The Wizards lost to the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday night and it was pretty ugly. I won’t even mention the final score, but you’ll probably figure it out with some math in a second.
The first half started with promise. The Wizards out-shot the Bucks 49.7-percent to 43.8-percent and outscored them 57-51. John Wall had eight assists and two turnovers; his team had a ratio of 11 to nine in that department. Meanwhile the Bucks were forced into 14 turnovers to just seven assists, four of those dimes coming from Brandon Jennings, the other side of the night’s glamour matchup versus Mr. Wall.
The Wizards didn’t look particularly great in the first half, but the outcome was far more preferred over the second where Flip Saunders’ team was outscored 45 to 31 en route to shooting just 36.1-percent. Thirteen second half turnovers to just eight assists pretty much tells the rest of the story.
So why the change in offensive efficiency? Some of it could have to do with Gilbert Arenas (who didn’t start because, as said by Saunders when asked, “Nick [Young] played really good last game.”) only playing three first quarter minutes before checking out with what appeared to be a real injury, to his groin. Yep, I know what you’re thinking … isn’t that ironic?
Otherwise, the answer seems pretty simple for the young basketball squad, at least according to Saunders.
[Gilbert Arenas gets some gum/candy for Lester Hudson. Watch out Lester! Tony Kornheiser says that candy could be POISON!]
Bullet Point Thoughts on Gilly …
So that Gilbert guy … you know what he did and you know he has been punished for it in the form of a fine (and likely old man giddiness via Tony Kornheiser … I bet old Tony popped a Viagra and everything when he heard Arenas lied to his coach).
In fact, there are a lot of blowhards diddling themselves over Gilbert today. They were just waiting for him to slip up and now they’ve got coitus interruptus all over their keyboards and microphones. Steinberg over at the DC Sports Bog aptly addresses the rhetoric of John Feinstein, Kornheiser and Skip Bayless.
[A Basketball Court - 13th & C St. NE, Washington, D.C. - K. Weidie]
Here’s a video of JaVale McGee teaching the hook shot:
It’s pretty awesome that McGee is working to add the hook shot to his meager offensive repertoire. With his helicopter arms, it could be unstoppable. Against the Hawks on Tuesday, McGee tried the hook several times … it’s still a work in progress (or a “process” as executives of the team would say). I say his hook technique/implementation is still somewhere between ‘What the heck was that fading piece of junk?!?’ and ‘Awesome! … An effective baseline baby hook!’. Read more »
To lighten up the mood surrounding Tuesday night’s first Wizards home preseason contest , (aka Emo Gil Niner’s “sacrifice gesture”) here is a footage of the Jumbo-Tron montage reminding fans that the team is “back.”
Also, new PA announcer Ralph Wesley made his Wizards debut along with Nick Young’s fresh pregame handshake that Yi Jianlian hysterically enjoyed, but Kirk Hinrich is not down with yet.
Coach Flip Saunders and John Wall discussed several topics in their post game interview. Saunders addressed his impressions of the victory, Wall’s play and Arenas being a very coachable player. Wall spoke about his first game in front of the home crowd, picking up two quick fouls, his adjustment to the NBA game and how he is handling being selected as a team captain at only 20-years old.
[Editor's note: You've seen TAI diagram plays before, but now were going to do it more often as a game-to-game feature ... the best implemented play on a given night, at least in our opinion. -Kyle]
{photo: A. McGinnis, TAI}
After winning a jump ball halfway through the second quarter, the Wizards swung the ball around the top of the three-point line to set up a pick and roll on the other side of the floor.
SG Adam Morrison cut to the far corner after passing the ball to SF Cartier Martin. Martin quickly gave the ball back to PG John Wall.
Etan Thomas spent eight years with the Washington Wizards, and who he was, would really depend on who you asked. Some viewed him as a player who wasn’t without limitations, but still played hard as an undersized center every night. Former Washington Wizards center, Brendan Haywood, who had more than one physical altercation with Thomas, felt that he was distant, and not always the best teammate. To those people who lived in the Maryland, Virginia, D.C. area, Thomas was a poet, an activist, an author, and an agent of change during the 2008 Presidential election. To others, Thomas was simply hero for surviving and then coming back from open heart surgery, after it was determined he had a leaky, aortic valve. For President Obama, Thomas was a man worthy of a pickup game of hoops in the White House.
So to truly conduct an effective interview with Thomas, all of these facets of his personality have to be kept in mind. He’s a basketball player, who the Atlanta Hawks signed in the offseason, because of the physical presence he brings on both ends of the floor. But he’s also a man with many other interests, and I tried to tap into all of that when I talked him before and after last night’s Wizards/Hawks game.
Rashad Mobley: When Chamique Holdsclaw came back to DC.. this summer, she talked about how the things she missed about D.C .weren’t necessarily the players (from the Mystics), but she missed the off the court stuff like going to Bohemian Caverns and hanging out. Do you find that you miss that as well?
Etan Thomas: Well I still live here in the offseason, so I still go to all those places. They don’t have Mangos anymore, but they have Busboys and Poets and all around U Street, that’s still my area. I love the city, I’m not gonna move anywhere or go anywhere, all my kids were born here, so I’m here.
It’s a good word. It’s a good thing to do. And something that some just assume Gilbert Arenas can’t do.
Well, he can. Perhaps not in the most tactful manner, but he can … especially when it’s for a guy with whom he has always had a special relationship with, Nick Young (and I’m not talking about the time Gil arranged for Nick’s Range Rover to be stolen).
According to reports before the Wizards’ preseason matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Arenas told Flip Saunders at that morning’s shoot-around that his knee was sore and that he wouldn’t be able to play.
“We had two hard days of practice, so it’s a little sore and stiff as far as today,” Saunders told the media around 90 minutes before the game. ”At least that’s what he said to me at shootaround. So based on that, I don’t think he’ll play.”
Note: The Washington Wizards PR staff was nice enough to give Truth About It three media credentials. One for photographer extraordinaire, Adam McGinnis, one for editor-in-chief, Kyle Weidie, and one for myself, Rashad Mobley. It would be foolish for Kyle and I to both cover the Wizards locker room, so I volunteered to cover the “Away” locker room all year in a segment I decided to title, “Notes From The Other Side.” So before and after games, it is my goal to bring you the Wizards perspective from the visiting locker room.
Prior to tonight’s Hawks-Wizards preseason matchup, I got a chance to talk to former Wizards assistant coach (2000-2003) and current Hawks coach, Larry Drew. I asked him about the challenges involved in playing rookie point guards, how he planned on defending the Wizards without Gilbert Arenas, and what the addition of former Wizard Etan Thomas has done for his team. Watch below.
The first unofficial game of the year is here and Wizards lockers have been shifted around just like the roster, for the most part. Gilbert Arenas still has his corner real estate, but no longer an extra, empty locker next to him … Kevin Palmer is there, while he remains on the team.
Sean Marks and Adam Morrison are the only two players sharing a locker … read into that what you will. The French-speaking duo of Hamady Ndiaye and Kevin Seraphin are placed next to each other … the former having a firm grasp of English after four years at Rutgers, the latter not so much.
And John Wall? Well, he’s on the far opposite end of the locker room from Arenas, which should make Tony Kornheiser happy. But also keep in mind, Wall takes over Antawn Jamison’s old corner locker right near the training room. A captain is a captain.
As you’ve probably heard, Gilbert Arenas won’t be making his home debut tonight … to see what the fans think of him. Evidently he told Flip Saunders that his knee was sore this morning. Who hasn’t called in to their boss with a mental health day before? (If that’s the case.) In his place, Nick Young will be starting, which is a pretty big chance for him to grasp.
The other starting lineup adjustment will be Yi Jianlian starting at the center spot instead of JaVale McGee — either a reward to Yi for his good play in the preseason so far, or a challenge/message to young Epic Vale. However you want to chop it up. Read more »
Beards are great for a variety of reasons, none of which I’ll delve into right now other than to say I gots one.
Now, the beard fraternity might not be at a total loss. You see, Arenas has often sported an actual beard, just not one this long that has attracted so much attention.
He has also sported a goatee before, and could do so again … to show solidarity toward the owner who often embraces him and encourages others to do the same.
No goatee for me, however. Those are a thing of my past, and my girlfriend would certainly not approve. No offense, but Caucasians such as myself, these days, often reserve the sporting of goatees for a profession where one is likely to tuck in a collared shirt with some sort of product logo into pleated Dockers … or something along those lines.
From entertainment to education, there are a lot of benefits to having Sam Cassell on an NBA coaching staff, not to mention that he has relevancy to today’s youthful players — as in, they’ve probably seen some of his games on television, in color. Hence, Cassell can still conduct live demonstrations of his knowledge.
We’ve seen ‘Sam I Am’ go against the likes of Nick Young and JaVale McGee in post-practice battles. On Monday, Cassell and John Wall took to each other in the low post. The Washington Post’s Michael Lee has the words describing the scene on the Wizards Insider. You’ll find video below …
The position of team captain was an unstable one last year, especially after the trade winds when Earl Boykins and Mike Miller were pegged as the team leaders/representatives with the referees.
Slightly different story for 2010-11 …
On Monday afternoon, when I asked Flip Saunders who had arisen to fill the team captain position(s) this year, he sounded pretty confident that 20-year old John Wall and soon-to-be 30-year old Kirk Hinrich would be his men.
“Right now we’ve gone with Hinich and Wall. Those are the two guys, at this point, that have shown leadership through camp. So that’s where we’re at right now,” said the coach.
And about Arenas? …
“We just haven’t really talked,” said Saunders. “Those two guys have been our two most vocal guys and our two guys that have shown leadership.”
After Friday night’s loss to Chicago, Coach Flip Saunders decided to give the Wizards a day and a half off to rest. They had played three preseason games in four days, including back to back games on Thursday and Friday. After Sunday’s practice, I’m sure the Wizards wished they had just went ahead and practiced Saturday.
Coach Saunders channeled his inner Pat Riley by practicing his team for three hours in the middle of Sunday, and judging by the fatigued looks on the players’ faces as they left the practice court in the Verizon Center, it was definitely a hard three hours.
Al Thornton wasn’t surprised:
“You knew it was going to be like that though, you gotta take a day off to get your legs back and get treatment and then get back to it. The Chicago game seemed a little sluggish, so we came back today and he pounded us.”
[Shaw Library: 7th St. & Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. - K. Weidie]
So the Wizards lost to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, putting their preseason record at 2-1. They got out-rebounded 48-32 and after the game, Wizards coach Flip Saunders said it wasn’t so much a result of the three-guard lineup. Via Wizards Insider:
Saunders said the disparity had nothing to do with size or inexperience. “Our bigs played really lethargic, very tired tonight. Very much with a lack of commitment. We have to play harder than the team we’re playing against. We can’t afford to let teams play harder than us, because we’re young and we’re going to make mistakes. And you have to make up for those mistakes with effort plays.”
“MESSAGE!” — And Flip was calculated with his message or call-out to Andray Blatche (three rebounds in 25 minutes), JaVale McGee (five rebounds in 18 minutes), and Yi Jianlian (three rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench). Of course, these numbers don’t tell the full story, exactly how many rebounds the Wizards allowed their assigned opposition to get.
Rebounding will be an increasingly developing theme until it’s not. How’s that for analysis? Read more »
