Price, the current Atlanta Hawks shooting coach, may still be right for Cleveland Cavaliers fans, but that’s far from the case for Wizards/Bullets fans.

A reminder of how the Cavs fleeced former Bullets GM, John Nash (from this May ’08 post):

I remember the lore of Mark Price, I remember it well. Excited I was as a young 15-year old, only be disappointed by one of the many marks on the wall of my NBA fandom jail cell indicating another failed franchise season due to injury. When the Bullets finally got their act together, putting together seven wins in a row from late-March to early-April, they lost their last four of the season, finishing a mere three games behind the Miami Heat for the last playoff spot in the East.

Price was damaged good before he even arrived in DC, but that’s just our luck, isn’t it?

Thanks for nothing Mark Price.

“The price is wrong, bitch.” -Happy Gilmore

Other reads from Truth About It:

• July 31, 2009 -- The Washington Wizards and The White Man
• October 3, 2011 -- Washington Wizards Suspensions & Fines Since 1995
• April 28, 2010 -- Cardboard Bullets: Juwan Howard, the original $100 million man

Well, the first preseason game is in the books…..read the Wizards-Mavericks preseason game blog on Bullets Forever if you’d like. Let’s just say that it didn’t start ‘off with a bang.’ Aside from the Wizards looking bad as a team, Antawn Jamison went down at the 7:42 mark in the 1st with a knee that was diagnosed as sprained, then later strained (patella tendon).

On top of that, the game-time report from Wizards Insider was that Brendan Haywood, originally thought to be out at least a week with a sprained right wrist, is seeking a second opinion from a hand specialist in New York. The latest diagnosis points to surgery, putting BTH out of commission for 4-6 months.

While reports indicate that Jamison’s injury was worse than it looked and is not serious (the disclaimer being that he still needs to get an MRI), reports on Haywood relate that the visit to the specialist is only to confirm the fact that he’s already planning to go forward with the procedure, possibly keeping him out for the entire 2008-2009 season (with 09-10 being a contract year).

The key phrase of last night was “good spirits.” Eddie Jordan said it about Jamison’s state of mind in a post-game interview. Comcast’s Chris Miller said it about Haywood’s state of mind after a phone conversation with him.

Damn Curse O’ Les Boulez. I feel for Haywood, Jamison, their teammates, the coaching staff, and the franchise as a whole…..their livelihood is involved. On the other hand, and not to trivialize the turmoil of the aforementioned, but their association with the team (and the purported curse), can be fleeting, as sports is also a business for them (ok, not all the time Wes Unseld).

My point being, it’s part of their job to be in good spirits — just like for the jobs of regular folk, you either keep working through trying times, as being in ‘good spirits’ is most conducive to being tough when the going gets tough, or you just simply quit and move on.

On the other hand, being a true fan, sticking with your team through good times and bad, is enduring…..something you cannot escape. While I am usually one to evoke the phrase, “things could always be worse,” I’m no DC Optimist 24/7. While that ‘curse’ word will be used abundantly among Wizards faithful in the coming days, I can only associate keeping in good spirits with the photo above.

I’ll admit that just like the Pradamaster, I hate being a fan of the Bullets/Wizards sometimes. Ok…..well, ‘hate’ is a strong word. Bringing myself back to reality, this is not the end of anyone’s world. I will continue to root for my team just as passionately as if things were going as planned. It’s just that last night, doing so didn’t get any easier.

Random Posts

• April 25, 2008 -- Washington Wizards vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Playoff Game 3 Blog
• January 13, 2010 -- No ‘I’ In Team, But There’s An ‘I’ In Quit: Detroit Drains Washington 99-90
• January 19, 2011 -- Catching Up With D-League Hamady