Posts for category ‘antawn jamison’

Well….did we expect anything else? Thought so.

via Mr. Irrelevant (and then Stet Sports)

Q1

1st Laker Possession: McGuire is guarding Kobe (Reggie Miller calls D-Mac a defensive “Guru” whoa…easy there buddy…let the kid develop first)….he held his ground for the most part…..but still let Kobe get deep and he just missed the shot.

1st Wiz Possession: D-Mac up top as distributor says Fratello….but Kobe is a rover and Dom misses an open mid-range J (had that hitch in his shot there)

D-Mac looks a little intimidated on D…flinching at every Kobe move.

Habit: Wiz miss their first five, all jumpers. Lakers up 7-0.

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Q1

8:08: Dom McGuire has gotten good at the corner jumper…..as long as he omits that hitch he has in his shot at times. 9-4 Wiz.

D-Mac, of course, can potentially be a great defender, but really must work on his lateral movement.

7:37: Blatche spin and gets in air, but the Wiz (Mike James in this instance) are making better cuts, and it’s an easy pass for a layup. 11-6 Wiz.

Wiz start 1-5 on FGs, but go 5-5 since…thanks to the fact that Brad Miller cannot guard Andray…who has 9 points on 3-4 shooting.

5:46: Butler is having his own issues with Salmons, who just drove by him for a dunk. 17-13 Wiz.

Did the Kings just not account for Blatche in their game plan at all? Is Brad Miller that bad of a defender? Is he being left on an island? Don’t know, but Andray has 8 points already.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Wes Unseld Jr. whispers sweet coaching nothings into the ear of Ed Tapscott

Songaila makes his first start of the season……and I know some may be griping about the Lithuanian at the 5 spot, but history tells us that he does play the best defense against Dwight Howard…..then I saw this, which was via this.

Q1

Of course, Dom McGuire handles the jump ball, and loses anyway.

11:45: I guess it’d also be nice to keep Blatche out of early foul trouble as D-Song picks up his own early foul…..but makes a jumper on the other end. 2-2 Wizards.

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“It doesn’t make me sleep easier at night. I’m not going around shooting shots and throwing my hands in the air.”
-Antawn Jamison on his game winning shot [via Mike Jones - Wizards Outlet, Washington Times]

I take this as one of two ways: either Jamison is making a not so subtle dig at the antics of Gilbert Arenas, or he is highlighting the fact that he puts on his helmet, grabs his lunch pail, and simply shows up to work everyday…..nothing more, nothing less. And since Jamison is not the type to be braggadocios about his workhorse mentality (which seems intrinsically wrong anyway), I’m going with the former.

Well, I’m not doing a game blog for the Wizards-Hornets match-up……which was soooo last year……because I actually attended the game. I’m down South visiting family for the new year, and my pops lives a couple hours from New Orleans (he’s a Hornets fan), so it was natural that we attended the game.

So in place of a game blog, me and my amateur photography skills present a photographic slide show of what I saw:

Game Observations:

• Gilbert Arenas was on the bench during the first half……I can’t remember if he was there for the 3rd quarter or not, but he was definitely absent for most of the 4th and down the stretch.

• Ivan Carter questioned Southeastern Conference loyalty when the local LSU fans booed players from Alabama’s football team in attendance (and then chanted “L-S-U! L-S-U!)…….but Carter forgot to mention that there’s more passion than usual between these two teams. LSU fans absolutely hate former coach Nick Saban with a passion (starting when he left the program to coach the Miami Dolphins). That hatred was magnified once Saban returned to the SEC to coach ‘Bama.

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Caron Butler is out again (I guess this is the “tanking it” that many have been calling for — you know and I know that if this game meant something, Tuff Juice would be spilling himself on the court.)

Q1

11:48: Andray v. Yao….Ming stars off with a fade away miss, Blatche played decent D on him the last time out.

11:00: Instead of staying with Battier,Young zones to Scola with the ball….Jamison is there, but could stand to be closer as Scola can shoot…..Who’s Your Daddy Battier is open in the corner for the swing pass…..three ball. 3-2 Houston.

10:46: Andray takes a college three (top of key) with 15 on the shot clock — don’t care if you’re open Andray — No, No, NO!!

9:50: Houston is letting Andray have the open 16 footer….and for good reason, he misses again.

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A couple weeks ago, Rob Mahoney of Upside and Motor released an NBA Archetype Hierarchy chart [click on the link to check out the full blog post and explanations]. Here is Rob’s actual chart:

[click here for a larger view]

So naturally, I wanted to categorize each Wizard in primary and secondary roles. But before I get to that, here’s a Rob’s chart with the archetypes the Wizards do not have grayed out (the Wiz obviously have neither an elite point guard nor a refined big man):
And now, a fancy graphic representing Wizards players and their primary and secondary archetypes:
If you don’t like graphics, here’s the listing:

1. Gilbert Arenas – Surreal Scorer; Megalomaniacal small guard
2. Andray Blatche – Question mark; Skilled, but flawed post
3. Caron Butler – Salad Bar; Renaissance man
4. Javaris Crittenton – Question mark; Scoring ‘combo guard’
5. Juan Dixon – Scoring ‘combo guard’; Chucker
6. Brendan Haywood – Interior defensive presence; Skilled, but flawed post
7. Mike James – Scoring ‘combo guard’; Chucker
8. Antawn Jamison – Renaissance Man; Locker room chemist
9. JaVale McGee – Raw, project center; Under construction
10. Dominic McGuire – Intangible role player; Wing stopper
11. Oleksiy Pecherov – Three-point shooting big; Under construction
12. Darius Songaila – Hustle Player; Intangible role player
13. DeShawn Stevenson – Chucker; wing stopper
14. Etan Thomas – Brute rebounder; Question mark
15. Nick Young – High talent, low IQ wing player; Chucker

And finally, some explanatory bullets:
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Well, there’s not much I can say about Friday night’s home loss to Philly. Hell, there’s not much I want to say at this point. [Wizards-Sixers Game 24 Blog on Bullets Forever]

I’m seeing some progress, especially out of Andray Blatche. But without a W in the books, the frustration continues to mount regardless of trying hard.

What really baffles me is the inability to score down the stretch….the inability for the stars, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, to will the team to a win by taking matters into their own hands and dropping the ball in the bucket.

As you may have read, and some of this is also covered in the web hits below, no one has a huge problem another Wizard taking an open shot when opposing defenses focus on Butler and Jamison…..it just shouldn’t become a habit.

So why are Butler and Jamison “less clutch”? Your guess is as good as mine. We all know that the absence of Brendan Haywood has had a significant effect on the team defense, but the Wizards continue to be without the offensive weapon of Agent Zero. So for the life of me, I can’t figure out the reason for the season to season scoring drop off when the game is on the line.

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Q1

Butler hits a tough falling shot to begin….Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier relate that Tapscott wants to get the star forwards (Butler/Jamison) off first…..but why?

Seems like those two should be able to get going at any time…it’s the scoring from the rest of the team which has been the concern.

Caron Butler is trying to do too much…..make, miss, gets caught in the air and has to pass to Blatche with one second on the shot clock — bad decision.

Tapscott says that Mike James is the type of player who “needs” minutes and that’s why he is starting….whatever that means on a 4-18 team.

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Maybe Rodney Stuckey’s foul on a driving Antawn Jamison was a just call, maybe it wasn’t. But in Antonio McDyess’ opinion, a missed FT means that the ‘ball don’t lie’ no matter the case.

When will these Pistons stop assuming the reasons behind what the ball do and don’t do? Sure AJ bricked it, but I know one thing that never lies…….Score, Board. (yes, a fan of a 4-15 team talking trash)

Q1

JaVale McGee starts off:

• Blocking a Gooden hook shot on help side.
• Blocking a Derrick Rose layup attempt and then Rose’s jump shot on a recovery.
• We haven’t played a minute yet.

10:37: Deng blows by Butler, slashing to the basket in transition. Caron, in my opinion, exerts a minimal amount of effort. 4-3 Bulls.

9:33: McGee closes out fast and gets a 4th block on Gooden’s jumper.

Halfway through the first quarter, the Wizards have gotten some decent looks, just not all of them are falling. The Bulls have made Washington pay in transition. At the six minute mark, the score is tied at 14 after Stevenson hits another long two near the Bulls bench……A guy with the 10th best PER on a team that is 3-15 has the gall to give Chicago’s bench a gnarly stare. Way to go DeShawn.

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The Wizards-Bulls game starts soon, but I wanted to get some thoughts down on last night’s game against the Lakers.

First, you can check the Wizards-Lakers game blog on Bullets Forever.

This was another game where some “little things” killed the Wizards. I hesitate to get too wrapped up in these little things because every team, good and bad, commits such minuscule errors each game. However, it’s the quantity of these errors which are the differentiators between winning and losing.

I do like the fact that the Wizards tried hard and simply did not give up when down 20 in the 3rd quarter, and even down 19 with under nine minutes left in the 4th. This team should be setting a tone by continuing to try hard for the rest of this season, no matter the record. Losing is bad enough, but what you do not want to do is to create a culture of not caring about losses. So, people should stop all this talk about tanking or throwing in the towel, not the environment we want to create.

But the “little things”….last night, they included:
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