express concern about this being an afternoon game saying that NBA players always have trouble with day games where they have to wake up and play without the normal routine.
• Gilbert Arenas surpassed 10,000 career points against the Pacers — Today, DeShawn Stevenson needs two points to surpass 5,000 career points.
• In terms of Caron Butler’s game against Indy (24 points, 8-21 FGs) where he seemed more aggressive, but not particularly effective, Saunders was asked if that was the “balance” he was looking for out of Tuff Juice. Flip simply answered, “I didn’t like anything I saw on Friday night.”
• The Suns are 5-1, beating the T-Wolves and Warriors at home and the Clippers, Heat, and Celtics on the road. Their one loss was at the hands of the Magic in Orlando.
• Final Quote, Flip on Friday’s Pacers game: “I was searching, I was searching for a lot of things. Couldn’t find anything, but I was searching.”

That’s about all I got … I’m going to go to the media room and refill my soda and then get ready to watch the Gilbert Arenas and Steve Nash show.

It’s baffling how for the second game in a row the Wizards came out flat and lacking energy. You’d think that with the sour taste of a 19-win season still fresh, this team would play like they have something to prove. Guess not. Against the Pacers, the poor effort continued for the duration of the game as the Wizards fell 102-86.

So what is the reason? Is it still a matter of everyone getting used to their roles and flow in a new offensive system? Is it still a “process”?

The effort part is clearly on the players, evident by the strewn candy dishes and honeydew melon that resulted from Antawn Jamison’s post game tirade.

Flip Saunders seemed to be as confused about how to maneuver his team as anyone (which immediately conjured up images of Charlie in “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” in my mind — just see seconds 15-18 in the clip below).

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Caron will have his work cut out for him in trying to guard Danny Granger tonight. And the best way to combat a guy averaging 23 points per game (tied for 16th in the NBA)? Attack, attack, and attack him on offense.

Granger has been mad lately. He evidently stormed off without talking to the media after the Pacers lost to the Nuggets on Tuesday. The next night, he came back and scored 21 points on 7-18 from the field in win against the Knicks.

But things still aren’t all that great for last year’s Most Improved Player. He’s been struggling with an injury to his right heel (bone bruise), and some say he hasn’t been able to get good lift on his jumper … this is evident by his 40.3% from the field and a True Shooting Percentage (TS%) of .534 in four games this season.

Caron Butler, as we know, isn’t faring much better on offense. He’s shooting 39.6% from the field (.473 TS%). He missed the Wizards’ home opener against the Nets (and most of the previous game in Atlanta) because of a bruised knee-cap, but his struggles aren’t believed to be of a physical derivation.

So what’s the deal with Tuff Juice? Why has he been getting caught “watching the show,” as he says?

It’s hard to put a finger on it. When Butler is trying to be aggressive on offense, he tends to pound the ball into the floor, stagnating ball movement and not creating for his teammates as they watch. Other times, Caron simply hasn’t inserted himself into the offensive rhythm, electing to observe while Gilbert Arenas tries to do his thing.

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Lackluster Wizards, lackluster Verizon Center … I’m not sure which bred which, but the result was an absolutely ugly opening for the Washington basketball squad. Down 31-17 after a first quarter where the Wizards shot 29.2% and committed seven turnovers (five personal and two shot clock violations), three courtesy of Caron Butler, Flip Saunders’ team found themselves trying to claw their way back into the game. And they eventually did.

With the ball, game tied at 89, and under a minute left, the Wizards offensively followed with: Caron Butler getting his show blocked by Wade, a steal with Stevenson getting fouled while out of control on a fast break, but missing both free-throws, and three missed Gilbert Arenas interior shots … once down 91-89, once down 92-89, and finally down 93-89, which was the final score. On the first occasion Arenas probably got fouled, on the second, one of his charted “shots” was really a lob to Haywood that hit rim not hands, and on the final occasion, Arenas simply missed a layup.

Anyway you slice it, the Wizards finished the final minute of the game in a sloppy manner like a team fractured on offense. But Flip Saunders remembers it differently. “I remember the first minute, falling behind by 19, not coming out with the energy that we have played previously in all the games,” said Saunders. “The basketball gods will get you and you can’t cheat the game in a lot of situations.”

But what did the Wizards do to wrong the basketball gods in the first place?

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Well, it’s not the end of the world, but it isn’t exactly what Wizards fans want to hear either … especially after a loss.

Miller originally injured his left, non-shooting shoulder less than a minute into the third quarter and looked to be in a lot of pain. He sat on the bench for a couple minutes while being looked at by a trainer and eventually made his way back into the locker room. Early reports indicated that it was a mild shoulder sprain and that Miller would return.

With 3:50 left in the third, Miller checked back in. He seemed to slightly favor the shoulder, but looked okay as he played through. Unfortunately, just under three minutes into the fourth quarter, he injured it again on a hard drive to the basket. Scoring the hoop and the harm, Miller stayed in the game and made the And1 free-throw, which didn’t give the Wizards a chance to call a timeout.

This time, Miller was clearly heavily favoring the shoulder. The Heat subsequently went down the court and Quentin Richardson missed a three pointer. However, the Wizards did not call a timeout to get Miller off the court. On the next offensive possession, the ball actually ended up in Miller’s hands, or hand, as he caught it and only dribbled with his right hand. And then the most amazing part which got Miller a standing ovation, he zipped a pass to Andray Blatche right under the basket for a dunk and his third assist of the game.

The Heat then called a timeout and Stevenson was able to check in for Miller who went straight to the locker room where he would be declared out for the rest of the night. In his post-game presser, Flip Saunders said that Miller would be out for 7-10 days with a “mild 1 sprain of his shoulder.”

You can read the AP story here via ESPN.

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8:10:21 PM: Live from the Verizon Center … not the best crowd on hand, guess the Wizards have a way to go before they can win back DC sports fans.

8:11:01 PM: Not even D-Wade and the hometown boy Michael Beasley could get the house packed.

8:15:24 PM: 1:40 into the game, the Mike Miller on D-Wade mismatch leads to two Miller fouls, 3 D-Wade points, and Randy Foye off the bench.

8:17:32 PM: Wade proceeds to take Foye in the post, Flip already looks frustrated. Wade has 7 of 9 Heat pts – Beasley has other 2 on Oberto. 9-4 Heat.

8:24:39 PM: Wiz down 15-6. Flip takes 2nd T.O. 5:35 into game. Wiz w 2 consec. TOs. Brief boos from very sparse/late arriving crowd. Not looking good.

8:33:48 PM: Hopefully McGee will bring some energy to this place, joins Arenas, Butler, Blatche & DeShawn. Wiz down 27-10. VERY lackadaisical so far.

8:41:05 PM: Wiz down 31-17 after 1. D-Wade on pace 4 52 pts (esp. w Miller/Foye on him) DeShawn gave up 2. Wiz R lifeless, need some1 2 get angry & play

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{flickr/Keith Allison}

Both teams lost last night … the Wizards, of course, to the Cavs and the Heat to the Suns in Miami. So, each squad will come out wanting a redemptive win. And while the game is certainly very important to players on each side, being between division rivals and all, it’s probably more crucial that the Wizards get the win.

Miami is 3-1 and will go back home for five straight games after tonight. The Wizards stand at 2-2 and will be on the road for four of the next seven (on the road at Indiana, Miami, San Antonio & Oklahoma City vs. Phoenix, Detroit & Cleveland at home).

Something has also got to give.
Last season, the Heat swept the Wizards 4-0, returning the favor as the Wizards did the same to Miami in 07-08.

What to watch …. Read more »

As Tuesday night got later and later, I found myself less and less wanting to write a blog about the Wizards-Cavs game. It’s not that I was particularly distraught about the loss … I just preferred to put it behind me, have a short memory as they say in sports.

Dwyane Wade and the Heat are in D.C. tonight for a game that I will be covering/reporting from … and I’d rather focus my energy on hoping the Wiz take care of business at home.

Plus, I predicted a Cavs win because of what I thought would be a Cleveland home court advantage (ahem … whistles). And well, that pretty much held true. In the first half, the Wizards’ four big men were whistled for a total of 12 fouls — Haywood (3), Blatche (3), McGee (4), and Oberto (2).

Most of the fouls were just, some not so much … and ultimately this threw the Wizards out of sync on both ends of the court.

On defense, bigs were worried about picking up fouls. And a Shaq versus JaVale McGee matchup, simply in appearance much less game flow, was like choosing between a simple salad and a bacon cheeseburger from Five Guys … when you’re six beers into a six hour empty stomach. Which one do you think will prevail?

Still, despite some very questionable calls, this one wasn’t on the refs

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{flickr/Keith Allison}

On Sunday, Mike Prada of Bullets and I recorded a podcast about the Wizards-Cavaliers rivalry with a couple “rival” bloggers.

On Monday, four Wizards (Haywood, Butler, Foye & Stevenson), talked about the rivalry after practice before heading to Cleveland.

The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg wrote about this rivalry talk as did the Washington Times’ Mike Jones. A Cleveland writer likened the rivalry to the Browns and Steelers (ouch).

On Tuesday, Cavs guard Delonte West was indicted on weapons charges (two counts of carrying a dangerous weapon, two counts of carrying a handgun, two counts of transporting a handgun, one count of reckless driving and one count of negligent driving) in PG County, Maryland. Read more »

After Monday’s practice, before setting off for hostile territory in Ohio, Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler, Randy Foye and DeShawn Stevenson are prodded to talk about the rivarly/history between the Wizards and the Cavaliers.

Other practice coverage links:

• New look Wiz get ready for Cleveland rivalry [DC Sports Bog]
• Butler expeced to play vs. Cleveland [Wizards Outlet]
• Foye is fine about not getting an extension [Wizards Insider]

Episode two of ‘The Dagger Report’, a Washington Wizards podcast is out. This week, Mike Prada of Bullets Forever and I discuss the Wizards-Cavaliers rivalry (if you want to call it that, I do).

And to get a perspective from both sides, a couple “rival” bloggers join us. John Krolik of Cavs: The Blog (part of the ESPN TrueHoop Network), and Andrew Schnitkey (aka RockKing) of the general Cleveland sports blog, Waiting For Next Year, were kind enough to take part.

In addition to rivalry talk, we’ll also talk about what exactly has been going on with the Cavs so far this season.

Click below to listen.

Episode 2: The Dagger Report – Washington Wizards podcast

Or click here to subscribe via iTunes.