Ok, it was just one game … two games counting the win against Minnesota. With a 107-97 win over the Denver Nuggets, the Wizards have won two games in a row for just the sixth time all year (three has yet to be accomplished). Is it a reason to think this team just might do something crazy and sneak into the playoffs? Absolutely not. Is it a reason to get excited? A resounding yes.

Energy, effort, hustle and hunger were the themes tossed around the Verizon Center Friday night, the obvious reason why Wizards fans, even those who came to see Baltimore’s Carmelo Anthony, stood up and cheered for a brand of basketball that’s rarely been seen this season, if at all.

“I told guys at shoot-around, ‘We gotta play like a pack of mad dogs,’ and that’s how we played tonight,” said Flip Saunders after the game. The new guys, Josh Howard, Al Thornton and James Singleton set the example and led the way. “Thornton at 6’7″ can play like 6’10″ rebounding-wise, and Josh can play bigger, and of course Singleton. Those are energy guys,” the coach continued.

Thornton can score too, netting 17 of his 21 points in the second half. He arrived in D.C. at 2 am on Friday, and wasn’t able to participate in that morning’s shoot-around, but dug deep and found a way to play some damn good defense against Anthony. “Once Carmelo gets in a groove and gets in jab steps going, he’s very hard to guard. So, I just tried to get in him and frustrate him a little bit and make him take off-balanced shots,” Thornton said. Melo had 23 points in the game, but only five in the second half and zero in the fourth quarter. He shot 1-10 in the second half.

Yes, the Nuggets had to be tired in the second leg of a back-to-back where Anthony had hit a jumper in LeBron’s face to win the game Thursday night in Cleveland. But I’ll also remind you that Denver has the second best record in the Western Conference and these are the Washington Wizards. When asked if all of the new pieces were an advantage because opponents don’t exactly know how to prepare for these new Wizards, Saunders said, “Well, the disadvantage would be that we have a lot of new pieces and we don’t know how to prepare for ourselves.”

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Amidst all that went on Wednesday night (the trading of Antawn Jamison to Cleveland and a basketball game, of all things), I thought it would be a good idea to stroll around the very sparse Verizon Center concourse (you can probably chop the “announced” attendance of 13,143 by 40%) during halftime and a bit during the third quarter to get a beat on the fan pulse/reaction to the trade.

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Quick Links

• Who will be the Wizards’ Captain? Craig Stouffer of the Washington Examiner reports that Flip Saunders joked, “I’m going to be the team captain.”

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Since Gun-Gate and the subsequent fallout, multiple reports have surfaced indicating that Gilbert Arenas was just as miffed with the franchise, supposedly for not supporting him enough, as the franchise was with him for bringing guns into the locker room and subsequently reacting in an immature manner.

Since, Arenas has been forcibly out of sight and seemingly out of the minds of most, many figuring that the team, in cost-cutting mode, would attempt to either void Arenas’ contract or buy him out this summer.

In his trade deadline press conference Thursday afternoon, Ernie Grunfeld was surprisingly candid when asked about Arenas’ situation and used language pertaining to the guard’s potential return to the team that was quite surprising.

While many took the taking down of Arenas’ banner, the halting of his jersey sales, and the removal of his picture from certain, but not all places within the Verizon Center to mean that the franchise was completely cutting ties with their fallen star, Grunfeld seemed to indicate that wasn’t completely the case.

“If he wants to play, this is the place he’s going to play,” was probably Grunfeld’s most telling quote. He also said, “He’s under contract with us, we think he’s going to be back here with us,” giving further indication that he still considers Arenas part of the organization. Grunfeld also made sure to remind people that Arenas has four years left on his contract, so he is still technically part of the organization.

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Antawn Jamison’s Last Exit

When both Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler were traded, you knew Antawn Jamison just had to be traded too, sent to greener pastures … via leaving the Verizon Center in a car worth over a quarter-million dollars. Which, by the way, I’m told is a Bentley Continental, most likely a GT, and not a Maybach as was originally reported (thanks to @CarbonPrimo and the car nuts at @UpshiftReviews).

Michael Lee reports that Jamison even requested a trade. But did he even have to? Well, let me put it this way, he shouldn’t have had to. But you can’t blame  ‘Twan for wanting to make sure Ernie Grunfeld wasn’t going to hold him hostage on an un-seaworthy ship with a plank, a revolver and perhaps an eye-patch and a devious smile.

Antawn Jamison wasn’t perfect, but he was a a pro’s pro. A throwback player. I wish ‘Twan all the best, but not necessarily a championship with LeBron in Cleveland. I’m not sure, I’ll have to see how I feel when NBA playoff time comes around.

There will be plenty of tribute posts for all the departed Wizards in the future, but until then, a couple quick parting shots of Jameson for Jamison’s last night as a Wizard in bullet-point form: Read more »

Things in Wizards Nation aren’t that bad. At least in a “can’t get any worse” type of way as releasing Antawn Jamison to go win a championship with LeBron was probably the worst rock-bottom imaginable back in September. It can only go up from here, no guarantees though.

Time for fans to move forward the best they can. One way to do that would be to find positives among the new pieces, even if they are just temporary. The events which unfolded during and after Washington’s 108-99 victory over Minnesota on Tuesday night (but not before, I’ll cover the Jamison trade to Cleveland later), showed that Josh Howard and James Singleton could be spots of light cutting through dark skies. Latest acquisition Al Thornton, however, does not come with a ringing endorsement from the LA Clipper fan base. One can only hope he gets off on the right foot like Singleton and Howard have. Here are each of their stories …

{Starting Fresh Like The Farmer’s Market}

Josh Howard seems like a humbled man ready to do his best. If he somehow gets a bad mark on his record over the remainder of the schedule, we’ll know an even darker cloud than originally thought hangs over the franchise. In other words, expect him to be on his very best behavior.

Howard is frank and matter of fact, but with a twist of character. When asked about the win, a big smile crept across his face as he said, “Oh it meant a lot. C’mon now, it meant a whole lot. Just to come into a new organization and show them I want to be here, plus … uhh, stick it back to the Mavs.”

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The first practice for new Wizards Josh Howard, James Singleton and Quinton Ross had a media buzz in the air, yet a slightly somber tone on the court. Most of those already on the team ducked the awaiting press by exiting the practice court from a side door. Antawn Jamison, however, made his presence known by singing the Black Eyed Peas’ “I got a feeling,” down the hallway as he headed into the locker room. He later would make the media wait around 30 minutes for him to speak until a Wizards PR person finally declared that ‘Twan had left the building. For good? We don’t know.

It seemed like forever since I’d been in the Verizon Center. Sixteen days to be exact. With the Atlanta Hawks game originally scheduled for February 6th postponed because of snow, the last time I was around in the catacombs of the house that Abe built was on February 1st when the Wizards barely mustered 10 points in the fourth quarter and lost to the Boston Celtics 99-88.

Days like Tuesday afternoon’s practice are always interesting. I walked into the press lounge to see several faintly familiar faces; the television personalities who only show up on noteworthy days with their camera crews in tow. Some of the regulars wondered how many of them knew the difference between Ross and Singleton. Nonetheless, I don’t expect much coverage from the infrequent media masses once the trade deadline passes.

Of course, I type this as if I were some grizzled veteran when I just started covering the Wizards with media access last September. Then again, the circumstances surrounding the team this season is enough to give a blogger some gray hairs.

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Who is guiding the sinking ship that is the Washington Wizards more? The current owners or the potential owners (who also own a minority share of the Wizards)? Knowing that majority control of the team is currently in transition, spawned by the passing of Abe Pollin in November, that’s what’s on the minds of many fans.

The Ted Leonsis led group, Lincoln Holdings, owns 100% of the Washington Capitals and 44% of Washington Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Washington Wizards, the Verizon Center and the Baltimore-Washington Ticketmaster franchise. With the Abe Pollin estate/family still owning a majority of WS&E, and currently in disputed discussions with Leonsis on the sale of the team, it’s no surprise that Ernie Grunfeld, the Wizards team president of operations, said on Tuesday, “Obviously the Pollins are running this team and I report to them directly.”

Grunfeld must, however, be in a very tough situation. He can’t exactly work under the consultation of Leonsis, the successful owner of the Caps whom most fans can’t wait to take control of the Wizards. Grunfeld must remain loyal to those who hired him.

Imagine knowing you will likely have a new boss but not being able to impress him or her because you’re being hand-cuffed by your current boss. Something to consider the next time you disagree with any of the moves Grunfeld makes up to Thursday’s trade deadline and beyond. Still, Grunfeld should be fully on the hook for his maneuvering creativity, or lack thereof, and his ability to do the job for which he was hired.

“I think this is the direction that we need to go in at this time,” Grunfeld said, speaking of the trade he made with Dallas and the moves he might make before 3 pm on Thursday and into the summer. That the Wizards needed drastic change has been obvious since before Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton had a pissing contest with guns. But what’s not clear is if a fire-sale without receiving much in future assets (talent worth keeping or draft picks) was a necessity because of the market or a necessity because Grunfeld was told by the current owners to cut costs no matter the cost. And we may never know.

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I’ve written about Caron Butler and Josh Howard being different players off the court. But what about on the court? To get the best perspective, I turned to Rob Mahoney of the ESPN TrueHoop Network Dallas Mavericks blog, The Two Man Game. In addition to his Mavs blog, Rob does great work all over the internet, including his contributions to Hardwood Paroxysm and NBC’s Pro Basketball Talk.

Below is the question I asked Rob about Howard and his answer, and then my response to his question about Butler.

Tell me about Josh Howard. I know about all of his off-court stuff. I know about some of his “can’t control what the ball do” statements regarding on-court stuff. I know about a debate between you and Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com over whether Cuban and the Mavs were coddling/babying Howard too much. Any other reasons why Howard fell so far from grace in Dallas? Did you get any indication that he was a disturbance in the locker room? Or can his down year mostly be attributed to injury issues? The Wizards likely see J-Ho as just an expiring contract, but he certainly will play. How healthy is he now? How motivated do you think he will be to contribute to his new, yet very, very bad, team?

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Howard’s decline has been truly bizarre. From 2005-2007, Josh was a rock; he ignited the Mavs’ offense in the first quarter, played solid perimeter defense, and showed tremendous versatility in terms of scoring the ball. It looked as though Dallas had come away with a complete steal with the 29th pick in the 2003 draft, and Josh was named an All-Star in ’07 to commemorate his rise. But Howard was injured virtually throughout the ’07-’08 season, and even when he returned to action for the Mavs, he was visibly limited.

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Sorry for the long title, but there’s a decent bit to cover here.

The Edict Under Which Ernie Grunfeld Works

We already know Mark Cuban is a pretty smart dude. To get that rich, you gotta be. But we never figured he was smart enough to pull one over on Ernie Grunfeld, the man who spent years honing his trade in the Big Apple. Not only did Cuban (and Mavs GM Donnie Nelson I suppose) get everything they ever dreamed of in a trade with Washington, but they also got the Wizards to pay them “cash considerations,” and they didn’t have to send the Wizards their trade exception in exchange for Fabricio Oberto, as was supposedly discussed.

If you’re the Wizards ownership in limbo, guess you gotta spend money and give away value to save money, perhaps for the sale of the team. With part of potential majority owner Ted Leonsis’ ’10-Point Rebuilding Plan’ being to always seek a “pick and a prospect,” we now have some insight that, perhaps, Grunfeld was working under edict of the Abe Pollin estate to cut costs no matter how much it might set the franchise back in the future. Abe’s dream of his team winning another championship has been put to rest, now the Washington basketball patriarch’s squad could be being dismantled just to appease the financial gain of those he left behind.

Sorry Wizards fans, the legacy of Abe Pollin still haunts the franchise. Not until Leonsis takes over can you rest assured that the team you love will be firmly headed in a positive direction, or at least open with fans on that direction, which would likely sooth baffled impatience in these current trying times.

Mark Cuban, a brilliant cat he sure seems like right now. But he’s also a goober. You know, the type who hams it up beyond necessity while being unfunny and cutesy enough to make you roll your eyes and think, “this” guy. Some of this is evidenced in a video interview Cuban did with Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Sure, Cuban is probably a nice man, but he’s also annoying with a kitschy style of charm. Good for him, I suppose. He’s rich and most of us aren’t. He wins.

Mark Cuban On Brendan Haywood’s Media Knowledge

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Two of the three below are gone, the third on this Wizards Mount Rushmore might be gone by President’s Day. And that would make not one, but two banners needing to be removed from the 6th Street facade of the Verizon Center in 2010.

“Character, Commitment, Connection”

-Wizards 2009-2010 Season Motto

The Wizards aren’t putting Josh Howard’s face next to that on a banner anytime soon … unless they want to ad a fourth ‘C’ for cap space. Like Caron Butler, Howard was once an All-Star. And like the one they call Tuff Juice, the one they call J-Ho has recently fallen far from basketball skill grace.

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Believe it or not, in the clip you are about to see, Charles Barkley doesn’t even talk about the trade that Mark Cuban just fleeced the Wizards for. Although, he surely will trash the move at some point.

In going down their All-Decade NBA lists and highlights, the TNT crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley couldn’t resist mentioning a specific sensitive moment in the Wizards’ failed history … The Michael Ruffin Ball Toss.

Ruffin’s infamous gaffe, the one where he tossed the ball in the air with around three-seconds left only to see Mo Peterson of the Toronto Raptors catch, shoot, and make a crazy buzzer beater to tie the game (the Wizards would go on to lose in overtime), wasn’t officially apart of any All-Decade list, but the guys could help but mention it.

“The second dumbest basketball play I’ve ever seen,” said Kenny Smith.

“Would we respect anything less out of the Wizards?,” said Charles Barkley, a perpetual hater of the franchise. Why does he seem to hate the Wizards much more than any other team in the history? I’m not sure, but I’d sure like to ask the Chuck Wagon some day. And yes, in the clip Barkley says “respect,” not “expect.” Classic Round Mound of Rebound.

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Actually, Fabricio Oberto wants to get you between some “SHEEX,” which are really sheets … and you already have no clue what I’m talking about.

I usually don’t pay much attention to Oberto’s Twitter account, @obricio7. Most all of his Tweets are in Spanish. He often shares links to songs on YouTube, or links to professional photography, or throws out a “hehehe” (which is probably the Argentine version of “LOL”), or occasionally links to his U-Stream account where he’s doing God knows what — Don’t worry, he’s not on some Stephon Marbury-type stuff. Fab mostly just listens to music, as he is a huge music nut. At least that’s what he appears to be doing.

Like I said, I don’t pay much attention to Oberto’s Twitter. My efforts to learn Spanish got tossed out the door almost two years ago when I broke up with a girl I was dating from Argentina. But I do follow and I am aware. And that brings us back to the sheets Oberto wants to get you in between.

Oberto recently Tweeted: “great sheex!! 10% off, use= foberto21″ and included a link to Sheex.com.

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This morning I wrote a piece on grading Flip Saunders for ESPN’s Daily Dime; I’ve included it below. I gave Saunders a C-minus up to this point of the season. Now it’s your turn to grade him. Giving the coach an ‘A’ is not an option, as should be the case.

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Grading Flip Saunders

This piece originally appeared on the February 11, 2010 of ESPN’s Daily Dime.,

In his Wednesday Per Diem, John Hollinger listed the Wizards as one of the NBA season’s biggest disappointments, scathingly calling them out individually and collectively. Hollinger pulled no punches, denoting some as selfish, some as clueless, and even dubbing worthless, Fabricio Oberto, a seemingly innocent bystander of Washington’s unimaginable season.

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The Wizards headed into the All-Star break with a close loss in Charlotte on Tuesday, ultimately thanks to a tough game-winning shot by Raymond Felton that put the Bobcats up 94-92 with 1.6 seconds left. Losing should come as no surprise. After all, the Wizards are 17-33. But hey, commend the team for appearing to try and for playing a decent Charlotte team down to the wire on their home court, where they are now 19-6.

The Wizards did some good things in the game. But since it was a loss, it’s probably more telling to concentrate on the bad things they did, which, when added up, contributed more to them losing than any of the good things contributed to them coming close to winning … if any of that makes sense. Hence, let’s take a look as some stories and screen shots highlighting instances where things went wrong.

A Butler That Is A Matador

Whether you play in the NBA or just at your local court, when you get the ball stolen from you, your pride is hurt. And you want to redeem yourself. Some don’t even try and simply commit a frustration foul. Some gamble like a hero for an almost unattainable steal. Some just bite the bullet and play good defense, knowing their time for redemption will come with hard work.

Caron Butler, against the Bobcats, chose another route. After casually dangling the ball in front of Gerald Wallace on offense, with something in his usual repertoire of unproductive hesitation and fake moves, Caron got the ball ripped from him (first frame below). He then backpedaled in the opposite direction, readying himself to defend Wallace.

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I managed to survive the recent heavy snowfall in D.C., and all the cutesy names people were calling it — #SNOMG, Snowpocalypse, etc. — but in the process, somehow found myself taking a little break from writing/blogging. But now I’m back, and hopefully a bit refreshed and motivated to keep on keepin’ on through the rest of this season nightmare.

Apologies if, at times, I tend to get a little negative/overboard on this site, or on Twitter (mostly Twitter) … and no, I’m not writing this as a reaction to JaVale McGee, via Twitter, dubbing myself, Mike Prada of Bullets Forever, and Michael Lee of the Washington Post, “haters” after Friday’s game against the Magic, also suggesting that we should work for TMZ. (JaVale did this after re-Tweeting something that each of us had Tweeted, links below). Actually, I’m not reacting to anything anyone has said to me, just doing a little self-check here.

But back to McGee for second, I really don’t think anyone was “hating” on him, but rather commenting on game observations/understandably reflecting on frustrations. But if the feelings of young JaVale got hurt, then I suppose apologies are in order. I responded to his call-out with a couple Tweets of my own, nothing defensive, but mostly with a some classic music tracks. Others chose to remain silent with, perhaps, the intent of approaching McGee in person. All and all, it’s really a shoulder shrugging, no biggie situation. In other words, I could care less.

But back to my, at brief times, penchant for negativity (again, this is mostly on Twitter). It happens, oh well.  One must find a way to vent about witnessing frustrating, unacceptable effort while not going overboard … in addition to acting as a balance to the always positive light emitted from official team outlets (or the non-bias of main-stream media outlets). That’s what each of those entities are supposed to do, but speaking specifically in terms of the former, there are only so many ways to polish up a pile of crap before giving up because of the stink.

I’ll try to stay medium, but there’s no guaranteeing. Calling things like I see them, that’s why this blog is named Truth About It in the first place.

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