The 10-22 Sacramento Kings are in town to take on the 7-25 Wizards, and believe it or not, this is the first meeting between John Calipari disciples John Wall and Tyreke Evans (Evans was out due to injury for the game in Washington, Wall out for the game in Sacramento on Dec. 8, 2010). But between a Wizards team that’s horrible on the defensive boards and a Kings team that’s good on the offensive boards, who knows where this game will go; the Wizards are favored by three points. For tonight’s 3-on-3 we have Jonathan Santiago (@itsjonsantiago) from Kings TrueHoop blog Cowbell Kingdom, along with TAI’s Rashad Mobley (@rashad20) and Kyle Weidie (@truth_about_it)… three questions, three answers starts now…

#1) Rank DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans, JaVale McGee, John Wall in the order that you would draft them… What’s the reasoning behind your order?

SANTIAGO: DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Tyreke Evans and JaVale McGee. Outside of Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum, there is no other center in the league that can dominate a game like Cousins. Both Wall and Evans play the same position, but Wall is more of a true point guard than Evans. McGee is gifted athletically and physically, but does he have the basketball IQ to put it all together?

MOBLEY: Wall is first, because of his tremendous speed, his ability to get to the line at will, and lately, he seems to understand how to play the point guard position now (his application of that knowledge is still inconsistent). Then there is Evans, who is playing much better under the Keith Smart regime and seems to thrive as a 2-guard instead of the point. I still think Wall can have more of an impact on any given night. JaVale McGee gets the number three ranking, because his positives (shot blocking, a hook shot in its embryonic stages and semi-improved court awareness) are starting to emerge victorious over his negatives (excessive dribbling, susceptibility to pump fakes and bad decision making). DeMarcus Cousins has the potential to lap this field, but he disappears at times (like he did last night against Heat with just nine points and seven rebounds), and he’s a threat to meltdown at any moment; he’s not a player you want to have to depend on nightly.

WEIDIE: If JaVale McGee or DeMarcus Cousins weren’t themselves, either could go first. But seeing as both have more knuckles than a flash mob street fight coming out of their heads, I’d have to go with Wall. Tyreke Evans obviously has less true PG skills and falls into a tweener category, which means I’d draft him fourth. McGee would go third because Cousins is simply more of a beast than he is… which is almost as rare as McGee’s athletic length these days. Cousins goes second because of mental instability (although this is a very close second in front of McGee). And Wall would be my first selection. His one-man fast-break blazing speed combined with his willingness to pass first could be scary given the right teammates.

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[The DC Council -- After each Wizards game: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the bench, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is over the table. Click here for cumulative DC Council 3-star ratings over the course of the season. Game 32 contributors: Markus Allen (@mayminded), Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis), and Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20).

Score

Washington Wizards 88 at Phoenix Suns 104 [box score]

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The Washington Wizards wrap up their Detroit-plus-four-Western-Conference-teams road trip in Phoenix tonight. Having a 2-2 record against the Pistons, Blazers, Clippers and Jazz thus far is a nice accomplishment for this team. Losses in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City were far from abject, but each did display the same ills that have plagued the Wizards all season. Against a 13-19 Suns squad coming off a tough win over the Lakers in Phoenix on Sunday, the 7-24 Wizards have a fair chance to prove progression. The Suns are favored by six points. Today’s 3-on-3 features Michael Schwartz (@ValleyoftheSuns) of the ESPN TrueHoop Network blog Valley of the Suns, along with TAI’s Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It). Three questions, three answers… Leggo.

#1) Is Steve Nash not asking for a trade actually a very smart move, in that he’s not hurting his value by mere words, and the Suns will ultimately deal him before the deadline? Or will he really play out his contract and then leave Phoenix (or stay)? Where does he go in either case?

ADAM McGINNIS: The Suns should trade Nash from a basketball personnel standpoint, but ownership appears set on retaining him for remainder of season. If teams are low-balling for Nash’s services, there is an argument for letting him play his contract out. Fans will come to see Nash play his last games in Phoenix and that financial gain could be worth more than taking on salary or a few second round draft picks. Even though the Free Steve Nash movement has sprouted up online, Nash has taken the classy route of not creating drama with trade demands. My prediction is he plays out his contract and then signs with a title contender like Bulls, Heat, Thunder or Lakers.

MICHAEL SCHWARTZ: Steve Nash not asking for a trade has nothing to do with leverage, he’s just legitimately a loyal guy who wants to try to build something in Phoenix even if it seems crazy to the rest of the world (and some Suns fans). I’ve always felt that if the Suns were well out of the playoff race in March that he might change his tune, but there are many complicating factors such as the fact that his contract is not extendable so he’d be a two-month rental, his age, and the lack of teams that need a starting point guard. If I had to put money on it I’d say he’s going to play out his contract and potentially even re-sign, with the presence of his kids in Phoenix and the Suns’ vaunted training staff no small issues. If he does go, Portland would be my guess since they’ve been after him for years, desperately need a point guard and have the kind of assets that could make a deal work.

KYLE WEIDIE: Part of being a nice guy is knowing that you are not helping anything by asking to be traded. And now we know the difference between Steve Nash and Dwight Howard or Carmelo Anthony. So he plays out his contract and Phoenix is content with getting it off the books, perhaps maneuvering a sign-and-trade in the summer, and say Deron Williams stays in New Jersey (assuming Lopez for Howard ultimately happens), and say New York is no longer an option via Jeremy Lin, I see it coming down to signing in Miami or Dallas. The Lakers could be next, but for some reason I don’t see Nash being as interested in their situation.

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[The DC Council -- After each Wizards game: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the bench, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is over the table. Click here for cumulative DC Council 3-star ratings over the course of the season. Game 31 contributors: Arish Narayen, John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend), and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It).

Score

Washington Wizards 100 at Utah Jazz 114 [box score]

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If part of the court was painted in Salt Lake City on Friday night, the Utah Jazz dominated it. Ted Leonsis’ plan is probably envious of the post toughness that populates Utah’s roster. Bigs Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, starters, along with Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter off the bench combined for 65 points and 32 rebounds, Jefferson leading with way with 34 and 12. When it was over, the Jazz had 70 points in the paint in their 114-100 win over the Wizards. Washington countered with 44.

JaVale McGee, Trevor Booker, Kevin Seraphin and Jan Vesely combined for 35 points and 18 rebounds. McGee had 15 and six with three blocks, but only really proved that his sheer athleticism is easier to contain than Jefferson’s skill. Booker was relatively invisible in 26 minutes with four points, four rebounds and two steals. Seraphin was completely lost. He checked in for McGee with 6:28 left in the second quarter, 38 seconds later Utah called timeout to insert Jefferson back in the game. Big Al scored eight points in 104 seconds against a helpless Seraphin. Vesely was Washington’s most competent big with hustle, 10 points on 5-7 FGs, five rebounds a nice assist and a steal, but he also had a couple horrible turnovers, passing to spots without teammates.

From the start, the Wizards chose to be a jump-shooting team. Only six of their 20 attempts in the first quarter came in the paint. Utah packed it in and dared Washington to shoot, and they did, going 5-14 on attempts outside of the paint. The Wizards started the night 5-5 on field-goals but finished 4-15 over the rest of the period. John Wall and Co. couldn’t get out in transition either, scoring just one fastbreak point on one attempt in the opening quarter. Utah scored 24 points on 12-17 paint attempts in the first 12 minutes. Al Jefferson had 10 points in the quarter as his Jazz jumped to a 32-20 lead. They never looked back.

The Jazz punished the Wizards in the paint further in the second quarter, outscoring them 18-10, 12 courtesy of Jefferson, who scored 16 total in the period. Jefferson tallied 26 first half points, only eight in the second half as Utah was able to spread the ball around on offense  more. By my calculations, 18 of Jefferson’s points in the game were the fault of McGee, 10 came against Seraphin, four were on Booker, and one point each was the responsibility of Singleton and Vesely.

The Wizards one day hope to have a stacked front court chock full of toughness and offensive paint presence. Until then, they’ll just have to cope with being brushed into submission by teams like Utah. The shot charts over the first three quarters tell the story.

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The Washington Wizards are in Salt Lake City tonight. The Jazz, having lost games to New Orleans and Oklahoma City on consecutive nights, will try to avoid a third straight loss at the hands of the Wizards. Washington is looking to bounce back after a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday to stay above .500 on a five-game road West Coast road swing. For tonight’s 3-on-3, Hardwood Paroxysm’s Clint Peterson (@Clintonite33) joins TAI’s Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) and, yours truly, John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend). Three questions, three answers starts now … Get it on!

#1) In the last 25 games in Utah, Washington is 6-19 but has won 3 out of last 7, which includes last season’s 100-95 OT victory. The Jazz are 11-5 at home while Wizards are 3-11 on the road. The Wizards had a non travel day off in Salt Lake City on Thursday and Jazz have not played since Tuesday so both teams should be well rested. Vegas has Utah favored by 10 points. Can the Wizards cover the spread or win straight up and why?

CLINT PETERSON: They sure could cover, maybe even win. The Jazz may be rested, but this is when they tend to come out rusty. On two days rest Utah is scoring only 96.3 points per game (PPG), their second-worst stat split in the category, while the Wiz are dropping nearly 101 PPG on the road this season. Throw in various matchup problems from the athletic JaVale McGee to the stretch of Rashard Lewis to the prolific Nick Young to the fact that opposing point guards have been laying waste to the Jazz’s backcourt and Washington matching their road winning record to their home one, at four, would be little surprise to the realist.

JOHN CONVERSE TOWNSEND: February hasn’t been kind to the Utah Jazz, who have dropped to .500 after losing seven of their last nine games this month, after beginning the season 12-7. It’s been the opposite story for the resurgent Wizards—too generous?—who have won three of their last six, one win short of their total for the rest of the season (four), and are looking more like a professional basketball team with each passing day. I expect the Wizards to cover the spread, but I’d have to hedge my bets before picking the road team to win in Utah.

KYLE WEIDIE: Washington’s chances are contingent on JaVale McGee. Utah’s stating bigs, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, provide the bread and butter, literally. Both have the type of grounded stature that could allow McGee to better protect the paint with shot-blocking presence, as long as he is focused and disciplined. Jazz opponents have 166 blocks against them this season, that’s seventh highest in the league. I say the Wizards cover the spread, but fall short of the win column.

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[The DC Council -- After each Wizards game: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the bench, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is over the table. Click here for cumulative DC Council 3-star ratings over the course of the season. Game 30 contributors: Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis), John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend), and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It).

Score

Washington Wizards 84 at Los Angeles Clippers 102 [box score]

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[Editor's Note: Jan Vesely/Czech Republic guru Lukas Kuba (@Luke_Mellow) provides us with (translates) more classic Jan Vesely things via the Czech media. Enjoy! -Kyle W.]

 [picture via here]

Jan Vesely Q&A

[via iDNES.cz]

Talented basketball player Jan Vesely, who was drafted 6th overall in the NBA Draft 2011, answered iDNES.cz readers’ questions.

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[Randy Wittman could see it coming.]

When preseason theories spoke of young legs benefiting the Wizards in a lockout-shortened season, my thinking was different. They needed all the training camp and preseason they could get, and the lack of it showed many ways in the season’s early going. Now they are starting to play better, more as a team, sharing the ball, and understanding complete effort. Big road wins in Detroit and Portland gave the young Wizards confidence going into Wednesday’s game with the Clippers. But they endured for just over 32 minutes in Los Angeles until tired legs, and more prevalently, tired minds, took over. The home team on rest with more shooting focus after a tough loss in Dallas, along with the capabilities to get shooters open shots, took the game over Washington by 18 points, 102-84. There were a couple game-deciding moments.

With 3:25 left in the third quarter, John Wall assisted a Nick Young 3-pointer for the third time in less than four minutes. Young hadn’t scored a single point in front of his hometown crowd until that first three; suddenly he had nine points. Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier were openly commenting on television how most of Young’s shots looked to be pressing the issue too much, but when Wall started setting him up, it looked like the Wizards would make it a game. The Wizards tied the score at 66 with that third Young three. Within the spurt, Young also had one assist, almost two had JaVale McGee not missed a shot at the rim. Oh what a dream sequence. But then what happened?

Blake Griffin went over McGee’s back for an offensive rebound, came down, gathered himself… monster dunk, 68-66 Clippers. Could the whistle have been blown against Griffin? Possibly. Physicality in the paint can be like refereeing holding in football, it can be called just about every time. The many areas of gray mean more subjectivity comes into the equation. Did McGee even try to box Griffin out? Yes, more so than usual. Other circumstance includes McGee’s lack of help on the defensive boards by the likes of Young, Jordan Crawford and Rashard Lewis.

On the other end, as the Clippers sagged off a Lewis screen for Wall, Kenyon Martin and Chris Paul ended up with a switch, Paul covering Lewis in the paint. In a perfect world Wall hits the wide open shot that Martin left him when he didn’t care to press up, paying attention to Lewis instead. In the Wizards world, McGee waited too long to clear the paint so the Wizards could best iso Lewis against Paul. Then the timing was thrown off when Wall waited too long to pass, and Lewis couldn’t hold a seal. The result was a Wizards turnover, and the Clippers went demoralizing the other way with a Paul alley-oop to Griffin that the athleticism of Wall unsuccessfully tried to get too. John was high but far short. Some photographer has a great one of that play. Washington called timeout but didn’t score for the rest of the period. They went into the fourth quarter down 74-66 thanks to an 8-0 Clippers run.

Not all was lost for Washington in those moments, however. With 10:12 left in the fourth, Wall hit a 17-foot jumper thanks to a broken play and what could’ve been called a moving screen on Lewis. The Wizards were down just 75-72. It was close, but just about inevitable at that point. On the other end, Jordan Crawford left too much space between himself and Randy Foye — made 3-pointer. Can’t exactly blame Crawford for over-helping off of Foye on a drive; it was Randy Foye after all. But blame Crawford for hijacking the offense on the other end and missing a tough shot. The Clippers scored against tired legs in transition and then Young took a turn hijacking the next offensive possession, missing, but the Wizards got the offensive rebound. But then Kevin Seraphin committed an offensive foul. If there’s a reason Seraphin has been getting less time lately, he showed it versus the Clippers — missed shots at the rim and general trouble with awareness.

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When the Washington Wizards allowed the Los Angeles Clippers to come into the Verizon Center on February 4 and absolutely disrespect them by 26 points, it was hardly a shocker. The Wizards were coming off three consecutive losses, the third being a listless performance against lowly Raptors in Toronto. The Clippers, on the other hand, had won four out of five, including two tough victories in Oklahoma City and Denver. Polishing off the Wizards was merely a formality.  However, as these teams face off in the Staples Center this evening, their respective lead-ins are slightly different. The Clippers are still rolling along (despite a tough loss in Dallas on Monday), but they are doing so without Chauncey Billups, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon. The Wizards, meanwhile,  have won two straight road games over Detroit and Portland by at least 15 points–a franchise first.  The one constant has been John Wall, who seems to have learned what Chris Paul already knows:  Switching speeds is more important than just having speed.  Before the Wizards attempt to prove they belong on the same court with the Clippers, Nick Flynt (@clipperblognick) of the True Hoop Network’s ClipperBlog.com, along with Sam Permutt (@sammyvert) and yours truly, Rashad Mobley (@rashad20) of Truth About It, have three questions to answer.

#1) The 17-9 Los Angeles Clippers are playing well because of, or in spite of, Coach Vinny Del Negro?

NICK FLYNT:  I’m leaning on the side of “in spite of.” It’s almost impossible for a coach to screw up with talent like Del Negro has with the Clippers, but the defensive system certainly isn’t making the roster greater than the sum of its parts, and some of the lineups Vinny has rolled out for extended periods have been…unfortunate.

SAM PERMUTT:  Having a beloved floor general who also happens to be one of the best guards in the league leading your team (CP3) undoubtedly makes coaching significantly easier. The same can be said for having freak-athletes who have the desire and focus to work hard every day (Blake and DeAndre) and proven veterans (Chauncey, Caron). In a way, all these positives make Del Negro’s job that much tougher when trying to measure his impact. He’s supposed to win, and it can be credited to the personnel that almost every team in the league (except the Heat) would gladly exchange for. At the end of the day, if Del Negro leads the Clippers deep into the playoffs, he’ll be considered a success.

RASHAD MOBLEY: The Clippers are winning NOW because Coach Del Negro is staying out of the way and letting Chris Paul (and Chauncey Billups before the injury) run the team–much like he did with Derrick Rose in Chicago.  But come playoff time when the bad teams are weeded out and the good ones advance in part because of savvy coaching moves, I suspect the outcome will be a bit different.

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[The DC Council -- After each Wizards game: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the bench, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is over the table. Click here for cumulative DC Council 3-star ratings over the course of the season. Game 29 contributors: Markus Allen (@mayminded), Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis), and John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend).]

Score

Washington Wizards 124 at Portland Trailblazers 109 [box score]

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Wizards guard Nick Young recent joined some very exclusive company– we’re talking a club that only has 20 members over the course of NBA history (the time period being since 1979-80 when the 3-point line was officially introduced to the league). With his three 3-pointers made to just one assist against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, Young now has 316 made 3-pointers for his career to 315 assists. There are now 20 players in NBA history who have: played in 300 or more games, played 7,000 or more minutes, and have more made 3-pointers than assists. This exclusive list, via Basketball-Reference.com, includes the likes of Rashard Lewis, Kyle Korver, Quentin Richardson, Peja Stojakovic, Jason Kapono, Matt Carroll, Tracy Murray, Charlie Villanueva, Matt Bonner, Matt Bullard, Eric Piatkowski, Andrea Bargnani, and a handful of other cats. Young ranks 12th amongst the group in career 3-point percentage (38-percent) and is tied with five others for eighth most assists per 36 minutes (1.5 per 36 minutes). So… Congrats Nick! Otherwise, the Wizards play the Blazers in Portland at 10 pm EST tonight, and for today’s 3-on-3 we have none other than ESPN TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott (@TrueHoop), along with TAI’s Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis) and Sam Permutt (@sammyvert). Three questions, three answers starts now…

#1) While reports indicate that Nate McMillan will not make a lineup change for the game against Washington on Tuesday, there are issues of concern that might need to be addressed; to be exact, removing struggling point guard Raymond Felton in favor of Jamal Crawford or someone else. Whatever the case, is any Portland point guard equipped to stop John Wall? Or does it not really matter given the surroundings that the PGs from each team have to work with?

HENRY ABBOTT: Almost nobody in the league can stop that short list of speed freaks one-on-one. But the team approach works well. Portland’s defense, in general, is as good as it has been — fourth in the league at defensive efficiency so far. So, the Wizards will have trouble scoring, regardless. The guard issue that worries me, as a Blazers fan, is on the other side of the ball, where Crawford has always been shoot-first, ask questions later, and now Felton has been looking gassed, with a five-game stretch of hitting 23 of his last 61 attempts, with a mighty seven total rebounds to go with 15 turnovers. But I’d play Felton, simply because he has to develop great chemistry with LaMarcus Aldridge if this team is going to make noise in the playoffs.

ADAM McGINNIS: Felton’s shooting percentages (37-percent FG, 20-percent 3P) are abysmal and his last game highlighted these woes, as he went 4-17 from the field in Portland’s double-OT loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Jamal Crawford never has been any team’s answer at point, where his strengths are instant offense off the bench and closing out games with his big shot-making ability. I would give rookie Nolan Smith a shot at starting since Linsanity over the past week has taught us that you never know what can happen, and especially since Smith displayed defensive prowess at Duke. The Philadelphia 76ers executed the most successful defensive game plan against John Wall. They crowded the lane with bodies, calling it ”Building a Wall to stop Wall,” so the Trailblazers will clearly need a team effort as well.

SAM PERMUTT: The fact that McMillan is refusing to start Jamal Crawford despite Raymond Felton’s continuing struggles is more of a vote in confidence in the rest of the team than in Felton. Though he has been struggling in nearly every facet of the game, he is still primarily a pass-first point guard who gets his teammates involved. The important thing in the point-guard match-up is not who is a better player (obviously Wall, right now) but which point guard can get his team to function at a higher level. No knock on Wall, but Felton is still good enough to “compete” with Wall simply by virtue of throwing passes to the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge and Gerald Wallace.

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This post is certainly a couple days late and definitely several dollars short amidst the pixels urgently begging for your attention as soon as it happens. But words last forever and video preserves them further. This is what Randy Wittman, Erik Spoelstra, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Mo Evans and Nick Young said after they played on Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 in a 106-89 Miami Heat win over the Washington Wizards.

Who says….?

x “My challenge is always finding a way to be aggressive.”
x “Every team plays hard against us, they bring their ‘A’ game against us. We understand that.”
x “We’re always a day late and a dollar short.”
x “I think that’s what the fans came to see. They love to see their favorite players do amazing things, and they got a chance to see that on both sides … Hopefully everyone that came to the game, paid their hard-earned dollars for their ticket, and got their money worth tonight.”
x “I’m the best 3-point shooter in the world.”

[answers below video]

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[The DC Council -- After each Wizards game: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the bench, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is over the table. Click here for cumulative DC Council 3-star ratings over the course of the season. Game 28 contributors: Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20), John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend), and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It).]

Score

Washington Wizards 98 vs Detroit Pistons 77 [box score]

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Jan Vesely didn’t score the 100th point on Sunday, Washington ended up with just 98 in their win against the Pistons (77 points), but he did end up with the play of the night. We talked about people getting down on Vesely in a recent post, and it’s those people who need to keep their eyes on sequences like in the video above. Again, Vesely is already the best Wizards big man at defending the high pick-and-roll, even more evident in him getting the steal from Detroit’s Will Bynum. But the scene of Vesely’s ability to run the floor with Wall, them sharing with each other until Jan ends up with the dunk, is a sign of things to come from the Czech rookie. No, he’s not a dazzling stud of a 6th overall pick, but he could develop into a defensive player as solid as Joakim Noah, but perhaps more athletic. Now wouldn’t that be nice to have at that draft position?

Wizards win their second road game in Detroit 98-77 and improve to 6-22 on the season. Head over to the Daily Dime Live on ESPN.com to read my rapid reaction for the game.