Posts for category ‘deshawn stevenson’

Getting ready to watch the ‘Battle of Two Interim Coaches‘ in Philly, and wanted to reflect back to last year’s NBA basketball court history between the District of Columbia and the City of Brotherly Love.

Game 10 in DC:
With Haywood in early foul trouble, Blatche steped in and caught fire, scoring 9 points in the 1st quarter and 16 by half as the Wiz took a 60-44 lead going into the locker room. To start the 3rd, the old DeShawn Stevenson got cooking. Haywood sprained his ankle and left for the night, but that was okay because the Wiz built a 30 point lead…..which was whittled down to 15 by the end of the game. The Wizards won and were led by a combined 48 points from this season’s whipping boys, Stevenson and Blatche. 116-101 DC over Philly

Game 16 in Philly:

Not that anyone would want to relive such a crappy display of basketball from the Washington Wizards, but if your interested in the Wizards-Celtics game blog, it’s on Bullets Forever. Thoughts on the game….well, pretty much everyone played less than they are capable of, even on their worst day. Antawn Jamison was…..okay, but….here’s a run-down in bullet form:

• Caron Butler’s defense was horrible….and it’s becoming more than routine. C’mon guy, at least try to stay in front of Tony Allen, and be somewhat cognizant of switches and the fact that you might have to cover someone else.

• DeShawn Stevenson….it’s nothing but a head game now. But that figures…someone who can get so wrapped up in not feeling his face, among oodles and oodles of lame antics, is bound to go into the mental slump. Thing is, I feel bad for the guy. He’s been a straight warrior in the past, playing hurt, etc., so I can’t really get on him too much…..I just don’t think DeShanw should see the court much anymore, but…….
• What are the options? Nick Young? That goofy lil’ guy is undependable as they come. Maybe, juuuust maybe starting him would mean something, but he’s still a sub par defender.
• Which brings me back to Stevenson. The fact is that he still IS the team’s best defender. Yes, that’s not saying much at all. This year, DeShawn has had many more game slippages on D than in 07-08. If only something could get Stevenson going offensively, I would feel more comfortable relying on him as the main stopper…..regardless, we still have to do that anyway, right?

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Sure, DeShawn Stevenson has sported the Mohawk hair-style before. He’s also worn the jersey of a dog killer and currently yearns for the bearded days of yore. In the preseason, DeShawn broke out an 80s flat-top and is now going with the flat Mohawk look. Dude is unabashed and will try anything to get out of his current slump.

This year, Stevenson is posting career worsts in FG% (31.7) and Usage% (15.9), and his PER is at its lowest level since arriving in DC.

At least the guy can say that he’s dropping a career best Assist% in contrast to a career low Turnover% (his ’08-’09 per game averages are 3.6 and 0.9 respectively). -stats from basketball-reference.com

Now, I’m not so sure that new hair-doos will help Stevenson more than him just deciding to take better shots. In Tuesday night’s Wizards win against the Detroit Pistons, I only remember DeShawn taking one good shot, the only make out of eight attempts.

Is this what we should come to expect from Stevenson? Is a member of Bullets Forever ready to start a themed website requesting that Stevenson shoot less? Of course, I still know that once in a blue moon, DeShawn will have a 5-9 night from three-point land in a game full of lucky gunning and heat checks.

But my real hope is that evenings of Lock Smith inefficiency will start becoming far and few between, or that the Nick Young Starting Experiment commences soon. Looks like we’ll just have to wait and see which way the wind blows.

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Ball movement and DeShawn Stevenson….that’s what everyone has been buzzing about today. Well, where the hell have those two been? It’s baffling to try to explain, so I’ll give all the credit to Dee Brown.

Brown pushed the rock in transition, whipped the ball to spots in a timely manner in the half court, and even hit a couple treys. I should also mention that Brown had zero turnovers to his seven assists. He was even unafraid to stick his nose in the paint for an offensive rebound here and there.

Should Dee Brown start until Gilbert Arenas is healthy….allowing for Antonio Daniels to keep coming off the bench? I’m on board with that…..so far.

Dee Brown FYI

You can easily find out that Brown played quarterback in high school from his Wikipedia profile….but did you know? From an article about him in high school:

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Devin Harris is the talk of the town……so who will he be killing tonight? Ok, how about a more optimistic question, how will the Wizards stop him? Well, I recall Dee Brown being able to somewhat contain Tony Parker in the preseason, so….he’s our best bet, the third string point guard out of the Republic of Turkey.

The Free Darko Prediction: The transition out of Milwaukee proves surprisingly difficult for Yi, who has yet to make any friends outside of Brook Lopez. The incessant hazing from relentlessly cruel Julius Hodge does not help the situation. Wizards by 20.

Damn….ok, I’ve been absent the past two games, so I’m not exactly sure how Darius Songaila got that shiner on his right eye…..please tell me it was a practice scuffle.

Q1

11:44: Caron Butler allows too much separation, gets caught on a screen he could have avoided, Yi Jianlian mid-range J. Don’t really want to let Yi get open from so close….but Butler answers with a trey on the other end. 3-2 Wizards.

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I’ve been a little MIA over the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s nice to take a step back from the computer to hang with family…and that’s been graciously guided by severely limited internet access.

So the Wizards lost games 2 and 3 of the Tapscott era….ho hum. I have yet to read all reactions to losses to both Orlando and Atlanta, and I only was able to watch the Wizards face the Magic from a bar because it was on national television, but the indication seems to be that no one is surprised.

Yea, Dwight Howard is a bad man. In his time on the court against the Wizards this season, he pulls down a rebound every 2.43 minutes, attempts a free-throw every 2.61 minutes, and makes a FG every 3.84 minutes. Not many teams can stop Howard, and the Wizards are especially bad at doing so.

But it boils down to the fact that this Washington team is still not very good, just as indicated by their game performances all season. They’ve fallen short of pretty much everyone’s expectations, even those knowing that Gilbert Arenas would be absent. I would be more disappointed at failing to meet expectations if the team were not trying hard, if they weren’t displaying the want to win. For the most part, the Wizards are making an effort, but for some reason, things just aren’t clicking.

I still refuse to subscribe to the theory that the Wizards played completely above their heads last year. There is still a ton of talent and depth on this team, but not enough healthy fuel to keep the train going. At this point, there’s not much anyone can do outside of giving it the ol’ college try. Unfortunately, most teams the Wizards will be matching-up against graduated from the university long ago.
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Seen, Heard & Said

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So the big news: JaVale McGee and Dee Brown will be in the starting lineup for Etan Thomas and Juan Dixon. Brown is a little bit of a surprise as his play this year has been spotty, and uneventful when he does see the court. Plus, we know that Juan Dixon had built somewhat of an alley-oop rapport with McGee.

However, Dixon may be better coming off the bench, and Brown is a better defender. Still no Nick Young in the starting lineup, but if I had to choose a starting experiment, it would be McGee before Young.

What scares me: Atlanta is one of the best three point shooting teams in the league.

Q1

McGee easily wins the tip over Pachulia….on the first possession for the Wiz, the Hawks double Jamison and give Brown all the room in the world to shoot the three….he misses left.

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[photo credit: flickr/Celia Hippie]

Q1

Playing in a high school gym atmosphere tonight….Miami is worse than LA when it comes to late arriving crowds….and much worse than DC (yes, we are bad too).

Etan Thomas missed his first shot…ok, there’s my 180, bench him (kidding).

Well….the Heat have three layups on their first four baskets: Wade in transition, Beasley drive on a gamble steal attempt by Wiz, Chalmers steal and sweet dunk on Dixon. 8-2 Heat.

The Wiz have settled for a bunch of jumpers, luckily they’ve made a couple, including a quick DeShawn Stevenson trey on a long board and shot clock reset….can’t blame Stevenson too much for taking the shot that fast, he was wide open and uncontested. 10-7 Heat.

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The Wizards only played the Knicks three times during the 07-08 season, and lost twice to a New York team that only finished with 23 wins on the year. Here’s what happened (after the pic):

[source: flickr/cougar-studio]

• Game 37: Wizards @ New York Knicks – Jan. 15, 2008
  Antonio Daniels had a sore knee so Roger Mason Jr. got the starting nod, and he did not disappoint, knocking down 8 of 14 shots for 20 points. But as they have the propensity to do, the Wizards got off to a bad start, down 30-14 after one quarter…..perhaps it was the empty airplane hanger-like atmosphere in the Garden. Behind a strong 2nd quarter where “I Get Buckets Son” hit three 3s, the Wiz were down 51-41 at the half. After three, the Knick lead was cut to 5. But in the end, the Wizards were out rebounded, out assisted, out shot, and looked worn down after coming off amazing back-to-back wins against the Celtics. Jamal Crawford torched the Wiz for 29 points en route to a 105-93 New York win over Washington.

• Game 38: Washington Wizards vs. Knicks – Jan. 18, 2008
  So, three days later, the Wiz got their shot at redemption in the confines of the Verizon Center. The first quarter ended with both teams scoring in bunches, and shooting over 63%; the Knicks held the lead 32-28. In the 2nd quarter, Caron Butler showed some hustle swag to put the Wiz up 61-57 at the half. Washington built their lead to 12 at the end of 3 with solid defense by DeShawn Stevenson on Jamal Crawford, and some strong contributions from Big Oily, Oleksiy Pecherov, off the bench. The Knicks cut the Wizards lead to 4 early in the 4th, but Caron Butler (22 points), Antawn Jamison (32 points), and the bench (30 points) ensured the win for the Wizards, 111-98 over the Knicks.

• Game 53: Washington Wizards vs. Knicks – Feb. 19, 2008
  I missed this game because of a trip to Argentina (thanks for my friend Chris for picking up the slack on the game blog)….evidently Art Monk was in attendance, as was Alexander Ovechkin, who at one point was shown on TV slipping the tongue to a blond chick (I’m assuming his now wife?). Antawn Jamison tried his best (20 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals), but the Wizards could not overcome the absence of Caron Butler, who was out due to injury. Jamal Crawford missed a chance to put the Knicks up one with 19 seconds left in regulation when he only made 1 of 2 free-throws. With the score tied at 90, the ball was in the hands of Antonio Daniels….not good and you can guess the result. The Knicks would outscore the Wizards 23-10 in OT for the 113-100 win.

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Ok….I’m not one to throw in the towel, but I couldn’t help feeling as I watched the Wizards-Bucks game that a win would be a bonus, and not anything to expect. I don’t want to get into deep analysis on the game three loss, so here are some bulleted observations:

• Andray Blatche is getting his fair share of chances and is not taking advantage of them.

• He severely lacks blocking-out fundamentals — Somebody teach him….PLEASE!! Tony Massenburg? Wes Unseld?
• Blatche is trying to do too much — I’m not sure what needs to happen for Andray to let the game come to him.

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AP Photo via Yahoo!

Why am I pumped (or seised) about a preseason game tonight? Yea, well, got my DVR set up….and we’ve got the season’s starting lineup (Etan, DeShawn, Antonio, Caron and Antawn) ready to show….something.

What about Pop’s beard? Something he’s been needing to do for a while. The guy doesn’t exactly have the best…..complexion. And our buddy Haywoode Workman is refereeing again.

Q1

Possession #1: Tim Duncan gets an offensive board with both Antawn Jamison and DeShawn Stevenson right in front of him…nobody puts a body on somebody. 2nd chances are a killer, Spurs don’t take advantage…two Kurt Thomas misses.

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Who will be the main factor at point guard for the Washington Wizards?
While there are a number of candidates from various positions who can need to step up in the absence of Gilbert Arenas (Andray Blatche and Nick Young come to mind), the Wizards will need someone to be a factor at point guard and initiate Eddie Jordan’s offense.

photo from washingtonwizards.com

The Candidates: Antonio Daniels, Dee Brown, Juan Dixon, DeShawn Stevenson, Nick Young

Antonio Daniels: Hey, did you guys know that Antonio Daniels is getting older? Ok…so the fact that he turns 33 in March should go without saying. Last season, AD averaged the most minutes in his career, 30.4, because he had to step in as the starter for an absent Gilbert Arenas. This simply cannot continue. Not that Antonio isn’t up to the task. I’ll say it time and time again, the guy is a gamer. However, the fact that he puts his body on this line so much compounds the issue and highlights that he should receive less time on the court, if anything, to keep him healthy for the season. Antonio can’t help the way he plays. We know he’s not a shooter, he knows he’s not a shooter….but he’s got to make the defense aware of him offensively in some manner, and he does that with kamikaze drives to the hoop.

The problem for Eddie Jordan is that Antonio Daniels is his security blanket. He doesn’t turn the ball over much and is a game manager. At this point, how much AD sees the court depends on the other candidates. We must remember that health is key for the Wizards, especially in the backcourt. We’d all like the team to get out of the gates quickly in Gilbert’s absence, but the season is also a marathon, not a sprint.

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photo from nba.com/wizards

Silly, zany, wacky…..all terms used to describe Washington Wizards media day. Laptops are even blowing up because of it.

>> DeShawn Stevenson is swagger jacking Lil’ Wayne and claiming originality…..Lemme guess, Stevenson’s next wrist band will say, “Misunderstood ain’t gotta be explained,” or perhaps “Bling, Bling.” (Just go listen to ‘DontGetIt’ (some call it ‘Misunderstood’) on Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Carter III – or just check the lyrics here.)

>> The key part of the body is the wrist:

• DeShawn Stevenson is debuting his ‘Wristbands That Don’t Make Sense’ line (above link from the DC Sports Bog).
• Dee Brown has a superman wristband.
• Antonio Daniels did not have surgery on his troubled wrist, but it’s feeling okay….even though he will wear a light brace.

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I’ve been working on a piece about Eddie Jordan and his rotation size, specifically in comparison to the rest of the league and how it may or may not relate to team success in the NBA. The research is taking longer than I thought, so….spawned by a Slam Online blog entry today, I wanted to assess the Wizards role players for the upcoming season first.

In “Know Your Role,” John Krolik highlights five types of role players (plus Robert Horry) that every team wants. How do the Wizards stack up? Well, let’s see.

1. The Mistake-Free Backup Point
This one is easy….Antonio Daniels is even cited as an ideal example. AD is a leader who is willing to put his body on the line and the team first. In my player evaluation of Daniels, I cited negatives such as inability to shoot and defend. However, with Arenas back and Antonio going back to the bench, those inefficiencies will be somewhat masked in the bigger picture. The key theme is the steadying veteran presence Antonio provides as the point guard leader of a young second unit.

2. The Bona Fide Sniper
This is an big area of concern for me. Gilbert Arenas is the team sniper, but he’s no role player. Gone is last year’s sniper in Roger Mason, who will fill the role for the San Antonio Spurs. Sure, Nick Young will be expected to provide an offensive spark off the bench, but I’ve never been confident in his ability as a long distance threat. Are you telling me that the Wizards will look to Oleksiy Pecherov to be the unconscious jacker from deep? I sure hope not, and that’s assuming he’s not reporting for D-League duty during the upcoming season.

3. A “Three-and-D” Shooting Guard
Krolik cites DeShawn Stevenson as fitting this bill and I couldn’t agree more. This is where I really respect Stevenson for his personal player development in adding the three-point shot to his repetoire. It’s funny that at times, DeShawn seems to have a penchant to taking ill-advised shots (and perhaps this was accentuated last year with Gilbert’s offense absent), but at the same time, most of my observations tell me that DeShawn is a relatively selfless player on the offensive end and is well aware of his role on the team. Dominic McGuire, altough more of a SF and lacking trey-ball range, strikes me as a role-player-in-training in this area. Off the bench, I think McGuire will be able to defend multiple positions, and judging from his summer league progression, could bring a threatening mid-range offensive game.

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Breaking your hand is not very conducive to blogging, hence, some project(s) I’ve been working on have come to a crawl. They’ll get done eventually, but until then, here’s some good readin’ for ya.

First Links: Washington Wizards material

Same ol’ Wizards…just bringing players back, not making a drastic, knee-jerk moves…..status quo, right? That’s a fallacy says the Pradamaster of Bullets Forever.

What? Dan Steinberg caught a glimpse of DeShawn Stevenson’s new tattoo of a bridge across his stomach and failed to capture it on camera for the DC Sports Bog?

[UPDATE: Steinberg has a whole blog entry on DeShawn - but still no pics - most off-the-wall quote: "Myself. I'm the new Dennis Rodman. Without getting in trouble." -DeShawn Stevenson.]

Good ol’ Pete Treperinas of the Bleacher Report (fyi – I have no idea who Petey T. is) has picked the Wizards as one of five NBA teams that will disappoint in 2008-2009. Grouped with the Nuggets, Hawks, Clippers, and Knicks? Yuck.

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