First, TAI is giving away two tickets to Wednesday’s game versus the Pacers (courtesy of StubHub). The seats are good (Section 101, Row L … behind the Wizards’ bench) and John Wall is good (as in he’s back and should be playing). You can win these two free tickets by being the first to email the correct answer to the trivia question I will post from the @Truth_About_It Twitter account at 11 am EST on Wednesday, December 29. The answer must be emailed to truthaboutit@gmail.com.

Also note: The Wizards are pulling something out of the Miami Heat’s playbook to get fans to arrive to games early (not sure if the idea actually originated with the Heat, but they did do something similar earlier this year). Starting when the doors open at 6 pm for Wednesday’s game versus the Pacers until 6:30, the Verizon Center will be offering food and drink discounts outside of section 107. [via @WashWizards]

WIZARDS-ROCKETS.

I’m not sure if it was his intended effect, but the technical Rocket’s coach Rick Adelman drew was the real “Game Changer” of Monday night’s loss in Houston … well, that and Chase Budinger. Up 10 points with about 10 minutes left in the game, a minute later the Rockets were able to cut the Wizards’ lead to seven via a JaVale McGee goal-tending call against Aaron Brooks. John Wall responded by jetting up the court, pulling a crazy, falling spin move in the paint, and somehow finding Josh Howard in the right corner for a jumper, putting the Wizards up 84-75 at the 8:48 mark of the fourth. It was time for Adelman to take his stand. The coach stomped and yelled in the direction of the referee, instigating a technical foul. Maybe he thought it was a charge against Wall (television replay seemed to indicate otherwise), maybe Adelman wanted to get his team fired up. Whatever the case was, it worked.

Wall missed the technical, Howard lost Budinger on a curl in the paint and fouled him on a layup attempt, the Wizards were stagnant on their next offensive possession and Howard got blocked by Budinger in the paint trying to return the favor (which led to Rockets fastbreak points the other way), Andray Blatche hit a soft, fading jumper (keeping the Wiz up 86-97), Shane Battier drove the lane and hit a tough shot against Rashard Lewis, Lewis returned the favor by air-balling a fading shot versus Battier, Kirk Hinrich fouled Aaron Brooks on a 3-point attempt, more stagnant Wizards offense led to a “post feed” to Blatche and an 18-foot missed jumper, and finally, Blatche lazily helped Hinrich on a pick and fade between Brooks and Battier and Lewis was slow to rotate to Battier, who hit a trey ball to put Houston up 87-86 with 6:39 left in the game.

There were still plenty of chances for the Wizards to win, but they were already so deflated by the game’s quick turnaround that it was essentially over at that point. Mike Prada at Bullets Forever points out that the Wizards didn’t really execute down the final stretch, and I’ll add that in the run after Adelman’s tech, the Rockets manned up and decided to push their offense into the paint, while the Wizards settled for jumpers. Seems pretty typical for this team.

Oh, and Rockets blog The Dream Shake certainly recognized Budinger’s efforts in propelling his team to victory.

TWO BULLETS.

It’s not all good in Wizards World, but two things I’ll note:

• I commended Ernie Grunfeld and Tommy Sheppard for flying down to San Antonio on the day after Christmas to personally tell Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee of their suspensions. I’m not sure how much that specific act means in the grand scheme of things, but it couldn’t have been handled better.
• I criticized Flip Saunders earlier this year for his team’s lack of focus … and the fact that he likes to say, “You can’t coach effort.” Well, Flip has his team playing better lately and credit is due to him for that. They still aren’t winning, or rather, are still finding ways to lose … but they are competing more than they used to. Again, not sure what this means in the big picture, but worth a bullet point in a blog post nonetheless.

LINKS.

On Christmas Eve, I was the host over at ESPN.com’s TrueHoop and wrote two posts. One was on Gilbert Arenas’ first good game in an Orlando Magic uniform in a blowout of the San Antonio Spurs and the surrounding circumstances. The other post was about dunks and which players/teams are doing it the most this season. Go read them if you will.

Lang Whitaker has a good profile on John Wall.
[SLAM]

Someone recently challenged JaVale McGee to get a more mature Twitter name — not sure how much that matters, but McGee is no longer @bigdaddywookie anyways. He’s now @JaValeMcGee34

Shaun Powell lists Flip Saunders as one of eight NBA coaches potentially on the hot seat.
[NBA.com]

Wanna see what Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee were wearing the night they got into a fight?
[DC Fab]

You’ve probably read the touching story by Patrick Hruby about the boy who was helped and treated like a little brother by Gilbert Arenas after his family died in a devastating house fire. If not, go read it. As much as we, I, criticize or praise Arenas, he is a human too … a human who has always been more than willing to help out others.
[ESPN.com]

According to the reporting of the Washington Post, Arenas has evidently “cut off communication and funds” with Laura Govan, the mother of his three children, who is also supposed pregnant with his fourth child. The “report,” with sourcing from Govan’s “publicist” also says that Govan has not heard from Arenas for the entire month of December and that he left her with no money to purchase food or Christmas gifts. It all seems pretty strange (but not really considering the subjects), especially since the Govan sisters (Laura and Gloria, fiancee to Matt Barnes of the Lakers) were on hand at the Staples Center when the Wizards played the Lakers in Los Angeles on December 14 (GIF evidence at the bottom of this post). Of course, their attendance at the game doesn’t mean anything.
[Washington Post]

Kelly Dwyer with excellent stuff on LeBron’s contraction talk.
[Ball Don't Lie]

Antawn Jamison rolls around on the floor for what seems like an eternity after bumping knees with Jameer Nelson … turned out to be just a knee contusion.
[NBA Facts & Rumors]

Your favorite troll, Colin Cowherd, has been nominated by Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch for the worst rant of the year … Cowherd also wins honorable mention in the same category.
[Sports Illustrated; H/T SB Nation DC]

Appreciating what might have been with Shaun Livingston through a nice no-look alley-oop pass he made in the present.
[Ball Don't Lie]

The Dallas Mavericks are fake-marketing Caron Butler’s Tuff Juice … but does Eddie Jordan get credit for coming up with Caron’s nickname?
[The Basketball Jones]

[The Govan Sisters - Laura Govan on the left, Gloria Govan on the right]

Other reads from Truth About It:

• August 24, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Earthquake After Effects & The Detriment of Gilbert Arenas’ Twitter Account
• February 5, 2011 -- So You Think You Can Rebuild A Team: The Gilbert Arenas Version
• December 5, 2011 -- ShareBullets: John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins Think About The Future

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.

“They were ahead of their time with that,” retorted Ernie Johnson in closing.

I guess so. The Michael Ruffin play happened on March 30, 2007. Five days and three games later, Gilbert Arenas suffered his initial knee injury against the Charlotte Bobcats.

So, either Ruffin’s toss indicated that the Wizards were ahead of their time or it perhaps marked the beginning of the end of an era. Wizards fans, this is your franchise.

Let’s just watch.

At least Johnson gives hometown announcer Steve Buckhantz some credit. Buck’s voice is not featured in the clip above, but Johnson wishes it was. But, if for some reason you want to torture yourself and hear Buckhantz scream to the heavens, “NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! NOT POSSIBLE!!!,” then check out the clip below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5d097fAWeI

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 2, 2010 -- What An 0-9 Road Start Looks Like: Wizards-Raptors, A Screen Shot Revue
• April 11, 2009 -- Caron Butler Lottery Daggers
• October 6, 2011 -- ShareBullets: REMEMBER: Bryon Russell Is Responsible For Gilbert Arenas

Much akin to Charles Barkley, Gil kinda/sorta admits to being a Republican:

It’s hard for me to vote, because since I’ve been in the NBA I’ve been in the upper class so I’ve been a Republican. If you have any type of money, you’re a Republican, period. So, it’s hard because you see a better looking president in Obama – I don’t even want to say because he’s black, but he just looks the part – and then you have McCain who is Republican and I’m like, man. I know Obama is going to raise taxes on the upper class from 20-60 percent, that’s what I’m looking at.

Of course, Barkley “was a Republican until they lost their minds.”

But essentially, Arenas is saying that he doesn’t vote, isn’t even registered to vote, because of the 2000 Presidential election between Bush and Gore, and because he wants to avoid jury duty. He doesn’t want to be apart of a high profile case because his house might get blown up as it happens in the movies.

To be honest, I stopped paying attention a long time ago when it was Bush and Gore when Gore won the popular vote, but Bush was the president.
———
There’s another reason I don’t vote – I don’t want jury duty. If you’re not registered to vote, you can’t get jury duty. I know that campaign Diddy had a couple years ago, “Vote or Die,” yeah if the alternative is jury duty, I’m going to die. I’m not going to get in one of these cases where they blow the jury members’ houses up to get out of the trial, I’m cool. I’ve seen too many movies.

I’d like to say that I’m not surprised by Gil’s statements, but I am. Sure, we can all get jaded by the political process in the United States. And I’m not here to debate the electoral college vs. popular vote…..although I will say that some laws are outdated and need to be revised. But at least Democracy in America, (albeit ranked 17th in the world by the Economist) is much better than the alternative experienced by others. Basically, I appreciate what I have.

On the other hand, it’s okay to not “just” appreciate the status quo. It’s okay to question. It’s okay to desire change.

But to stop paying attention because of one questionable election is ridiculous. Should we stop rooting for Arenas because of all the B.S. he’s pulled?

Sure, we should expect more of the American political process than we should expect from just another silly basketball player. But still, to disregard the right to vote because of a single incident is absolutely absurd. I also must mention that our judicial system, which certainly has it’s flaws as well, still allows us to be judged by a jury of our peers and not the government…..but that doesn’t matter to Gilbert who would rather live in his cocoon of money, grottos, and shark tanks.

People of all races and creeds have died for the right to vote, the right to a democratic government. To disregard in such a fatalistic manner is yet another sign of Gilbert Arenas’ immaturity. On second thought, I guess I’m really not all that surprised.

[UPDATE: Gilbert Arenas Now Thinks Voting Is A Joking Matter]

Random Posts

• April 24, 2008 -- The Haywood Incident: A Final Word
• September 3, 2010 -- ShareBullets: Maybe Michael Jordan Was A Good Thing
• August 10, 2011 -- Manute Bol’s Last Bullets

flickr/vedia

Nowadays, when the Wizards talk, the ears of the media perk up, and the word on the street starts bubbling. Of course, we throw the entire Wizards team into the mix, but it’s really only two who are opening their mouths: DeShawn Stevenson and Gilbert Arenas. Their teammates are put in the position to back up their claims. Who knows what savvy vets such as Antonio Daniels and Antawn Jamison think of all the words. My gut feeling is that they don’t mind so much (and neither does Eddie Jordan). They’re competitors too and are just as ready to strap ‘em up and go to war on the court.

Gilbert Arena’s comments about wanting to play the Cavaliers should come as no surprise. Does he really have to say that he wants to face Cleveland in the playoffs? The move seems obvious. Anyone would want to get the monkey off their back, especially Gilbert’s heavy weight of missing two key FTs with 15 seconds left in game 6 of the 2006 playoffs. Do the history. Damon “Zirconia” Jones went on to hit a jumper in the corner with four seconds left. Game Cleveland, 114-113; Series Cavs, 4-2.

Oh yea, lest we forget, LeBron circled Arenas like a shark emitting some smack right before those free-throw attempts….the monkey on Gil’s back ain’t light, he’s Oliver Miller rotund. It is neither wrong nor detrimental for Arenas to speak for himself. Do people seriously think that LeBron wouldn’t bring his ‘A’ game if Gilbert had not spoken? If so, they are not giving James enough credit.

Nonetheless, the fodder between LeBron James and DeShawn Stevenson conveys the provocative nature of a scripted tiff between two hopelessly immature pawns on MTV’s The “Real” World. And yes, I stopped watching that terribly fake display of mankind almost 10 years ago.

But aside from singlehandedly taking care of the Pistons in last year’s playoffs, what has LeBron really done on the big stage? Barkley acts as if the Wizards (to borrow a line from the late, great Jim Croce) are tugging on Superman’s cape. Now, I admit that LeBron is something else to witness, but until you win a championship, a superhero you are not. (Apologies to all those who played in the Michael Jordan era….many of you had what it takes, but were faced with the misfortune of being a victim of the wagging tongue.)

Yes, there are those who have talked their team into a loss by riling up King James…the “Sleeping Giant.” But the only two prime examples of this have come from fans. Or, Chris Bosh’s cousin and girlfriend.

The words of these young ladies, as you can see, sparked LeBron to score 24 fourth quarter points, overcoming a 13 point Cleveland deficit heading into the final period. Then again, they are friends….so I’m not sure how that fits into friendly banter versus trash-talk gamesmanship.

And I guess we shouldn’t forget about incident #2 between LeBron and fans this year. With the Cavaliers down 68-62 to the Trail Blazers heading into the 4th quarter, some fans in Portland’s Rose Garden had some choice words for LeBron James. [unfortunately, the YouTube of the occasion on the preceding link does not work] King James would go on to hit three consecutive 3s and personally outscore the Blazers 17-15 as Cleveland took the game in the final period, 84-83.

Look, I’m pretty sure that LeBron gets heckled by fans in many opposing NBA arenas, but that doesn’t keep people from wondering if fans will learn not to mess around with Jim or Bad, Bad LeBron James. Although, does it even matter?

Let me remind you, sideline-sitting fans DeShawn Stevenson and Gilbert Arenas are not. Unlike the crowd, they take the court to back-up their words. Their desire to prove themselves right can be channeled into effort in the game.

The back and forth banter between Cleveland and Washington has been covered by multitudes among mainstream media, the blogosphere and the in-between hybrids. Many have considered it silly of the Wizards to participate in a war of words, believing that there is nothing to possibly gain from such verbiage.

I agree with the Pradamaster’s assessment on Bullets Forever, exclaiming that such talk is ‘All fun and games, really.‘ My initial reaction was to thank Charles Barkley, because who is to say that his bulletin-board material has not thrown the momentum of slight back in favor of the Wizards?

As much as people focus on the garbage-speak, no one seems to consider what it takes to back up such talk. I know DeShawn Stevenson isn’t known for making the best decisions [scroll to the bottom of this post], but that doesn’t mean he lacks pride to stand behind what he spits. DeShawn is far from the player that LeBron James is….not even in the same universe. But all Stevenson needs to worry about is defense and knocking down open threes. He doesn’t have an entire team, faced with the criticism of going backwards in the possible event of defeat, on his spasming back.

I’ve thanked Charles, now maybe he should thank DeShawn and Gilbert. After all, they’ve given him a reason to run his mouth. (I know, I know….like Chuck really needs ammunition.)

Will keeping it real go wrong for DeShawn Stevenson? I’m ready to find out.

Random Posts

• March 11, 2010 -- With Houston, The Wizards Had Problems
• December 17, 2010 -- Pre-Game Faces: Wizards vs. Lakers
• July 2, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Wizards Weekender of Lockout Links

Even last year when the Cavs swept the Wizards without Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler in the playoffs, all seemed quiet on the Eastern Conference front between Cleveland and Washington….until 2008. Below is the time-line of the trash talk that’s gone since.

flickr/wizardsdotcom

February 22, 2008
The Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Wizards fresh off completing a blockbuster trade, a minute before the 3pm NBA deadline, and were left with only eight players. Two of those eight were signed from the NBDL to meet the NBA roster minimum. Of course the Wizards, without Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, only suited up nine players. With 15 seconds left, the ball in his hands and Cleveland down one, 89-88, LeBron James drove to the basket and received a superstar call. James’ two made free-throws and a DeShawn Stevenson missed layup at the buzzer gave the Cavaliers the 90-89 win. Some of the Wizards took exception to Cavalier attitudes during the game. I’m sure LeBron’s ball toss up to the scoreboard, celebrating like he just won a championship, was a contributing factor.

March 14, 2008
The Wizards beat the Cavaliers at the Verizon Center in DC in a game which came down to the last second.

This Wizards Insider Post had some great tid-bits:

• Stevenson engaged in trash talk with James and Damon Jones all night long. At the end of the first quarter, after James missed a layup while he was defended closely by Stevenson, James starting barking in Stevenson’s direction. [Here’s a YouTube of that.]

• DeShawn was obviously holding back in that session with reporters around his locker [after the game]. When he was leaving the building, Mike Lee was chatting him up and mentioned LeBron again. DeShawn has obviously heard enough of that. “He’s overrated,” DeShawn told Mike. “And you can say I said that.”
• [LeBron] also didn’t like getting knocked to the ground by Brendan Haywood late in the game. The foul wasn’t all that bad but James reacted as if Big Brendan crushed him. He had that scowl he gets and he was looking at the ref like the guy forgot to mow his lawn or something. If you remember, Brendan gave out a similar hard foul in the playoffs during the 2006 series. For a guy who always talks about how he played football in high school, LeBron sure doesn’t like contact.

And that’s not the only talk from that night, here’s some notes from my game blog on Bullets Forever:

• 3rd Q: 1:40: Nick Young hits a 3 in LeBron’s grill, after James hit a 3 on the previous Cavs possession. Bean Burrito proceeds to do a little talking to Bron-Bron up the court.

• 4th Q: 20 seconds left: 96-94 Wizards after 1 Joe Smith FT…..and DeShawn Stevenson draws a charge on LeBron James. It’s about time a call didn’t go LBJ’s way. Of course, it was a tough call to make at that point in the game, but LeBron made it easy on the refs by not only dropping his shoulder, but also sticking a lil’ chicken wing out there. Play of the game by the Lock Smith.
• 4th Q: 8 seconds left: Damon Jones hits a trey….the Wizards lost him as they put their full concentration on LeBron. Cavs down 1, 100-99….as the teams go into a timeout. Jones gives the “can’t feel my face” move followed by a neck-slash as he walks by DeShawn.
• Cleveland ball. Seven seconds left. Down 101-99. LeBron obviously has the ball….DeShawn gets low…..the Cavs clear out…..Brendan Haywood tentatively ready to help. NOPE! LeBron mails the game in by taking and missing a three pointer which would’ve sealed a win for Cleveland at the buzzer. Guess he figured that the Cavs shouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place. Yea, yea….maybe you go for the win on the road, but in every other game, wouldn’t you like LeBron’s chances of driving and at least getting fouled better? Oh well, his mail delivery is our win.
  Notice Stevenson walking towards the Cavalier bench after the miss?

And more from Brian Windhorst’s Cleveland Cavaliers blog:

• [DeShawn Stevenson] was carrying on with LeBron and Damon Jones all night. In the first half, Damon made a 3-pointer and waved his hand in front of his face to mock what Stevenson does when he makes 3s. Stevenson didn’t like that and in the second half when he made a couple 3s he looked over at Damon and mocked his “three on a platter” and how Damon sometimes slaps his butt when he hits shots. Damon just stood up and glared at him.

March 17, 2008
To follow up on DeShawn’s “overrated” comments, the Cleveland Plain Dealer had this to report:

• James said: “With DeShawn Stevenson, it’s kind of funny. It’s almost like Jay-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy. It doesn’t make sense.” For those readers not cultured in hip-hop, Jay-Z is a hip-hop mogul while Soulja Boy is just a rapper.

After all Soulja boy did do some talking of his own: Soulja Boy Claims He’s The Hottest MC In the Game — Better Than Jay-Z, Kanye … [MTV News]

March 19, 2008
Wizards Insider continued the role of hype-man with two different posts:

• First: “I hope we play Cleveland,” Stevenson said. “I’m going to get Soulja Boy courtside seats and have him wear a DeShawn Stevenson jersey. Maybe (James) can have Jay-Z there since LeBron’s all on his (shorts) anyway. And tell LeBron to cut that beard off and stop copying me.“

• Second: Apparently, James said something about DeShawn to former Cav Drew Gooden, who recently related that information to DeShawn. He didn’t appreciate it. “We’re all in the same profession,” Stevenson said. “We don’t need to talk bad about one another. So, that’s how it happened. I was ticked off and that’s why I said something to him at tip-off. So, it goes back further than people think.” I asked DeShawn if what James said was basketball-related or personal and he said: “It was both. I won’t say what he said. I said something back and we’ll leave it at that.”

March 24, 2008
Does it end there? I believe Whitney Houston would say: “Hells to the naw,” before doing some crack. More reports from Brian Windhorst of the Cavs beat:

• Stevenson and James might indeed have some personal stuff behind the scenes. Stevenson has dated LeToya Luckett and Farrah Franklin, both of whom were members of R&B group Destiny’s Child. Of course, James is very close to former Destiny’s Child member Beyonce Knowles, who is engaged to close friend Jay-Z. James’ friend and manager, Maverick Carter, also dated Kelly Rowland, another former Destiny’s Child member. Who knows what all that means, but the point is James and Stevenson move in the same social circles and it has no doubt carried over to the court.

But what does Gossip Girl Drew Gooden have to say about his relaying of messages?

• When asked about it Saturday in Chicago, the usually talkative Gooden went running from the topic and declined to answer. No doubt he’s not thrilled he’s been pulled in and is now probably also in James’ doghouse for passing along the comment.

Doghouse? I guess that LeBron shouldn’t have run his mouth to Drew in the first place. After all, he knew Gooden and Stevenson were boys from the west coast hood. And when you’re beard contest brothers, you just gots to share information.

But wait, the Destiny’s Child connection doesn’t end there. Here’s an entry from Gilbert’s blog after attending a Beyonce concert this summer:

• At the end, I got back stage. Come on, it was at the Verizon Center. The security guards know whose picture is on the building. I got all access. She gave me a hug and I had her autograph my Wizards No. 1 jersey with ‘B-E-Y-O-N-C-E’ on the back. There’s no scandal behind the hug. Me and Jay-Z are good. We’re good peoples.

April 11, 2008
Gilbert Arenas’ blog:

• “I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round. They’ve been a .500 team ever since they made that trade and everybody wants a chance at that matchup. We want Cleveland for our own reasons, we don’t think they can beat us in the playoffs three years straight. It’s hard to beat a team three years straight. We want to try our luck.”

April 14, 2008
LeBron to Cleveland beat reporters after a victory over the Heat (via Ohio.com):

• ‘‘Yay, that is so fun, I am excited,” James said with heavy sarcasm. ‘‘I wanted to play somebody else, but if we have to play somebody, I’m glad it is Washington.” Then he mixed his cliches about the verbal jabs the sides have been taking at each other. ”This is the third straight year of trash talk,” James said. ”I’ll read the clippings and it’ll help me get some more gas under my belt.”

April 15, 2008
Gilbert Arenas’ blog:

• “I’m excited because Cleveland is the last team I played against in the playoffs and the last memory everybody has of me from the playoffs are the free throws I missed and the shot by Damon Jones. So I get a chance to redeem myself for that series.”

Charles Barkley on the Wizards (during a TNT NBA Playoff conference call):

• tyle="font-style:italic;">“I think the Washington Wizards have got to be the dumbest team in the history of civilization. I think for them to rile up LeBron, who is the second best player in the NBA, I think that’s just stupid.”

• “I thought they had a chance to win that series…I don’t think so anymore. I think Cleveland was just going through the motions once they knew they were going to be the number four seed and now I think they’re ready. I think that was just stupid for the Wizards to talk all that trash when they call LeBron ‘overrated’ in the middle of the season when they played. For them to think they are going to go into Cleveland (and win), they just riled up LeBron, the Cavaliers and all the fans.”

April 16, 2008
More DeShawn smack from Wizards Outlet (before game #82 vs. the Orlando Magic):

• Stevenson was asked about this weekends upcoming showdown with LeBron James and he gave a tempered response of, “He knows I’m serious. He kinda sounds like he doesn’t want to talk to much, so maybe he’s scared.”

More Wizards Outlet on Barkley:

• Stevenson said “Are we really going to listen to a guy who said that Yao Ming wasn’t going to be in All-Star in this league? Really? Really?”

• Brendan Haywood warned his teammate that he couldn’t go after a Hall of Famer if he himself wasn’t a Hall of Famer, but Gilbert Arenas said it was OK as long as he was going after his thought process and not his basketball skills. Agent Zero asked exactly what Barkley had said and Haywood relayed the comment. Gil, strutting back to his locker, said “That’s cute. That’s cute. They might have the No. 2 player, but they don’t have the No. 1 end of game, end of period, end of half player. Uh-hu, know what I’m sayin’?”
• Haywood said “Oh, we’ve got Kobe in here?” and Arenas replied, “He does not have more end of game, end of quarter shots than me, but I like your thought process.”

Same scene from Wizards Insider:

• “He knows I’m serious and I know he’s serious so let’s do it,” Stevenson said as two Wizards’ PR staff folks hovered nearby, practically begging him to not say anything crazy. “There’s no need to say too much more.”

• As for his invitation for SouljaBoy to sit courtside in a Stevenson jersey for Game 3 or 4 at the VC, I still can’t tell whether he’s serious. “Maybe SouljaBoy will show up,” Stevenson said. “If you do see him, you’ll who got him there.”

• Stevenson and the Wizards are aware that Charles Barkley called them out yesterday.
  Stevenson (PR staff still hovering, getting more and more nervous): “Tell Charles Barkley to chill and worry about other things. Don’t worry about the Washington Wizards.”

Hmmm….what is one to think? Will the Wizards have the last laugh? Stay tuned.

flickr/wizardsdotcom

Random Posts

• August 9, 2010 -- POLL: How Many Wins for the Wizards in 2010-11? The Experts Give Their Opinion.
• December 22, 2008 -- Blogger Q&A: Dallas Dedicated
• July 10, 2010 -- Working Out With Kevin Seraphin

Here’s the ranks:

1) You must know that Bullets Forever has gone through a pretty kick-ass revamp. Stop waiting and go join the community. By the way, that’s where the Game 82 blog vs. the Orlando Magic will be tonight.

2) Wow, it’s been a whole five years since Michael Jordan played his last game as a Wizard. The crew at We Rite Goode has an excellent run-down.

3) Gilbert Arenas may still be spurning the media, but we now know that a “break” from blogging means about 4 days. Highlights of the latest include:

• Gil thanking the young Wiz kids for their level-headedness.
• Arena’s attempts of ‘reverse-psychology’ with NBA Exec. VP of B-ball Ops., Stu Jackson
• Gilbert is taking a chill on being a hype-man for the Cleveland series, conceding the talking to our friend the Lock Smith.
• Of course, Gil calls out Tom Knott by name again.
• But I’m not sure if Arenas is calling out George Bush….or giving street cred to an oil-war gangsta.

4) There’s been millions, if not billions, of teams in the history of civilization. Evidently, Charles Barkley has done his homework and has called the Wizards the dumbest of them all.

5) Looks like DeShawn Stevenson will start against Orlando tonight, keeping the streak in tact at 250. Gilbert and Caron might get a little run too….just to keep warm.

6) Since DeShawn left the Verizon after the Indy game without talking to reporters, Mike Jones thinks Stevenson will be yapping after the Orlando game tonight.

7) The DC Pro Sports Report has a great run-down of the feud and Cavs-Wiz playoffs 3.0 from both sides for the coin.

1. LeBron? Check.
2. Stevenson? Check.
3. Soulja Boy? A Maybe.
4. Jay-Z? Don’t stop to holla.
5. Usher? Who gives a shit.
6. Destiny’s Child? Been there, done that.
7. It seems only natural that Cam’ron get in on this process since he had Jay-Z’s wifey, Beyonce, singing about “slangin’ some crack.”

8) Wherever you are, watch out for the elbow of Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

9) The Top 10 Ways to Foul LeBron James.

10) On a related note, here are the Top 10 Signs that LeBron James and the Cavs are getting some calls.

11) The video of the clap to Jamison’s jimmy in the Pacers game. Take a gander at Jamison’s eyes when he tries to get up….I’m not sure he knows where he is.

12) After all, It’s All Fun and Games.

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So I’m watching Inside the NBA on TNT at halftime of the Lakers-Nuggets game. First of all, Kenny Smith compares the Knicks to the Washington Generals….hilarious.

But Charles Barkley? I’m with you 99.9% of the time captain, but you feel bad for Isiah? Because the players quit of him? The key part of ‘the players quit on him’ is the Him and not the Players.

Now look, I know that coaches are supposed to coach and not play. I also realize that it’s the responsibility for the players to go out an win games. They are on the court. Coaches are on the sidelines.

And hell, the Knicks players DO deserve criticism for their lack of effort. But to say you feel bad for Isiah Thomas because the players quit on him? Let’s do two things Chuck: Be real with us and be real with yourself.

Isiah Thomas is the one who cultivated this whole losing environment for the New York Knicks. Don’t look at this one horrible, horrible loss to the Celtics. Look at Isiah’s whole tenure with the Knicks. What has he done?

Nuthin’ for nobody from nowhere.

Why should I care? I don’t. I despise the Knicks.

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