(flickr/coolgates)

There was a mini-spike in Randy Foye news last week. On Monday, after watching a video about Foye on NBA.com, I wondered if he could be ‘the’ difference maker.

On Wednesday, the WaPost’s Michael Lee put together a nice piece on Foye off his notes from a previous meeting. Here, we learned of a potential style conflict between Foye and former T-Wolves head coach, current Wizards assistant, Randy Wittman. Lee also related something Kevin McHale once told Foye before a matchup against Dwyane Wade, “Anything he can do, you can do.” Foye battled and finished with 29 points to Wade’s 31. The game came down to a last second foul call that Foye did not get … Wade probably would have.

Predating Wade-Foye comparisons, looking back into John Hollinger’s vault, we find Foye associated with Vinny Del Negro. Before he was drafted in ’06, ESPN compared Foye to Ben Gordon, while NBADraft.net to Chauncey Billups. But it was DraftExpress FTL … in their ‘best’ case, Randy Foye is Mike James; worst case, Juan Dixon. Yuck.

Clearly it’s time to use historical record to compare Foye. Here are the requirements that I plugged into Basketball-Reference.com:

Looking for a season in which a player was:

• 6’4″ or shorter
• TO% between 11.5 and 12.5
• More than 5 assists per 48
• Between 20 and 25 points per 48
• PER > 13.5
• 60 or more games
• over 200 total rebounds

The answer: Three seasons: Jason Terry (01-02, age 24), Randy Foye (08-09, age 25), and Gary Payton (92-93, age 24).

Check their career Turnover Percentage Curve. All three players significantly improved through their third season.

In regard to Foye’s turnovers, the stats below are from 82games.com.
*(Position %: “represents the percentage of the team’s total minutes the player was at that position.”)

Remembering that he only played 39 games in 07-08, Foye’s percentage of turnovers due to ball handling remains consistent. It’s his bad passing and decision making which get worse with increased time at the point. In his most recent season, Foye averaged 2.2 TOV/48 minutes at SG, and 3.9 at the PG spot.

Now look at each player’s career Assist Percentage Curve. Terry, who holds a career 25.2 assist percentage, has AST%/TO% ratios that remain relatively consistent with each other. Payton remains mostly in the lower part of the 10-15 TOV% range, while his AST% spiked to seven straight years of 35+.

Foye’s AST%, however, has remained flat. He’s shown he can get better at taking care of the ball, but the clear inefficiency is his inability to create for teammates.

Foye may have the size to get to the basket like a young Gary Payton, and the spot up shooting ability of Terry, but he is far from being either player. Which brings me back to the Mike James/Juan Dixon, ‘best case/worst case’ assessment. Their PER 36 career averages, and some select advanced statistics, are eerily similar.

What does it all mean? Who exactly is Randy Foye?

Well, he’s Randy Foye, not anyone else. He’s bigger than both Dixon and James, with the ability to finish strong at the hoop. Also, unlike James who is more of a gunner sans conscious, Foye can spot up and play off a teammate’s driving ball movement. And although Foye’s defense has been questioned, he has more tools than the others in the area. Foye is clearly the most talented of the three, and that’s where comparisons should end.

So who is Randy Foye? I still don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• February 4, 2012 -- 3-on-3: Wizards vs Clippers: Randy Wittman Attempts To Pull Cigarettes Out Mouths of Wizards
• January 20, 2010 -- Is Randy Foye Worth It? – Wizards Guard Aiming High
• February 6, 2012 -- DC Council Game 24: Wizards 81 vs Clippers 107: ‘Holy Smoke’ Wizards Puff Puff, But Don’t Pass

[Previously: Oleksiy Pecherov]

Juan Dixon seemingly fell into the right opportunity last year … well, for him, not the Wizards. Gilbert Arenas goes down and signing Dixon, local kid made good via prevailing under abysmal childhood circumstances and a Maryland Terrapins national championship, seemed the perfect fit.

Dixon knew the system, having previously played for the Wiz under Eddie Jordan, and would presumably provide the same veteran guard skills and bench scoring punch that was vacated by Roger Mason, Jr. (or not really).

Unfortunately, so went the season, so went Dixon’s recognizable contributions to the team. His play, when it saw the court, was inconsistent, and his lack of veteran poise drew the ire of many on Bullets Forever, especially after an embarrassing five turnover effort in a late season loss against Toronto. What did we expect from the guy? Well, we kind of expected better.

But when he wasn’t experiencing a nagging injuring, Dixon never knew if he’d be playing from one night to the next. The were faint grumblings about playing time, both from Dixon desiring more and from some fans wanting less. Ed Tapscott had to speak with him about his minutes prior to an early December matchup with Chicago.

I can hardly blame Dixon for getting testy about his run. The Wizards were essentially the last chance for a soon-to-be 31-year old to get a swan song NBA contract. But he just wasn’t able dispel the preconceived negative aspects of his game, unreliable offensive initiation and non-existent defense.

His sporadic play was not a large blemish on the season, rather a product of the unfortunate environment. 2008-09 Dixon, which resulted in his career low PER, will just be a blip on the franchise’s historical radar.

Juan Dixon has been a better than expected human being, much less his unheralded success in basketball, college and pro. He came in, tried with good intentions, but things just didn’t work out.

We thank Juan for his contributions. We thank him for being the always-ready consummate vet. He could very well prove me wrong, but I’d estimate that he plays overseas for a couple of years before putting the game of basketball behind him, moving on to bigger and better things, such as community outreach/service, which would be right up his alley.

[Juan Dixon photos via flickr/Keith Allison]

Other reads from Truth About It:

• June 4, 2009 -- The Epic Tale of Eddie Jordan: Connections, Relationships, and the Basketball Community
• April 22, 2009 -- Wizards Fans, The Date is May 19th
• June 12, 2009 -- Evaluating JaVale McGee in 2008-09

The four oldest players available (Jamison – 32, Dixon – 30, Songaila – 30, and Butler – 28) combined to score 81 points, 73.6% of the total.

But that doesn’t take away from what Blatche, McGee, Crittenton, Young and McGuire contributed in the win. In fact, Young and McGee led the team in +/-, both finishing +11.

The Wizards bench outscored the Wolves bench 26-16 and also contributed 16 of the team’s 46 total rebounds.

Paced By A Lithuanian

Darius Songaila came out on fire…..before you knew it, he had 11 points in the first 4:34, finishing the game on 8-9 FGs and 19 points, four off his career high.

Not only was his hot start important in terms of setting the tone for his teammates to take care of the even more hapless Timberwolves (even though they have a better record — the Wiz did sweep the season series), but D-Song was able to score so much due to excellent team floor spacing…and his hustle of course.

Third Quarter Hiccup

The Wiz started sluggishly in the third, allowing the Wolves to jump out on a quick 9-2 run in the first 2+ minutes, taking a 53-51 lead. But the ‘Zards persevered behind 14 3rd quarter points from Antawn Jamison to take a 79-73 lead heading into the final period.

Big 4th Quarter Plays

After having a Juan Dixon bucket sandwiched by two T’Wolves buckets in the first minute plus, the Wizards went on a 13-0 run, aided by three Andray Blatche blocks, to take a 94-77 lead with 7:21 left.

8:58: Andray Blatche got a block and the ball found itself in the hands of JaVale McGee streaking down the middle of the paint in transition. JaVale showed great development by not plowing into Brian Cardinal, trying to set up to take a charge, and instead opted to dish the ball to Butler for the dunk while getting out of the way –Chenier and Buckhantz loved this. 87-77 Wiz.

7:54: McGee fought for position, got an offensive board, gathered himself, was fouled, and found a way to make a short athletic baseline jumper…and 1. 92-77 Wiz.

5:15: After Randy Foye went down with an injury, for which he later had to be carried off the court, the Wizards…err, Andray Blatche….absolutely bumbled a 5-on-4 advantage. Blatche completely telegraphed a pass that led to a turnover….horrible instinct from Andray. The Wolves eventually got twoFTs off the possession and cut the Wizards lead to 9, 94-85…..capping an 8-0 Wolves run on top of the previous 13-0 Wiz run.

4:40: The Gentleman Jamison came through big to end the Wolves run with a strong take to the middle and a hook right under the basket….not even one of Jamison’s trick shots. 96-85 Wiz.

4:11: Dixon gets his 5th and 6th points of the game….good to see him play with composure when given minutes (in Mike James’ absence) after he was complaining about time (slightly) about a week ago. 98-85 Wiz.

2:44: Caron Butler hits a calm and collective J from the corner to keep the Wolves at bay. 102-89 Wiz.

1:21: Juan Dixon with a sweet look-away pass, after baseline dribble penetration, to Jamison who was lost by Minny right under the hoop. 105-92 Wiz.

0:56: Young Andray Blatche hits the glass hard for a put-back board. 107-94 Wiz.

Wizards 110 – Timberwolves 99 – NBA.com Box

Overall, the Wizards won with a steadying veteran presence and balanced stat sheet stuffing (Butler: 27 points, 10 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals; Dixon: 9 points, 4 assists, 6 boards).

A strong dose of points in the paint also helped the Wiz against an equally bad team.

But most importantly, the Wizards limited turnovers (10 total for the game, three in the 2nd half)….credit Javaris Crittenton and Dixon for that.

[Get well wishes also go out to Mike James, Oleksiy Pecherov, and Steve Buckhantz, who sounded congested as hell during the broadcast, but was still relatively on his game.]

Random Posts

• April 2, 2008 -- Gilbert Arenas Goes Backwards: Washington Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks
• January 7, 2009 -- Blogger Q&A: RaptorBlog.com
• April 7, 2010 -- Losing: Builds Character or Sucks? The Wizards Speak On It

5:00 left in the 3rd, the Wizards are down 13 on the road….do they have what it takes?

Well, to start off, Songaila is scrapping, in the paint on the floor, in the midst of a fray of humanity, and comes away with the ball for an assist from his back to Caron Butler for a dunk. 72-61 Bucks.

4:16: Wiz get another turnover….Butler jets down the court, goes straight under the rim, puts Charlie Bell on his back and becomes a very easy target for a pass from Mike James. 73-63 Bucks.

Mbah a Moute muscles Butler under the rim…Blatche goes to help and that leaves Gadzuric available for the put-back. 75-63 Bucks.

Jamison misses two FTs…..McGuire leaves Richard Jefferson just enough room to nail a jumper. And just like that, it’s back to 14 after the Wiz had the ball with a chance to cut it to 8.

2:19: McGuire skies high over everyone to get a board (mysteriously his first of the game) with TWO hands.

1:58: R-Jeff gets a “veteran” call And1 on D-Mac. 80-67 Bucks.

1:11: Wiz let A-Moute cut right through the zone with no communication, but McGuire saves the day with a block.

1:00: Jamison baseline hooks his way to 18 points to go along with 11 boards. 80-69 Bucks.

0:45: Bad communication….Blatche and McGuire double the ball, but get confused on who should be sprinting back to the open man…..lotta pointing going on here…..wide open J by Malik Allen. 82-69 Bucks.

Phil Chenier commends Darius Songaila on his pick and roll defense because he is able to adeptly turn the guard away from a path to the basket.

And the 3rd ends with the Wiz down 13, 83-70 – work more than cut out.

Q4

11:20: Juan Dixon with a rare lay-up….every once in a while, Tap will give that dude more run. 83-72 Bucks.

10:45: Ugh…D-Song’s layup cuts to 9, but Dixon is not tall enough to get out on Ridhour’s trey. 86-74 Bucks. Milwaukee is shooting 53% for the game.

9:33: ‘Nother Bucks trey, ‘nother Songaila cut layup…..then Villanueva hits a jumper in Blatche’s grill. 91-76 Bucks.

9:06: Bogans hits second straight trey…..call this one over now?…94-76 Bucks.

Another bullet to the shoes…Nick Young carries the ball….14th turnover of the game.

Chenier and Buck continue to brag about Darius Songaila.

7:16: Blatche moves his feet well on Jefferson and then gets a block on Jamison’s man (bad feet movement), Allen, going for the layup.

6:38: Nick Young travel…..15th turnover….these mistakes by the 2nd year player are a killer. 94-78 Bucks.

Wizards need to keep going to the basket, get fouled, make FTs, and slow down the game.

Wiz up 48-26 on points in the paint…..absurd to be down 14. 5:39 left – timeout.

4:23: Damn veterans….Jamison gets a steal, has what should be an easy 2-1 faster break with Butler against Jefferson….who, knowingAJ can’t dribble, plays close to Butler…..and easily gets the steal on the pass…Bucks get a layup. 100-84.

3:19: Nick Young has been aggressive….changes direction nicely, but always seems to use that arm to push off. I wonder how often they’re going to let him get away with that. 13 points off the bench, 6-7 onFTs for Young. 102-89 Bucks.

The Wizards, indicated by a Jamison miss, are just trying to throw up the first look they get…and a trey by the Bucks on the next possession puts this game officially on ice. 105-89 Bucks.

1:16: Scott Skiles takes a timeout to get that bamma Damon Jones in the game.

Game Final: 109-93 Milwaukee — sweep the season series with the Wiz, first time since ’72.

Random Posts

• December 22, 2009 -- Wizards Game 26 vs. Philadelphia 76ers Live Twitter Blog
• August 17, 2009 -- Is Randy Foye The Difference Maker?
• January 25, 2012 -- 3-on-3: Wizards vs Bobcats: Who’s Driving Your Car: Michael Jordan or Ernie Grunfeld?

Q1

Wow, the Phillips looks emptier that the Verizon these days. The Hawks have the 4th best record in the East…..sad to say, Atlanta doesn’t deserve an NBA team.

11:45: Caron misses his assignment to protect the hoop after Songaila goes to double Joe Johnson and Horford gets an easy dunk on Atlanta’s first possession.

Hmm….long missed jumpers from Caron, bad P&R defense from Mike James….S.O.S. (Groundhog Day) – 6-1 Hawks.

9:00: Yep, it’s 9-1 when Tapscott decides to take timeout #1.

Butler is channeling his jump shot game from an injured Michael Redd……except without the makes.

7:31: First FG comes….an open jumper by Songaila set up by Mike James penetration. 9-3 ATL.

Mike Bibby is killing Mike James on the screens….SuperNanny is too slow and lumbering to keep up — then again, on the other end, James hits some crazy spinning, fading B.S. that he never should have taken in the first place. 11-7 Hawks.

The Wiz have increased their persistence on the offensive boards and Atlanta has gone a bit cold….still 17-13 ATL.

1:15: Then again, P&R D — McGuire & D-Song (Joe Johnson three), second chance ATL points — Pachulia boards, and Wiz sloppiness rears its ugly head. 24-13 Hawks.

0:28: Crittenton leads the break to Butler for a dunk (Caron’s got 8 points on 4-8 FGs) 24-17 Hawks — I really like Crittenton’s ball control in the open court, even when faced with a bit of pressure.

End of 1st, ATL 26 (54.5% FG, Joe Johnson – 7 pts., 4 ast.) – WAS 17 (38% FG)

Q2

11:00: Caron to the rack…..taking it strong to the hoop more since the beginning of the game. 29-21 Hawks.

10:08: Crittenton sweet push in transition and oop to a flying JaVale McGee for nasty dunk.

9:20: Pachulia layup miss….tip miss…get back….layup miss….tip in. Terrible. Zaza was just tougher than Songaila, McGee and McGuire….well, let’s just say the whole team. Must be that Zaza dude’s birthday or something (it is)….HE’S GOT NINE (9) FREAKING OFFENSIVE BOARDS!

Again, Crittenton to McGee for a lay in transition…..really would like to see more of that in the future. 31-25 Hawks.

6:10: 9-0 Hawks run….the Wizards are looking disorganized. Butler, Jamison, Dixon, McGee and Crittenton on the court. 40-25 Hawks.

Shot clock violations make Ed Tapscott go to his special place.

In other news, the Wizards have 6 turnovers in the 2nd quarter so far.

3:45: The worst part is that the Hawks look like a shiny piece of crap themselves….but they are able to bumble themselves into a Joe Johnson trey. ATL up 20.

Very next play….no joke, Songaila sets a ball screen for Dixon, they run into each other….turn the ball over….Hawks score…..Songaila is somehow hurt by Dixon….Wiz call timeout. 47-25 Hawks.

McGee just gives it away….looks like the kid is holding the ball with mittens. 8th turnover of the 2nd.

0:47.7: Weird….Mike James crosses Bibby over, gets into the paint, and draws a foul — the weird part: Caron Butler pumps his fist like, “we got ‘em right where we want ‘em” — Riiiiiiight, 51-36 Atlanta.

Joe Johnson hits a shot at the buzzer….1st half end with the Hawks up 53-37.

Q3

Wiz possession #1: JaVale McGee weak pass…..turnover. Guess Songaila did something to his shoulder/arm on that botched pick with Dixon as he’s not starting (word comes down that he has a bruised elbow and will not return)

10:40: Crittenton tries to force a bad angle in to McGee from too far away….turnover.

10:00: McGee with a smooth lefty lay-in and move against Zaza….JaVale’s got the athleticism, just needs to better pick his spots. And 1 – The Wiz are only down 14, 56-42.

7:35: McGee rebound and reverse dunk put-back…kid is making his presence felt: 13 points, 8 boards.

7:13: Oleksiy Pecherov checks in for McGee….who just picked up his 4th foul.

5:15: But just when you think the Wiz maybe might could make a push, Bibby freezes Butler and then nails a trey in his face. Back to 20, 66-46 Hawks.

4:13: Nick Young wakes up and hits a timely three to cut it to 68-49.

Well, the Wiz are trying…..the tied the Hawks at 24 in the 3rd. Unfortunately, these efforts are clearly futile. 77-61 Atlanta.

Q4

McGee is looking sick.

But the Wiz are just going through the motions as a team.

A lot of those “motions” include letting the Hawks rain threes.

The Wizards: Character, Commitment, Connection, Making All-Stars out of the other team’s bench (39 points for Atlanta’s pine so far — and we have 7 minutes left) — 92-72 Hawks.

Nick Young was off earlier in the game….but now that the Wiz are down and the pressure is gone, he’s bucket man.

Nick Young is also getting abused by Flip Murray.

Wow…Buckhantz and Chenier just gave us the shot attempt count…Atlanta 89, Washington 66.

Crittenton is still hustling….he’s still shiny…..steal, pass and PECHEROV DUNK!! Buckhantz calls him long and lanky.

Defense for both teams has come to a halt.

Game Over: Atlanta 111 – DC 90

Yep, it’s back to reality.

Key Stats:

• 20 Hawks offensive rebounds
• Atlanta took 98 shots, making 45 – the Wizards took 74 shots, making 33
• 28 Atlanta assists, just 16 for the Wiz
• Only 7 Hawk turnovers

Random Posts

• October 11, 2010 -- Talking About Practice
• December 1, 2008 -- Represent Nick Young On A Street Near You: The '09 Dunk Contest Campaign
• February 6, 2011 -- The Washington Wizards: From Blunder to Thunder?

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.

8:48: James and Blatche run the pick and roll, but a finger roll attempt is not what you want to see your big guy do in that situation….miss.

8:03: Wiz in transition…..Nick Young pulls up for a short jumper….misses — would’ve liked to see him be more aggressive.

7:45: Backdoor cut in early Princeton gets Mike James a layup, pass from Jamison. 8-7 Wizards.

6:49: Mike James great hustling anticipatory steal…..cuts off McGrady to score the fastbreak layup. 12-9 Wizards.

So far…..Defense is…..better (as a team) — Jump shooting = very bad.

6:14: Young jumper miss – 2nd chance – Jamison jumper miss – 2nd chance – timeout – Jamison gets blocked out of bounds – Jamison jumper miss. :5:44

Wizards: 6 points in paint, 4 fastbreak points, 4 points off turnovers, 12 total points (other two came off Blatche FTs), 4-12 from the field.

4:17: McGuire hands in passing lane, steal….Wiz run….Nick Young misses corner three.

2:54: Nick Young travels — uh….maybe we should start Stevenson again?

Got a McGee, Jamison, McGuire, Stevenson and James lineup in.

2:24: Jamison breaks the ice with his first FG — wasn’t the easiest attempt over Scola — shakes his head going down the court — misses a short jumper his next time down. 18-16 Rockets.

0:24: Mike James with a gutsy drive to the hoop for the bucket and the foul (misses FT).

0:05: There goes quick-trigger jumping McGee…..scouting report on him….Scola travels, but McGee practically jumps over him on a pump fake and goes tumbling precariously. They call the foul on McGee.

Well, believe it or not, the Wizards are in the game for two reasons: Mike James (8 points) and defense. Yep, Double-Take….Houston 22-21 after 1.

Q2

Songaila, Stevenson, Young, Blatche and Etan Thomas to start 2nd….I’m sure people are pissed at this lineup for some reason.

D-Song gets a quick 4 points and a rare rebound. 25-22 Wiz.

9:08: Dixon comes in for Nick Young…..I can sense some sort of grumbling. “But Player Development!”

8:33: More bad jumpers from Andray Blatche…airball.

8:02: Andray Blatche is not strong with the ball, Artest knocks it out of his hands and off his foot. Only the 2nd turnover for the Wiz (the other came on Nick Young’s travel).

7:40: Etan loses a tough pass to catch for turnover #3.

6:54: Ugh….Stevenson with an open look from three with the shot clock running down — misses everything.

6:40: Artest nails a three…..but Andray does a good thing and runs the court, gets block position on Artest, receives the lob and powers in a layup. 29-27 DC (yea, from reading the account, you would never know the Wizards are up)

6:09: Dixon nails three….Dixon forces a turnover….Dixon drives and scores on Yao Ming. But Player Development!! (Uh yea…..I’d rather see who’s playing well, regardless of our record, over youthful cluster-fucks for the sake of precious player development.) 34-27 Wiz.

Houston looks very disorganized….not playing like a team at all. I know that Wilbon likes to gush over the Rockets, but with McGrady claiming he won’t play in back-to-backs, and the PG lineup including the likes of Rafer Alston, Aaron Brooks, and the rarely seen Luther Head, I don’t see this team going far even if they do make the playoffs.

The Rockets are making a mini run by going to Yao and Scola inside…..while Songaila is having his struggles on offense against the bigger Rockets. 39-33 Wiz.

There has also been a Crittenton sighting…..albeit brief. Player development.

1:14: Songaila has been hit/miss on offense, but he gets a steal from a driving Artest that leads to an unguarded Mike James layup. Ronnie Artest has 5 turnovers. 43-33 Wiz.

On another note, Etan has been doing a nice job against Yao….and instead of missing jumpers like Blatche, he’s getting rebounds.

Player Development: With 1.7 seconds left in the half and the Wizards taking the ball out under their own basket, Andray Blatche makes a bad pass that gets picked off by Ron Artest who makes a shooting motion from half court as Nick Young fouls him. Tapscott argues that Artest wasn’t shooting, no dice. Artest only makes one of three FTs.

In the first half, the Wiz held the Rockets to 12/36 shooting…..and you really can’t say that Houston was just shooting like a one armed man with no index finger. Washington actually packed in the D….thanks to the “manning up” (as Phil Chenier put it) of Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Andray Blatche, while being pretty adept at covering Houston on the perimeter.

What else?…..work in paint….(a side-effect of determination) — The Wiz outscored Houston 28-8 in the painted area. Jamison has 11 points, Mike James has 10. 45-36 Wizards.

Q3

10:53: Dominc McGuire youthful mistake….doesn’t turn his head, doesn’t see the cutter….easy layup by Battier. 47-38 Wiz.

10:33: Insane circus shot by Nick Young….benefited from a friendly bounce too. 49-38 Wiz.

9:30: Great pass from D-Mac to a cutting Jamison. 51-40 Wizards. So refreshing to know McGuire has passing skills.

8:41: Scola keeps getting his, 6 points in a row…..Tapscott calls a timeout. 51-44 Wiz.

8:20: Rockets leave him open…..hesitation….but Andray Blatche finally hits the jumper from the top of the key.

7:15: Young stays aggressive….hits a short ‘spin around the toilet bowl’ J in transition. 55-46 Wiz.

6:14: Andray hits another long jumper from the wing….gotta develop that youth (someone told him to keep shooting those open shots). 57-49 Wiz.

4:42: Jamison is heating up with two quick jumpers…he’s got 19 points. Another good start to the 3rd quarter for the Wiz. 61-51 DC.

4:00: Unfortunately, McGrady is starting to heat up too — 13 points.

Game stoppage…Andray Blatche is bleeding all over the place after catching an errant Jamison bow going for a board.

3:35: More Jamison….baseline runner set up by a Nick Young drive. 63-53 Wiz.

2:21: Etan Thomas the veteran draws a charge….6th turnover from Ron the erratic o
ne Artest.

Antawn Jamison is being a 3rd quarter warrior…..he’s throwing his body all over the place, and bodying up Ron Artest….not too many players have the moxie to try to do that, much less actually do it.

0:20: Jello hands Andray loses a rebound to Ron Artest….gotta squeeze it.

Blatche misses a three at the buzzer, but a great 3rd….mostly due to Jamison (15 points) and a little bit of Nick Young (8 points). 72-62 Wizards.

Q4

11:20: Andray Blatche nice up and under on Artest….gotta keep pounding it inside on offense (especially while Yao is out). 74-64 Wiz.

9:49: Well…..McGuire is learning by experience I suppose…..he commits and offensive foul and then lets Ron Artest get free for five straight points. “Safe to say the momentum has changed,” says Steve Buck and Ed Tapscott calls a timeout. 74-71 Wizards.

9:20: Blatche has missed a couple crunch time baskets….

9:06: Aaron Brooks misses the 2nd of two FTs, the Wizards watch Carl Landry get the rebound, and Brent Barry nails the 2nd chance three. 75-74 Rockets.

8:48: Blatche makes himself available and McGuire pin-points a long pass….and dunk. 76-75 Wiz.

8:12: Mike James has been quiet…drives…..ahh…charge call. Looks questionable at first sight, but upon slow motion replay, Scola’s feet were outside the charge area….James gives the ref a Nanny look….like he wants to punch him.

7:38: ARG!! The offense slows down and Andray is forced into a couple dribbles…then a missed jumper.

7:00: Songaila answers with a jumper after Blatche took out Brent Barry on a pick. 79-78 Rockets.

6:00: Mike James chucks up a J to tie the game at 81 (actually it was not a three…Wiz down 81-80)

4:39: Scola again (7-8 FG)…nice setup by Brent Barry. The Rockets are starting to expose holes in the interior zone of the Wizards…of course, DeShawn had a lot of trouble keeping up Barry’s drive. 85-82 Houston.

3:48: Mike James drive…tough miss…but a hobbling Jamison tips it in. 85-84 Rockets.

3:10: Jamison draws a foul, 2 FTs – 30 points, 10 boards. 86-85 Wizards.

2:31: Mike James and Andray run a pick and roll…..James drives….looks like there is contact….miss….tip no, tip no…Rocket ball.

2:18: McGuire block (#4) and inside move by Artest…out of bounds off the Wizards.

2:07: Houston goes to Yao….strong move on Blatche, who is trying to hold his ground….help defense by Jamison…AND he gets the steal!!

1:52: Jamison takes a long step-back two….I really don’t like that shot at all (especially with 11 still on the shot clock — need to get a better look)….miss. Wiz still up 1.

1:35: Another iffy three by Artest that’s contested hard by McGuire and Andray secures a huge rebound against Yao Ming, squeezing it.

1:12: DeShawn Stevenson has been quiet the whole game….not trying to do too much at all….even playing good D against McGrady on a couple occasions….the offense gets stagnant…Jamison gives the ball to DeShawn with 8 seconds on the clock…AJ comes to set a ball screen….DeShawn gets free and….HITS a fading shot from the corner. You gotta be f-ing kidding me. 88-85 Wizards.

0:54: Rockets trying to go to Yao…Andray, again, does a great job of holding his ground….Yao short hook that Houston would take any day….but it comes up just short.

0:39: Stevenson with new found confidence…..drives to the hoop…and gets fouled on the layup…..still don’t like the ball in his hands. He makes 1-2 FTs. 89-85 Wizards. Yikes.

0:32: T-Mac hits a two on Stevenson…..who was there to bother, but could not get a good contest…..McGrady, shaky knees and all, can still elevate high and fast on his jumper. 89-87 Wizards.

Dixon, James, McGuire, Jamison and Blatche for the last seconds (good, Stevenson is out…..and yes, I agree with putting Dixon in over both Young…and Crittenton).

0:11: Jamison has a hard time getting position on Artest….McGuire tries to force it into him….steal by Artest.

0:07.2 left…..Rockets got to Yao, obviously, Andray gives a good contest on the baseline turnaround jumper…NO GOOD! — McGuire gets the rebound, is falling out of bounds….throws it in to a Rocket….but the buzzer sounds…WIZARDS WIN!!! 89-87

NBA.com Box Score

Random Posts

• May 18, 2010 -- I don’t know what this picture means for the Wizards chances in the NBA Draft Lottery today
• November 3, 2010 -- From The Other Side: Doug Collins Holds Court
• December 3, 2007 -- Hitting the Links – Oh No Joe Gibbs!, College Coach Salaries, Faith in Kwame Brown?

[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:

• I promoted Juan Dixon to a ‘Scoring combo guard’ first and ‘Chucker’ second as he’s brought some veteran craftsmanship to his game, but still has the propensity to do the latter.
• Gilbert Arenas could be filed under ‘Three-point bomber’, but that title is more indicative of a specialized skill, while ‘Surreal Scorer’ is more all encompassing just like Gil. And of course, he just has to be associated with word ‘Megalomaniacal.’ And actually, Gilbert would be a tertiary ‘Chucker’ before being associated with 3-point bombing.
• Why is Brendan Haywood a secondary ‘Skilled, but flawed post’? Because his offensive moves are still robotic.
• Some may consider Mike James a ‘Chucker’ first, but his ability to rack up assists and rebounds shifts his offensive gunning to a secondary level.
• JaVale McGee is obviously a ‘Raw, project center’, which could also be synonymous with ‘Under Construction’, but I felt that this secondary category was more fitting than ‘Skilled, but flawed post’, or ‘Three-point shooting big’ as this juncture.
• Etan Thomas is not an idealistic ‘Brute rebounder’, but what else can he be? — A question mark.
• Antawn Jamison is not a vocal locker room chemist, but who says you need to be? (Jamison could also be considered a ‘Mortal scorer’)
• Oleksiy Pecherov could be a ‘Question Mark’, but given his youth, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt and labeling him under construction for the time being.

Random Posts

• December 19, 2011 -- What Nick Young’s Return To The Wizards Means
• January 4, 2011 -- Marco Belinelli is ‘European Sneaky’, at least according to Nick Young
• March 10, 2010 -- Picturing Thy Enemy: Top Quotes From Rockets Propelling Past Wizards

Once again, the Wiz had to claw their way back. In the first meeting with Detroit, they had to fight back just to be down 10, 31-21, at the end of the first quarter (the Wiz had been down 17 at the 3:30 mark). So, after putting themselves in a 29-14 hole after one quarter on Tuesday, you’ll have to excuse me if I wasn’t exactly confident in the ability to get a win.

But the team kept fighting, and that’s the main reason why people are saying that the Wizards are a much better team than their 4-15 record.

The Washington Post’s Ivan Carter especially noted Darius Songaila’s bucket to put the Wiz up 6 with 2:08 in the 4th as the turning point. I guess timeouts work because it wasn’t 20 seconds prior that the Pistons got three chances at the hoop, converting on the third, capping a quick 8-2 run in 2:15 to bring the Pistons within two points. But Tapscott halted play, Wes Unseld Jr. drew it up, and D-Song came to the rescue.

To withstand a final push from the Pistons and live to tell about it was huge for the psyche of the team.

Where’s the Choir?
“Darius [Songaila] has a certain toughness to him….he sorta looks like a choir boy, and he’s the nicest guy in the world, but put him between the lines and he bangs for as long as he’s out there.” -Ed Tapscott

Damn ‘Sheed!!
Sure, Wallace absolutely abused JaVale McGee on Tuesday….but the kid will learn. Why, because of this quote from Ed Tapscott on Darius Songaila:

“Trust me, we had a film of [Songaila] at halftime showing some of the younger guys, ‘this is how you play Rasheed Wallace.’”

Did You Know? In two games against the Wizards, Rasheed Wallace has scored 17 points and snagged 9 rebounds in 20 total first quarter minutes.

Can Dominic McGuire Let The Beat Build?

“Dominic has very much embraced his defined role. I’ve said to him, when you go in the game, you’re gonna get either the hottest player on the floor, for the other team, don’t assume anything, or you’re going to get the best offensive player,” -Ed Tapscott.

Hits from the Web:

• The Wizards (4-15) got a season-high 59 points and 18 rebounds from their bench; guard Juan Dixon led the way with 16 points and seven assists…….In addition to Dixon’s effort, forward/center Darius Songaila provided 15 points and five rebounds, Nick Young added nine points, Andray Blatche recorded eight points and five rebounds and Dominic McGuire had six points. [Wizards have a lot in reserve - Mike Jones, Washington Times]

• Turning point: The Wizards led 92-88 with 2:19 to go when they came out of a timeout and ran perfectly executed inbounds play that led to Songaila layup off a pass from Dixon. [Wizards 107, Pistons 94 - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

• “That’s a play we have in the offense called chin special,” Tapscott said. “We called it and I said: ‘Wes, are we going to run it out of bounds? And he said we can try because normally it’s a half-court set. Wes said we should just run the play right out of bounds and that’s exactly what we did. We got the layup on a backdoor cut by Mr. Songaila.” [Wizards Alter the Routine, Result - Ivan Carter, Washington Post]

• As many of you know I have been a huge Dominic McGuire fan, he plays hard nose defense and his offense is slowly coming around. Yesterday he showed off a great dribble and reverse layup, a soaring putback dunk and something that we talked about all summer, an improved jumper that was a huge shotin the fourth. Of course he also had a block and steal and received a standing ovation when he came out in the fourth. [WashingtonWizardsBlog]

• “Oh, man. That was crazy. That was crazy. I don’t know what got into me,” [Andray Blatche] said of the play in which he stood on the perimeter, pumpfaked then blew baseline past Sheed and then threw down a tomohawk jam. “It was just there for me and I did it. But then he came back down and hit the [3-pointer] and said, ‘That’s what I do to people that dunk on me.’ It was crazy, though.” [Wizards Outlet, Washington Times]

• I can handle losing games for the sake of “developing the future,” but when you’re running the starters ragged, benching players like Maxiell and Amir (and complaining about energy afterward), and lack any apparent guiding philosophy, well, that’s hard to stomach. [It starts at the top - Detroit Bad Boys]

• We all complained about Flip Saunders over working the core guys and under utilizing the bench. Now enter rookie head coach Michael Curry and the lineups have been down right screwy at times. Who decided this veteran group was a good candidate for small ball? The Pistons are a good team and shouldn’t let the opponent dictate the lineup from game to game. Play to your strengths! Who else is sick of three guard lineups? I mean c’mon, DNP-CD’s for Maxiell, Amir, and Kwame?? [Pistons Nation Blog]

• The Pistons looked out of sync (again) and didnt have any answer on defense in the second half. This is becoming a very bad trend with a team that once coveted their identity on the big D. This might become a rough season. [Pistons Palace]

• 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.

5:20: McGee throws in a nice lefty hook and looks at his hand afterward. 17-16 Chicago.

5:09: Blatche and Songaila check in for McGee and Dee Brown. Chicago is up 8-2 on the boards.

The Wizards offense has seemingly boiled down to: A) ISO Caron Butler on the baseline. B) Butler work and jumper from elbow.

1:24: Butler tries to dribble thorough three or four Bulls….poked away, turnover. Bulls fast break points. 24-23 Chicago.

Andray Blatche is playing well so far. He’s securing defensive boards with long arms and two hands. 5 points and 3 boards in about 5 minutes for ‘Dray.

The first ends with the Wiz up 25-24. Butler’s guy, Luol Deng, leads all with 11 points.

Q2

Daniels, Young, Butler, Songaila, Blatche to start 2nd.

Teams really focus on Butler….and at least he’s passing well. He picks up his 4th assist on a baseline drive and pass to Songaila for the lay in. 27-24 Wizards.

Why isn’t Ben Gordon a better player?

8:55: Blatche tries to drive on Gooden, jumps to pass, and there’s nothing to do but turn the ball over.

Haywood on the sidelines with Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier. The cast comes off on December 22. He sounds like he wants to come back this year…..but not really if there is nothing to play for.

6:56: Andray Blatche has just drawn his second charge of this game. This time, his family jewels pay the price thanks to an Argentinian knee.

5:58: Heading into a timeout, this just looks like a lackluster game between to mediocre teams. Chicago fans definitely seem bored. 38-32 Bulls.

Brendan Haywood is a self proclaimed “stat guy” and looks for a career in the booth after his playing days are over. Steve Buckhantz uses the phrase “gift of gab” for the second night in a row.

5:11: Dominic McGuire loses the Rastafarian goatee in the zone and Gooden dunks. 42-34 Bulls.

We have our Etan, Antawn, D-Mac, Young, Daniels lineup in….oh yea, Larry Hughes is killing, 14 points off the bench. Man….he left us, not the other way around…why does he have to do his old team like this?

The backcourt defensive combo of Young and Daniels continues to get abused.

3:14: Etan Thomas throws down a wicked dunk over Gooden that I have to watch four times. 47-43 Bulls.

The first half ends with the Bulls up 57-52. The script dictates that the Bulls would get up a bunch, and the Wizards would have to play catch-up.

The Bulls Backcourt Big 3 of Rose, Gordon and Hughes combined for 38 first half points.

The Bulls were 7-13 from long distance.
Chicago up 10-2 in fast break points.

Q3

11:42: JaVale McGee starts off with a dunk off a pick and roll with Butler…the Bulls don’t have the length to even get close to the ball.

9:00: Derrick Rose jumps to thwart a long lob attempt from Brown to McGee on the break, and then Rose goes down the court to knock down a calm and collective mid-range jumper. Comcast shows Ed Tapscott on the bench and he looks like the homeless old man muttering to himself at the bus station. 64-61 Bulls.

Jump to pass turnovers….DeShawn Stevenson just committed one.

7:53: Blatche checks in for McGee.

Aaron Gray, 9 rebounds — JaVale McGee, 0 rebounds.

6:03: Blatche sinks a nice hook after using his strength to get position in the paint on Gray. Dare I say that Andray is putting together two consecutive strong efforts? 69-68 Chicago.

5:14: Chapu Nocioni nails a three….Caron Butler displays feigning interest in getting out there to contest. 72-68 Bulls.

4:16: Daniels gets his sh_t thrown by Ben Gordon and goes down hard on his back (you can find the evidence here)…..initial reports from the doctor indicate that AD needs a backiotomy.

3:26: Ben Gordon hits a long, uncovered, three immediately after an Ed Tapscott timeout. 79-68 Bulls.

0:54: Chapu drives on an uninterested Caron Butler, attracts attention, misses lay-up, and Songaila stands with his feet in cement as Luol Deng gets the rebound and put-back. 85-72 Running Away of the Bulls.

0:22: Chapu trey ball, his third….Caron contests as a courtesy. 88-72 Chicago.

19-6 Chicago run to end the 3rd, Wiz outscored 31-22 in total for the quarter, 88-74 Bulls.

Q4

The 4th starts with another Chapu trey from the corner….nah, don’t worry ’bout him.

The Bulls are moving the ball very well and are absolutely on fire. 92-76 Chicago.

There has been a Juan Dixon sighting.

Nick Young can’t get anything to fall, probably because it appears as if he is trying to “get his.”

8:55: Dominic McGuire gets a nice slam on Chapu (you can also find the evidence here)….payback is a mother.

7:22: D-Mac has himself a two-dunk game….set up by Juan Dixon.

Chicago already has 100 points with 7 minutes still left in the 4th.

Luol Deng is running Jamison ragged….he’s got 25 points. Later on, Deng would send AJ flowers and a box of chocolates for allowing him to break out of his season long slump.

4:34: Dixon hits his 2nd trey….well rested…and the Wiz are only down 10 now. 102-92 Chicago.

Wiz cut it to 8…..they’ve caught a dose of the Bulls’ good ball movement.

So far, Chicago is shooting 53% from both the field and the 3-point line.

3:13: Wow, Juan Dixon is pleading his case for more minutes…..he takes it through the paint and in the lane for a two-hand power layup against three Bulls, Gooden included. 102-96 Chicago.

Wiz cut it to four, but Gooden gets a power bucket And 1 against D-Song.

2:00: But D-Song makes himself available for a long jumper…..his jumper has been wet lately. 105-100 Bulls.

1:36: The Wiz all of a sudden wake up and show some hustle on D, but that still can’t combat ex
cellent Chicago ball movement that leads to yet another Larry Hughes three. 108-100 Bulls.

1:28: Dixon drives, jumps towards the basket, blindly looks to kick it back to Jamison at the three point line….nope, turnover. 1 FT = 109-100 Bulls.

1:14: But the Wiz work the ball around well for a Butler three….they’re just teasing me now. 109-103 Bulls.

0:51: Rose drives off a Gooden ball screen, D-Song steps in to help, Gooden fills the lane, but Jamison does not display the awareness to get position in front of Gooden, who is in the right spot to tip Rose’s miss back in. 111-103 Wizards.

Brendan Haywood is behind the bench….clowning. Good to know that Dee Brown thinks something is funny too.

The Wizards extend the game by making a couple shots, Chi-Town makes their FTs and the final is 117-110.

I don’t know why I have to keep telling myself this….maybe it’s because I don’t want to believe it…..but the Wizards are just a bad team. Simple as that. I don’t necessarily care about close games and the what-not…I’m sure there have been plenty of teams throughout history who have had close games, but can never pull of Ws. And I’m proud that the Wizards seem to show good effort….sometimes, but when you ain’t good, you ain’t good.

There’s a reoccurring theme, in addition to other teams uncanny ability to drain three-pointers against the Wiz (Chicago was 11-20 from deep), and it’s how other teams are allowed to easily move the ball. The Bulls had 31 assists on 43 made FGs and only 9 turnovers.

Cheers, this is our destiny….the Curse O’ Les Boulez.

ESPN.com Box Score

So….would you ever buy a pair of jeans that has Michael Jordan sticking his tongue out near the crotch?

Web Hits

• If I’d told you going into last night’s game that the Wizards would shoot 54.9% from the field and win the rebounding battle you’d probably assume that the Wizards got a big win and maybe, just maybe, they were starting to turn the season around. Well, it turns out that giving up 55% on 3 pointers to a team that doesn’t have a single player that even shoots over 50% from the field can negate a lot of good work very quickly. We’ve gotten use to seeing numbers like this, but it still pains you whenever you see it. [Jake the Snake, Bullets Forever]

• One night after losing to the Lakers 106-104, the Wizards failed to defend against the Bulls. Chicago shot 52.4 percent and scored 24 points off the Wizards’ 16 turnovers. [Deng helps Bulls outduel Wizards: Defense fells Washington again - The Washington Times]

• The only solace the Wizards could take Saturday night was that they again put up a fight after falling behind by double digits. [Deficit Too Deep Again for Wizards: Second-Half Rally Comes Up Short: Bulls 117, Wizards 110 - The Washington Post]

• “Same old, same old.” -Caron Butler

• “One of the things you can’t succumb to is frustration. We have to keep a positive attitude.” -Ed Tapscott

• “That was a pretty normal game for us: 31 assists and 52 percent shooting. Why are you laughing?” -Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro

At the end of game blog #8, I felt compelled to write this as a knee-jerk reaction:

Do I feel the same way today? The jury is still out. I certainly won’t staunchly stand by the theory that nothing matters…..of course a variety of factors add up to results. However, when it comes to the equation of Wizards and losing, I simply can’t put my finger on the root. Maybe I’m just looking to lower expectations in order to minimize disappointment. Either way, I’m at a loss. But I’ve invested a lot of time in this franchise over the years, and exponentially more in the past 14 months…..so, I’m not giving up on the team I love, neither now, nor ever.

The Buzz: Eddie Jordan’s Quote (via The Washington Post):

“This team is built for Gilbert Arenas to lead us, this team is built for our all-star forwards to do certain offensive things for us and for Brendan Haywood to have a career year manning the middle for us,” Jordan said. “We don’t have those things. You’re asking people to do things that they are not capable of doing. They are not capable of carrying the load for us like a Dwyane Wade, like a Gilbert Arenas. You’ve got young guys who aren’t going to make veteran plays night in, night out. They’re going to be good here and there, so to be in the game is a credit to everyone in our organization right now. It’s eight games into the season and you’ve got to be positive but you’ve also got to be realistic about things. That’s where we are.”

Reactions:

Pradamaster, Bullets Forever: He might as well have said “Ernie, I hate this team, fire me.”

Dan Steinberg, DC Sports Bog: Is he wrong? Not necessarily? But do fans want to hear their coach saying that “to be in the game is a credit to everyone in our organization,” and that the plan was to get a second consecutive career year from Brendan Haywood? Likely not.

JC, Stet Sports: The bus rolled by, and everybody got thrown under. When the coach in essence says, “we don’t have the players to make it happen,” you’ve got a problem. And because Jordan isn’t the one drafting and signing the players, its all going to fall down on him……..The Wizards can compete and win with the core of players they have now, but they just aren’t responding to Jordan anymore. As good as he is for this team, and as great as he has been for its development, its going to be hard to say goodbye, but it has to happen.

¿Qué

Wizards forward Andray Blatche is in his fourth NBA season, yet the team continues to stress that he needs to get into better physical condition. Prior to last night’s game, Coach Eddie Jordan was asked about Blatche’s up-and-down play through the season’s first seven games.

“We call it a dash and a flash but he’s certainly not consistent right now,” Jordan said. “From the time he got into the league, we’ve talked about his conditioning improving and he hasn’t gotten to the point where it’s where it should be, where he can sustain a high level of intensity and a high level of concentration.”
[Conditioning Is Still An Issue for Blatche - The Washington Post]

Web Hits:

Coach Eddie Jordan said after the game that starting McGee “is under consideration.” Obviously, something has to be done because the starters once again fell behind at the start of the game and again at the start of the third……Then again, the bigger issue is a lack of frontline NBA talent. From where I sit, this team currently has two legit starters (Butler and Jamison), some good young players who don’t know what they are doing (Young and McGee) and a bunch of role players. That sounds harsh but it’s true. The numbers don’t lie.
[Ivan Carter, Wizards Insider]

Defensive intensity and high-energy execution on offense were the main areas the Wizards expected to change. Washington put forth a better effort, but it couldn’t compensate for its lack of healthy offensive weapons, seasoned veterans and athleticism in a 94-87 loss to the visiting Heat.
[Mike Jones, The Washington Times]

If our starters don’t play that terribly to start the third quarter, we win that game. Plain and simple. So don’t blame Nick Young and Andray Blatche for this one, please. They don’t deserve it.
[Pradamaster, Bullets Forever]

Meanwhile, the Wizards (who have played a grand total of three games this entire season, off memory) took in a
pair of tres efficient games from Antawn Jamison (25 points on 15 shots, 12 rebounds, four assists, zero turnovers) and Caron Butler (21 points on 12 shots, 12 boards), that’s not going to happen much, and they still lost at home to a Heat team that played well, but not that well.
[Kelly Dwyer, Ball Don't Lie]

It’s incredible Washington has only one victory, but with so many players in the training room, what should you expect. At one point, I thought I was back in Philly because of all the boos. Only time the crowd cheered was for this cat who mimics a sprinkler as a dance step and even gives the crowd a double bump pump fake. Dude is funny and well loved by the Verizon Center crowd.
[Michael Tillery, Slam]

Is it bad that I can appreciate Shawn Marion’s play only in the context of the effect it may have on his trade value? I’m thinking it is, but I can’t get past it. Marion put up a solid 12 and 9 in a team-high 41 minutes. Did you see that, league? Not bad, right? He could totally help you.
[Peninsula Is Mightier]

Just thinking out loud: If you could have Caron Butler straight up, right now, for Michael Beasley, would you do it? Judging by the extremely empty and quiet building Tuesday, the Wizards have to do something to pump up their crowd. Of course, the cap would make it impossible. (But Beasley already has a Nationals tattoo, so surely he could come up with a Wizards one.)
[Ira Winderman, Sun-Sentinel]

When I spoke to Mario Chalmers this past summer he was in the midst of several NBA workouts trying to convince teams that he could play point guard in the NBA. At that time, he was projected to be drafted in the middle of the first round. In what had to be a huge disappointment Chalmers was drafted with by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round and he was later traded to the Heat. Four months later, he is now the starting point guard of the Heat and he played solidly this evening. In the third quarter alone he scored 10 points and handed out four assists. Unlike Dixon and Brown of the Wizards who struggled mightily, Chalmers did an excellent job of knowing when to pass, when to run the offense and went to score. He finished with 15 points and six assists.
[Rashad Mobley, Hoops Addict]

Looks like the cousin of Ball, Number, ain’t lying either.

[photo source: flickr/massdistraction]

Random Posts

• September 11, 2009 -- In DC, The Devil Wears Jordans, and That’s Okay
• February 21, 2008 -- Catching Up With The Wizards
• March 23, 2009 -- Is Gilbert Arenas The Boy Who Cried Wolf?

“The truth is told out there. If you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing out there, you’ll play. . . . Everybody knows. People can see who is playing well and who isn’t.” -Caron Butler on accountability via The Washington Post

—————————————–

Frustration, depression, and finger pointing are being constructed in Wizards Nation. It’s not a huge project, and it can be torn down at any minute, but right now, building losses are wasting the time of all those involved.

The veteran contractors, as quoted above, are starting to speak out in the local rags. But the quandary is who’s the focus of the ‘not pulling their weight’ accusations. The likes of Antawn Jamison are more than willing to shoulder the load of motivational responsibility…..but the reality is, you win and lose as a team.

That being said, when there’s talk of players needing to play with more pride, having to get people to play hard every night, and knowing who is stepping up and who is not, someone is being called out by Butler and Jamison.

Antonio Daniels is hampered by a knee (and perhaps wrist). Darius Songaila seems to do the best with the tools he has. JaVale McGee is a display of unexpected awesomeness, twice. Etan Thomas is doing what he can with his undersized frame. Nick Young has really picked it up in his sophomore season. What are we really looking to get out of Dom McGuire and Big Oily Pecherov? DeShawn Stevenson should be nothing more than a complimentary piece to the puzzle…..sure, some could be doing better given the circumstances, however….

See where I’m going here? I hate to keep looking in the direction of Andray Blatche, but aside from the injuries, he’s the only Wizard who has taken an noticeable step back, without a good excuse, when taking a microcosmic look at a dysfunctional team. No wonder all the preseason “talk” from Blatche was met with a ‘yea, right’ from Jamison.

Not all is lost on Andray Blatche…..someone just needs to get him to calm down, stop doing too much, and concentrate on doing the three things below.

1) Energy 2) Effort 3) Rebounding

Build on these as a starting point and hopefully the rest of the game will come to Andray instead of him trying to force the issue.

Web Notes From Miami

The Wizards (1-6) had hoped to build on Wednesday’s home win over the Utah Jazz and despite a ragged start, they were in position to do just that early in the third quarter when Wade channeled early 1990s-era Michael Jordan and took over.
[Wade Makes a Rout Of Competitive Game - The Washington Post]

A lack of ball movement, turnovers (13) and a lack of transition offense (only six fast-break points) were all culprits as the Wizards failed to build on the good things they did in Wednesday’s home win over the Utah Jazz.
[Offensive Lethargy Plagues Wizards - The Washington Post]

Well, it was kind of a game until Dwyane Wade went all Teen Wolf for that short stretch of the the third quarter and blew the Wizards off the court.
[Wade Takes Over - Wizards Insider]

It really doesn’t get much better than that: balanced scoring, solid and at times impenetrable defense, a huge rebounding edge. An absolutely ideal game for the Heat.
[Peninsula Is Mightier]

On several occasions last night Beasley took over on offense, doing everything from knocking down the perimeter jumpers to going airborne and crunching a few left-handed bangers.
[Crazy From The Heat]

Undersized center? Udonis Haslem made Etan Thomas look small Friday. The Wizards replaced Thomas at the start of the second half with Darius Songaila.
[Miami Heat - SunSentinel.com]

Bright Spots?

“He talks. He gets us into our defense and keeps us organized,” Jordan said. “He’s a very smart player. He’s going to be a very good coach one day…….He’s more under control. He’s more mature. He’s smarter as an NBA player. He’s not looking to make a name for himself but [is] helping his teammates get better – and that’s a great thing.”
[Eddie Jordan on Juan Dixon via The Washington Times]

Creepy Stalker.

Random Posts

• December 4, 2008 -- Andray Blatche Has Found The Cure For Stank
• January 31, 2009 -- Deep Thoughts with Nick Young and Oleksiy Pecherov
• March 3, 2009 -- Stay Waiting On Andray Blatche

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.

Antawn Jamison gets a flip shot in the paint against Beasley….need to take advantage of that matchup all night. 12-9 Miami.

Dwyane Wade is a bad dude….saw him a bunch in the Olympics, but haven’t seen him at his best in an NBA setting in a long time.

The Heat are getting their hands on a lot of balls….the Wizards need to do a better job of taking care of it.

7:07: Etan….doubles Wade off a ball screen. Jamison picks up Haslem down low. Etan turns to cover…and I swear he sees Beasley wide open at the FT line, but he continues to look for his man. Communication? Bad awareness? Beasley jumper. 17-9 Miami.

Also, the Wizards are NOT taking it inside like they did against the Jazz.

See? Six minutes. Get JaVale in now.

Caron Butler jumps the passing lane in the back court and gets a sweet Karl Malone style dunk…..you know, the profilin’ dunk where you put one hand behind your head, elbow out. 17-11 Heat.

The Wizards appear to be exerting effort, but the Heat are beating them to all tips, taps, and loose balls.

3:31: Etan scores….at least he does a good job in establishing deep position in the paint almost every time down the court, instead of prowling around on the perimeter. 22-14 Miami.

Caron Butler is not the best defender in the world….Marion baseline dunk, assist from Wade, after Butler turned his back on him. 24-16 Heat.

FG% so far MIA 59%, WAS 39%

1:55: Mass subs…Dom McGuire, Dee Brown, JaVale McGee, Nick Young….join The Gentleman Jamison – Bean Burrito immediately scores. 24-18 Heat.

Nick Young looks ready to eat these fools for dinner. He wants to score 30 tonight.

0:20: Andray Blatche checks in for Jamison.

Dequan Cook hits a trey at the buzzer. Nick Young made a good, honest contest (something he’s been doing well this year), but the ball drained after rolling around. 27-20 Miami Heat after one quarter.

Miami is +5 on the boards, +3 in FGM (both teams attempted 20) and +3 in assists after one.

Q2

Good pass Andray Blatche…cutting D-Mac gets blocked….McGee to clean up with the dunk. 27-22 Miami.

Great….Chris Quinn is killing now. 33-23 Miami.

9:11: Nick Young with an ill-advised to attempt to split two defenders, and his man setting the pick, turnover…..but McGuire with an awesome fast break block on the other end.

8:45: McGee…distanced post up at the elbow. Drive, spin on Joel Anthony, lengthy move to the basket and hanging runner….sweetness. 34-25 Heat.

Juan Dixon, Jamison, Butler check back in to join McGee and Young….need a run here.

Etan comes in shortly thereafter.

Good Miami defense? Sloppy Wizards offense? Both. Wade scores to push the Heat lead back to 10 at 38-28.

4:57: Nick Young with a nice pass to Jamison for a bucket….more and more, the game is becoming natural for Nick Young.

I must give the Heat some credit, they are playing very good defense….undersized and quick.

There’s been a couple Wade highlights, a nice Beasley put-back dunk, but otherwise, this has been a boring game….the Wizards only scoring 34 points on 38% with a minute left in the half would have something to do with it. They really can’t do anything right.

And it didn’t get any better in those 60 seconds, the Wizards head into the locker room down 49-36.

Fast break points: 7-0 Miami. Beasley and Wade combine for 25 total points.

Q3

Hmm….Darius Songaila starts instead of Etan Thomas.

Well, just as I figured Jamison would do to him, Beasley is hitting sweet spinning up and under scoop shots on AJ.

Jamison gives a dose of some of the same to Udonis Haslem. 53-44 Heat.

9:15: Michael Beasley absolutely blows by Caron Butler for a lefty slam on every one of the Wizards. Juan Dixon went running away from the help area.

7:21: Great setup back door from Songaila to Butler for a dunk. D-Song has played well and behind his moxie, along with the toughness of Jamison, the Wizards have cut it to 6, 56-50 Heat.

Stevenson is playing more disciplined defense against Wade in the 3rd….not biting on fakes.

6:23: Nick Young for Dixon…..I really like this sub and him joining Stevenson in the backcourt.

D-Wade leads the Heat to a quick four (bucket and assist) when the Wiz failed to cut it for four….60-50 Miami, 5:00 left in the 3rd. McGee checks in for D-Song.

Nick Young is trying to get the offense going….Miami is playing good D, but Young seems frustrated that he’s not getting the calls.

Wade triple. Wade amazing putback. He’s 8-9 for the game with 21 points and the Heat are up 15 with 2:55 left. Blatche for Butler – joins Jamison, McGee, Stevenson, and Young.

Marion has been gloving Butler….and the Heat keep getting 2nd chance points….they have 11 offensive rebounds.

This is getting sick fast. Since the Wiz had a chance to cut it to four, the Heat have gone on a 14-1 run.

Wiz can’t do anything right: Stevenson misses an out-of-control layup. Jamison’s layup gets blocked by Haslem. Marion transition floater. Quinn picks Stevenson’s pocket. Heat points….18-1 run in six minutes doggy dog it’s on. 1:10 left, 74-51 Miami Heat.

Pecherov for Jamison…how about that front line with Blatche and McGee. JaVale McGee is a bad FT shooter….why?

The hemorrhaging doesn’t really stop. The 3rd ends with the Heat up 76-53….a 20-3 run heading into the 4th. Something has got to give…..right?

Q4
/>Dee Brown checks in for Stevenson. Does this mean it’s over? Just about…Chalmers lost the ball, recovered it, threw it at the hoop and made a three all in one motion.

McGee finger roll. McGee turn around fading baseline jumper.

Pech hits some sort of trigger trey. Wiz hovering at 20 down. 82-62 with 7:41 left…..but Chris Quinn hits a shot in Dee Brown’s grill, back down 23.

Damn D-Wade…all you really had to do was play that six minute stretch in the 3rd and you can sit out the rest of the game.

Listless, lackluster, no energy BS.

Right now, it seems like the Heat came to the gym to make it rain from three-point land…..judging from the dress of Antonio Daniels and Gilbert Arenas, the Wizards came to make it rain in the VIP room.

Andray Blatche is doing Andray Blatche things…..Eddie Jordan calls Big Oily (who must’ve just checked out) to give the player formerly known as Unbreakable the hook.

With the kids in, you’d expect energy, but they’re not even playing with a semblance of hustle….or anything at all.

3:50: Dee Brown gets to test his improved jumper…..NOPE.

I mean…the first half didn’t give me the greatest feeling in the world. I thought both teams would be in for a fight when the starting unit in the 2nd half cut the Miami lead to 6….but after that, the game became an old fashioned drumming.

Credit:

1. Dwyane Wade (24 points, 4 assists, 1 turnover in 30 minutes).
2. Miami Defense (Wizards shoot 40.8%).
3. Miami Rebounding (52-33 Advantage).

Simple as that.

Oh…the game is still going on, Heat up 97-71 with 2:13 left.

Game ends with a 6-0 Wizards run….”yay” - 97-77 is the final. Kinda shocked here….then again, not really.

ESPN.com Box Score

Random Posts

• July 7, 2010 -- Daily ShareBullets: On the eve of official
• October 24, 2007 -- Where's Teddy? The Last Presidents Race @ RFK
• January 11, 2012 -- DC Council Game 9: Wizards 93 vs. Raptors 78: Start Counting At One Win

• 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.
• The starters are not working out. Something needs to be shaken up, and the obvious answer is to start Nick Young. But that’s the conundrum….who sits? DeShawn Stevenson and his consecutive games started streak (along with his defense)? Or Antonio Daniels and his steadying game management presence?
• Well, Eddie Jordan started Stevenson and Young in the backcourt for OT against the Bucks……but the Wizards didn’t really have ball control issues, rather shot themselves in the foot with untimely turnovers and missed defensive assignments.

• JaVale McGee is more than a talented athlete…..he’s a composed soldier. Now, I’m not ready to throw the kid into the starting lineup just yet, but it’s clear than he is doing everything to earn minutes…..the refinement will come in time. I loved this quote by McGee from a Hoops Addict article about him: “I never grew up to fear anybody or admire.”

• The presence of Darius Songaila on the court is a point of contention among Wizards fans.
• As I observed in the game blog, D-Song does some good things, and some bad things which negate the positive. Look, I wish that the Wizards didn’t have to play him so much…..but he’s the only one who is out there hustling. What’s a coach to do?

• Juan Dixon is serving a valued purpose. I know that it’s only been three games, but this is clearly not the erratic Dixon that some have come to know. He’s back in a comfortable system and has grown since his last experience in DC. Dixon is second on the team in PER (22.0 to Nick Young’s 25.6), his Turnover % is only 5.7, and he leads the team in True Shooting % (.639), a direct result of Dixon taking better, more selective, shots.

Ok…..on to the Wizards highlight nuggets from the world wide web:

[No Need To Panic - We're Off to See The Wizards]
In overtime the Bucks made quick work of the Wizards, and sent them home with their 3rd straight loss. The Wizards couldn’t find a way to win, even when shooting 51 Free Throws.

[First win still eludes Wizards - The Washington Times]
Washington’s sloppy play also played a significant role. The Wizards committed 20 turnovers, which led to 35 Milwaukee points. They made 34 of 51 free throws, missed 16 of their 18 3-point attempts and made only two field goals in the final seven minutes of regulation.

[Recap: Bucks 112, Wiz 104 - Brew Hoop]
Ten minutes in, it didn’t seem like the Bucks could lose. With 10 minutes left, it didn’t seem like the Bucks could win. And yet after 53 minutes that’s just what happened, the Bucks rallying from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit and escaping with a 112-104 OT win at the BC.

[Bucks 112, Wizards 104 - Bullets Forever]
Either way, while this game was the most infuriating of the early-season woes, it also was one where things started to get turned around. We clawed our way back into the game without necessarily reverting to small-ball. We got a more balanced effort from our reserves. Caron Butler had yet another outstanding game, though he struggled guarding Richard Jefferson.

[Jordan Not Happy After OT Loss - Wizards Insider]
Coach Eddie Jordan took longer than usual to emerge from the locker room following Wednesday night’s 112-104 OT loss to Milwaukee but when he did, he did not waste time getting to his point. “That was not NBA basketball out there, it’s as simple as that.”

[Jordan running out of patience - Wizards Outlet]
“There’s been a trend the last couple games,” [Eddie] Jordan said. “And maybe the trend is telling the coaching staff that the trend is the people that’s doing it and the way we’re playing. … We addressed [the problems] tonight in the locker room after the game. I’m going to put a careful eye on our personnel and what we’re doing out there. I think the trend is telling me something. I’m trying to be loyal to NBA vets, and I’m growing very impatient.”

[Thomas Practices, Jordan Still Unhappy - Wizards Insider]
Specifically, Jordan talked about the “trend” of his second-team players outperforming his starters, something that I blogged heavily about during training camp and the preseason. If that trend continues, change could be coming with guys like Juan Dixon, Nick Young and JaVale McGee seeing more playing time.

Suggested Reading:

• Presidential Basketball Court At The White House – We’re Off to See The Wizards
• Now He’ll Have Something To Go With That Jersey Collection – Gilbertology
• What’s Right With the Washington Wizards – Stet Sports
• Opening Night, JaVale McGee and Me – Hoops Addict
• Wizards need new direction, new coach – Ball Don’t Lie
• Freedom wobble but it dont fall down – WizzNutzz
  

Random Posts

• December 20, 2010 -- Wizards vs. Heat: A Game From Multiple Angles
• December 18, 2010 -- Nick Young Talks About Gilbert Arenas, His Departed Friend
• December 13, 2008 -- Wizards-Celtics Game 20 Recap: All Falls Down

NEW FEATURE: Andray Blatche Threat Level Color Coded Alert System.

Ok….I’m glad they’re starting Andray Blatche (Etan Thomas is out with an ankle….Michael Redd is also out for the Bucks with an ankle). I still got hope for the kid and this time, it’s hope that this elevated status, and past poor performance of course, drive him to succeed.

If I could think of the perfect two words to describe Scott Skiles, it would be ‘piss ant’

Q1

11:40: On the first possession, the Wizards do well to communicate assignments off the pressure double Eddie likes to use…..I’m beginning to wonder if this gimmicky defense sometimes works to the Wizards detriment.

But after forcing Charlie Villanueva into a mid-range fade-away, there are two Wizards in front of Andrew Bogut…Andray Blatche and Caron Butler….Blatche simply does not put a body on Bogut and tries to block him out with one arm…the Bucks can’t take advantage of a 2nd and 3rd chance.

10:47: Was it just me, or did they play the “Ole – Ole” song after Villanueva hit his first bucket?

In the first four minutes, both teams are playing good defense…..except the Bucks are hot and the Wizards are not. 9-2 lead for Milwaukee.

Andray commits a foul on an offensive rebound…..bad call

7:55: Antawn Jamison gets dunked ON by Richard Jefferson.

Blatche is turning the ball over and missing threes. Previously, he was lucky to tip a rebound to AD….Phil complimented Blatche on having “inside position” on Bogut. Well, that time they were side by side, Andray just had longer arms.

Antonio Daniels turnover……I tell you what, I may need to admit to cuppettcj (Bullets Forever user) that I was wrong. It just may be time to start Nick Young instead of Daniels…..it would surely help treat an anemic offense.

4:35: Blatche seems to have good intentions in awareness, he just misjudges the location of the passing lane and Villaunueva cuts, gets a great pass from Ramon Sessions and hits a jumper over Blatche after getting separation. 19-8 Bucks.

3:46: JaVale McGee and Dee Brown check in for Blatche and Daniels….I love making that sub here. AD and AB weren’t playing well, get them out. Usually, Eddie doesn’t make his subs until towards the end of the first.

1:55: Well, Phil Chenier said others need to get more aggressive….DeShawn Stevenson just hit Bogut with a wicked left-right-left cross for a bucket. 27-12 Bucks.

Thought: Richard Jefferson is a pretty damn good player without Jason Kidd….or is it playing against the Wizards? 14 points for R-Jeff.

0:43: R-Jeff is killing fools….literally…a bow of his just accidentally split AJ’s lip and he has to head to the locker room.

Darius Songaila checks in.

Dee Brown just got an offensive rebound…..I imagine how incensed I would be if I were a Bucks fan.

End of 1: 30-17 Milwaukee Bucks.

• Good point: Caron Butler played well, scoring 8 points as he was aggressive…..earned 4 trips to the FT line.
• Bad point: The Wizards have had a decent effort on D, but I’m still not writing it off as the Bucks just being “hot” in shooting 50%. They also out assisted the Wizards 10-4 and out rebounded them 14-7.
• Changes? I’m not sure when Butler gets his rest, but I’d like to see Nick Young with this unit (Brown, McGee, Songaila ad Butler).

Q2

Eddie likes the unit too….no subs made.

10:55: McGee helps with a huge block on Jefferson….crowd groans, thinking he caught it on the way down…..I reviewed it in the booth, and there is not enough conclusive evidence to over-turn the non-call.

Nick Young checks in for Dee Brown.

McGee is being aggressive…..might I get aboard the USS Start JaVale McGee? Etan Thomas and Daniels would be great vets off the bench….as Andray Blatche fades into the sunset. My hope for ‘Dray got crushed pretty fast, huh?

Juan Dixon checks in for Stevenson.

9:34: NOOOO!! Blatche checks back in for McGee.

8:49: Damn, Caron Butler slammed it so hard his momma in the crowd felt it…..well actually, he just fell down. He received a great pass from Nick Young who brought it the length of the court. Might Young have PG skills? This game has my thoughts in a bizarro world.

Honestly…..the sight of Andray Blatche dribbling the ball up the court and passing it to absolutely no one (save for a Bucks coach) had me say yelling some “NOs”, “OMFGs”, and “ARE YOU KIDDINGs”. The look of wonderment on Caron Butler’s face going into the timeout was classic, hilarious, but also wrapped inside an enigma.

Butler finally gets a rest after helping cut the score to 32-25 Bucks. Dominic McGuire checks in….Richard Jefferson licks his chops and scores immediately.

7:57: Nick Young hits Charlie Bell silly with a cross-over…..at this point, it would be acceptable for him to hold his hand in the air and shuffle down the court like Sidney Deane in White Men Can’t Jump while saying “It’s pretty….it’s sooo pretty” while the King says, “That’s a pro move.” to the Duck on the sideline. 35-27 Bucks.

Andray Blatche is absolutely terrible…..Juan Dixon hits a three and gets a steal….brings it down the court, but has nothing and looks to reset. Blatche receives the ball on the outside from Dixon and Juan goes to reclaim with 19 seconds on the shot clock….but no, Andray Blatche does not give him the ball after Dixon has called for it. He decides to dribble towards the corner, make an ill-advised cross-court pass attempt that gets deflected out of bounds by the Bucks….still Wizards ball.

Blatche tries to negate his wrong doing by hitting a mid-range jumper. 37-32 Bucks.

6:16: Blatche goes further into the red as he jumps to shoot, but doesn’t have a ton of space and Villanueva gets there as Andray goes into
his slow, mechanical release. Blatche tries to pass and turns the ball over.

They show a shot of Eddie Jordan grinding his teeth. I feel your pain coach.

On the court: Dixon, Pecherov, Young, Songaila, and McGuire.

4:36: Big Oily earns the Wiz a FT when stepping outside the 3-point line and Bogut staying in the paint….illegal defense.

I’m amazed at Nick Young…he’s not only scoring well, but he’s not turning the ball over and he’s hustling on defense.

Taser ties up a Buck on D for a jump ball and he wins the tip.

Jamison makes it back to the court with his split lip. He draws a foul, but goes 1-2 from the line. Uhh…..Dave Hopla? Getting complacent? Your team is 11-19 from the FT line.

2:25: Well, the team that was once down 18 points is now up 40-39.

Third time is a charm (3rd game) and I’m convinced. The current Wizards starting lineup is not working.

2nd unit draws a shot clock violation on the Buck…..no biggie, right?

1:44: Stevenson checks in for Dixon (McGuire, AJ, Young and Songaila on court).

Nick likes to sa-shay after running into pads.

1:24: Butler back for McGuire.

End Half: The Wiz don’t allow the Bucks to score a FG in the latter half of the 2nd quarter. 45-39 Washington Wizards.

Great job everyone….pats on the back all around……wait, no…not you Andray. And free-throws……16-25? Really? At least the Wiz are up in FG% 44 to 38, and 16-10 on points in paint, 19-6 on bench scoring.

Q3

Same starters.
11:13: YEs, Sir! Antonio Daniels steal and dunk on Richard Jefferson….no contact, (funny, because AD earned an And1), but that was definitely ON Jefferson. ON IS ON and maybe that is defined on whether the guy jumps or not. 49-39 Wizards.

Bogut is not playing well….but the Wizards are and there is a smattering of boos in the Bradley Center. Tuff Juice is being poured all over the court….oh, and he also can’t feel his face. 55-41 Wizards.

Another thing I’ve noticed about Bogut, he likes to push a lot when going for offensive rebounds….funny stuff down under.

Wiz up 13….imagine if they weren’t 20-32 from the FT line.

They need to start flying Caron Butler’s family to every game…..I know getting 40 people to travel everywhere would be expensive, but it won’t count against the salary cap. Butler is 8-10 from the field, 6-6 from the line.

Caron Butler walks back on the court after the timeout with the straw completely out of his mouth……that kids, is an instance of swagger. And….I think Butler has the shadow of a developing Mohawk too.

5:17: Jefferson is putting on his own show….four straight points, 61-51 Wizards.

5:03: Dixon and Songaila check in for Daniels and Blatche.

Buck says…”Do you feel the momentum changing?” as the Bucks go on an 8-3 run to cut it to 62-55 Wizards….with perfect timing, Butler gets a steal and his own breakaway dunk.

Dammit….I just realized that Gilbert Arenas has probably been talking trash to Richard Jefferson and that’s why he’s doing so well.

3:00: Nick Young in for DeShawn (with AJ, Butler, Dixon, D-Song).

The Bucks are making their own runs….5 Wizards turnovers leading to 7 Buck points would be one factor. But Jamison is being aggressive with his busted lip. He has 16 points, 8 boards and 2 blocks despite time spent getting stitches.

McGee checks in for Songaila….Nick Young picks up where he left off…….the shot he just hit made him a lock for the Sophomore Game.

McGuire makes a nice cameo and gets a great tip back with 1.5 seconds left. Have the Wizards just sustained “the run”?

End of 3rd: Wizards up 78-66.

Q4

JaVale McGee….Monumental Air? Monster dunk And 1…missed the FT, the Wizards 15th miss from the line. 80-69 Wizards. He actually threw that one in there like the Reign Man used to.

9:12: Taser gets an offensive rebound and Eddie Jordan calls timeout to get the Wizards ready for the final push. 85-74 Wizards.

Wizards 4 on 1 fast break….Butler to Young to McGee……DUnk U.

7:15: Songaila helps Dixon get a steal…..Juanny buckets. Songaila draws a frustration foul on Ridnour. That’s what D-Song do.

Songaila also has picked up 3 fouls and two turnovers in 70 seconds. That’s what D-Song do.

When was the last time Andray Blatche played?

Here’s the BIG PROBLEM…the starters are in….save Songaila instead of Etan or Andray. The Bucks go on a run and cut the Wizards lead to 6, 89-83 with 5:18 to play. D-Song hustles (and does some bad things, I admit….but I still think he tries hard and is reliable) and Jamison and Butler have played well…..but Daniels and Stevenson? Hmmm…….

18 seconds later, the Wizard lead is 4.

Uh oh….Andray is in…..making some moves thinking he’s Hakeem Olajuwon, nothing comes of them.

Stevenson’s here? Thanks for hitting a three DeShawn. 93-86 Wizards.

2:55: Sessions spins like a top and draws an And 1 on Blatche. 95-91 Wizards.

All of a sudden, the Bucks have 24 fast break points, the Wizards 16.

How about that? JaVale McGee checks in for Blatche with 2:30 left in the game.

2:00: Damn…Ridhour’s been hitting. 95-94 Wizards.

1:45: McGee with an O Board…..look at that arm length….incredible. What do you know again? Daniels goes out….for Juan Dixon. AD is kinda shaking his head on the way to the bench…not sure why. Wiz up 96-94.

1:16: File this one under ‘Woulda Been Sweet’ – Butler had Jefferson fooled and went behind his back…but the ball got away from him (develop those handles I guess)…turnover….fastbreak….points. Tied at 96.

0:51.3: 24 Second Violation, Wizards.

Some of the Wizards are coming out of the timeout, ok, it’s Butler, and the look on his face says….‘Not this again.’

0:36: Monster dunk, Australia. McGee tried to go backside, away from the basket, trying to get the steal….no dice. Gotta stay between man and hoop kiddo.

0:21: Jamison ties the game on a tough running jumper…but I still can’t help but wonder why Nick Young is not in the game for some offense.

98 Tie. 21.8 seconds left, Milwaukee ball…..not this again.

Ok….hold on…..leaning over a chair….gotta get the heart out of my stomach. Jamison fell for a pump fake and went flying by BAA- AMoutay (It’s really: Mbah a Moute)….. UCLA kid had an open look, but couldn’t hit it. OVERtime.

OT

Well, here we go, can’t blame Eddie for tinkering with this cuppettcj’s suggestion….Young, Stevenson, Butler, Jamison and Songaila in the game to start.

4:18: Songaila BURIES an open jumper. yessir. 100-98 Wizards.

Then again, Songaila doesn’t cut down an open lane, Butler thinks he will…errant pas….turnover.

3:30: 30 points for
Richard Jefferson and he cannot feel his face. 100 tie.

Nick Young throws up some candy, it gets blocked by Bogut.

3:13: They FINALLY called that arm push thing on Bogut…..that or Jamison went flying…it was more of a push. Wiz ball.

Hmm……what a play by Nick Young. Came down, called a timeout…..before legally going out of bounds. Coulda been a travel. Shoulda been a foul on BAA-Amoutay….none of that. Timeout awarded.

RED ROOSTER!!!. Songaila sets a very high and hard screen for Nick Young. Bogut doesn’t step up and Nick makes him pay…two dribbles off the screen, FT line jumper. 102-100 Wizards.

Songaila is too small to hang with Bogut, but secures a tough rebound off a missed FT. 102 Tie.

1:49: Richard Jefferson is trying to make All-Star….took a step well before the charge half circle and threw it down on a 4-1 Bucks break off a Wiz turnover. 104-102 Bucks. DEMORALIZING?

Wow….the Wiz keep going to Jamison, but he looks like the old’ grizzled vet from the movies who’s too old for this sh–. BAA-Amoutay is killing with multiple buckets. Wiz are fouling now. 110-104 Bucks. Great.

Antawn Jamison is pissed…..lip is bleeding. Ridhour has 20 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds……..Yep, all that adds up to loss number 3 for the Wizards. Ain’t that a b.

Final = 112-104 Milwaukee – espn.com box score

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Flickr tells me that the above picture is none other than Walter Herrmann….and I have to believe it. Something tells me that old school Walter Herrmann would totally have a hair-doo like Guile from Street Fighter only to go with the ‘Fabio’ look we’re graced with today.

So a guy with a pony-tail goes off on the Wizards and everyone becomes a drama queen. I mean just look at the picture….the guy is about to dunk with a ball on f-ing fire! It’s no wonder that Herrmann was hitting trey balls and finger rolls on the Wiz. For all we know, he could be the Argentinian Chuck Norris.

Plus, the dude has been through a TON in his life that not many can imagine. In July 2003, Herrmann lost his mother, younger sister, and girlfriend all in the same car crash. Exactly a year later, he had one of the best games of his career, 38 points and 11 rebounds, in leading Argentina in the South American Championships. After the game, he found out that his father had died of a heart-attack.

So, from a guy who almost quit the game of basketball, but was encouraged not to by his older sister, to starring in the NBA today. If such a game had to happen against the Wizards, then so be it.

Besides….there are many reasons as to why a team loses a game. Some may point to Herrmann….some may point to a small Wizards lineup getting out-rebounded by Detroit…..all valid points. But what I would like to touch upon is the baffling defense of Antawn Jamison. It’s evident that the guy is not quick enough to keep up at times. But he’s a veteran, I expect more from Jamison in terms of positioning himself in the right place, at the right time, as the situation calls.

Quarter 1 Instances:

• Jamison’s man sets a pick, Billups hits an easy two at the elbow. I understand AJ wanting to protect the basket, but it’s not like Chauncey was a couple feet behind the 3-point line….it just took one dribble for him to get to the spot. AJ must deter Billups by leaving less space on screen help…..Chauncey shooting wide-open from the elbow is just as good as a layup.
• Etan Thomas helps on a curl, Jamison picks up Etan’s man….but when Etan’s help is no longer needed, he is wondering around looking for someone to cover. Should Antawn have communicated to Etan to pick up his man, Rasheed Wallace? I don’t know, but I do know that Rasheed was wide open and nailed a trey as a result.
• Jamison doubles Billups off a screen….nothing wrong with that as it seemed part of the Jordan-Ayers game plan….but with Billups fully deterred, we find Jamison wrapped in indecisiveness and entrenched in no man’s land. Detroit finds the open man……buckets.

Not sure these instances can get much more frustrating….gaffes such as these are unexpected from Jamision, and they’ve got to be corrected….I’m just not confident it actually happens. Of course, AJ doesn’t necessarily take the full blame for these situations….maybe Daniels needs to do better at getting over screens, and maybe Etan should be more aware.

Antawn once said this about the absence of Brendan Haywood, “We got accustomed to Brendan being out there and talking. I got accustomed to him telling me where to be at.” Well, AJ, the comfort blanket is long gone, it’s time for you to step your game up.

Well….great…now that I’ve called out the classiest, most consistent Wizard (yay me), below is the best of the best Wizards-Pistons coverage from around the web.

————————–

[Detroit keeps firing on all cylinders - The Washington Times]
“They’re a very aggressive, physical team at both ends of the floor. They drive on you, post you up, try to pound the ball inside – their guards and their forwards and their centers. And they hit the boards,” Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. “We got better physically, but we weren’t good enough physically to cover the rebounding edge and stop them.”

[Rotation Situation - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]
I’m sure folks have all kinds of interesting thoughts on last night’s entertaining loss at Detroit, particularly Coach Eddie Jordan’s reliance on a smaller lineup that got the Wizards back into the game and proved effective offensively but also led to a brutal beating on the boards where the Pistons held a 49-23 edge in rebounds and a 28-9 edge in second-chance points.

[Wizards shrink as Pistons win 117-109 - Bullets Forever]
When your best five man unit is Dixon-Young-Butler-Jamison-Songaila, the best case scenario is that they can perform well enough offensively to trade baskets with the other team, because they sure can’t shut them down for an extended amount of time.

[Aftermath Detroit - We're Off to See The Wizards]
Andray Blatche seemed to be benched and not happy about it. He looked like Kwame Brown used to look on the bench which is scary. Songaila got the minutes instead and did what he does best, knock down open shots. Juan Dixon had Songaila open about 10 times, refusing to pass him the ball, then finally doing it once for a layup.

[Wizards Don't Have Answer for Herrmann - The Washington Post]
But Wálter Herrmann? Really? Indeed, the ponytail wearing third-year forward from Argentina, who resembles Fabio, helped the Pistons pull away from the scrappy Wizards for a 117-109 victory at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

[Game #2: Wiz get Herrmannated - Pistons Nation Blog]
Walter was part of a Pistons bench that outscored Washington’s 55-44. Jason Maxiell (11 pts, 7 rbs) attacked the rim like he was still playing for a contract. Kwame Brown showed his former mates his quick first step with a couple knifing moves to the
hoop for the big man. Kwame scored 8 points on 4/4 shooting and would have been given more PT by Coach Curry’s own admission had the Wizards not gone to a small lineup.

[Wins, Wizards and Walter - Need 4 Sheed]
Curry scored a point with me by leaving the hot Walter on the floor the whole fourth quarter when he was getting the job done. Last season that wouldn’t have happened.

[Walter Herrmann is a monster vs. Wizards - Detroit Free Press]
“It’s unbelievable,” Herrmann, who also had seven rebounds and four assists, said of the crowd reaction. “When we play smaller, we play very open. I just feel comfortable. When you play a lot of minutes, you are confident every single game.”

[Herrmann puts on the hurt in Washington loss - Examiner.com]
How could the Wizards lose while shooting over 50% from the field and making only 8 team turnovers over the course of the game? Second-chance points. Detroit out-rebounded Washington on the offensive end 16-5, leading to second-chance point opportunities.

[Wizards Find Encouragement in Defeat - The Washington Post]
Dixon and Young played well off one another during their time together on the floor — particularly during the 31-point second quarter — and also gave the Pistons problems with their quickness in the half-court defense.

[Wizards Win 2nd of 4 Quarters Versus Pistons!! - My Swog is Phenomenal]
One thing I think could help is a lineup change. I know it’s too early now, but I just don’t think what we start out with on the court is going to pan out in the long run until Arenas comes back. I say you can keep Daniels at the point, unless Nick strings together a run of “super duper that was so awesome I need to go to the pooper” games, at which point I would say try the switch, especially if Arenas’ return is delayed. I know it’s not his best position, but I gots to leave Stevenson in at the 2. He’s streaky, I know, but he’s been pretty good on average, and I can take that. Besides, he can’t feel his face. I stick with Caron and Antawn at 3 and 4, but at 5, I really gotta pull Etan Thomas.

Random Posts

• January 1, 2010 -- Way Of The Gun: A Gilbert Arenas-Javaris Crittenton Photoshop Theory
• September 19, 2008 -- Slow End of Summer? Gilbert Arenas to the Rescue
• October 2, 2009 -- Arenas Up To His Old Tricks? His Knee and Wizards Training Camp Day 3

If the Wizards would’ve shot better that 37% against New Jersey, they would have won, right? Yea…..who knows. When it comes to winning and basketball, no two areas are preached more about than defense and rebounding, no matter what pulpit the message is coming from. So against the Pistons, for game blog purposes, I’m going to ignore the offense and concentrate on defense and rebounding. Not all boards are attainable, and you can play great defense and not stop a bulk of an opponent’s shots from going in. That being said, I’m going to attempt to selectively focus on the particularly great or horrendous occurrences in those areas.

Q1

10:48: Ron Thompson mentioned that transition D would be key in the pregame show…here, Billups brings it down the middle in off a Wizards turnover (Etan had great position in the lane, just lost the ball). Amir Johnson comes to screen Antonio Daniels just inside the three point line. Jamison is laying back a little to protect the basket, but there’s just too much space, AJ needs to be closer to help on Chauncey. Billups takes one dribble off the screen and gets an easy jumper on the left elbow. Johnson’s screen was semi-illegal….but this is the NBA. 4-0 Detroit.

10:23: Next time down, Amir Johnson gets called for an illegal screen…..laid his butt into DeShawn.

9:35: Wiz get caught standing and confusing assignments for boxing out….can’t see whose fault it is because of the camera angle, but Prince sneaks for an offensive board and the Pistons get 2nd chance points. 6-3 Detroit.

8:57: Communication – Ball is in Billups’ hand. Pistons run Prince off a couple screens and he curls off the 2nd (set by Amir Johnson) back into the lane. Etan does great in helping on the curl and forces Prince, who received the pass, to pass the ball back to Billups. When Etan helped, Jamison left Wallace to fill the lane and deter the ball from going to Johnson under the basket. With the ball out of Prince’s hands, Etan sinks back into his lane to find his man. Butler also stays in the lane as both Prince and Wallace fade to the top of the arc, so the Wizards have the lane protected with three players in there, but there’s only one Piston around and the ball eventually makes its way to Wallace who hits a three with Stevenson and Daniels running at him. Seems to me that Butler should have stayed with Prince and Jamison should have bumped Etan to Wallace once he switched to Johnson. 10-4 Detroit.

8:06: Good communication in transition D against Detroit…..however, Daniels gets matched up on Johnson. Pistons go to Amir, but Daniels displayed Veteran Swag by drawing a charge.

7:20: Chancey Billups is eating Antonio Daniels’ lunch, dinner, and next morning’s breakfast. He just hit a transition three in Daniels’ face. 15-6 Detroit.

6:15: You hear someone from the sidelines yet, “Maxwell.” I assume it comes from the Wizards bench and whomever probably meant “Maxiell.” Jason sets a ball screen for Hamilton behind the 3-pt. line on the left wing. DeShawn is slow in trying to get over it and Etan hedges out way too much (Hamilton is not a three-point shooter and is immediately looking to pass to the top anyway). Maxiell rolled straight to the basket after the screen. Etan had no chance to recover. Wallace makes a great pass to Maxiell who draws a foul and makes 2 FTs. 20-8 Detroit.

4:07: 20 second timeout, Eddie Jordan. The Pistons are moving the ball as if in mid-season form. The Wizards offense looks horrendous. Daniels looks 10 years old than Billups, even though he’s only 1-year older. And all Gilbert can do from the sidelines is encourage Caron Butler to get the team running more. 27-10 Detroit. Rasheed is killing so much that he asks out of the game…he’s got 8 points already.

3:40: It’s getting sad. Jamison is forced to double help Billups off a ball screen, but it’s not a hard double….Jamison just hangs around a couple seconds, but does nothing that will deter Billups. Etan picks up Jamison’s man. Caron is stuck with both Prince and Kwame Brown….Butler sticks with Prince who heads to the block and Brown goes to the right elbow. Jamison is just wondering around looking for someone to get…but it’s too late, Billups finds Brown who hits the jumper. Caron tells Etan that he was supposed to get Kwame, but all of this is on Antawn Jamison. 29-12 Detroit

2:48: Blatche replaces Etan.

It’s hard to concentrate on rebounds…..but Steve Buckhantz relays that the Wiz are getting out-done 12-1 on the boards so far.

1:53: Nick Young checks in for Stevenson.

0:58: Kwame comes down the lane, essentially does a swim move on Blatche and positions himself right inside the inner half circle. Blatche can’t get around Kwame and there’s nothing he can do. Brown gets an easy inside bucket on Andray. 31-19 Detroit.

0:40: Dominic McGuire checks in for Butler.

0:05: Giving Andray Blatche Credit: He out-works Brown for an offensive board but can’t nail the fading turnaround J with the seconds ticking down.

The first ends and the Wizards are only down 10, 31-21.

Q2

Antawn, Dominic, DeShawn, Andray and Nick to start.

11:40: Kwame gets Andray bad with a jab step right and lefty drive all the way to the hoop….from the 3-point line!! 33-21 Detroit.

11:00: Seriously? Kwame gets the ball again near the top of the arc. Andray kinda, sorta, not really, tried to go for the steal on the pass…..gets out of position and Kwame drives it right down the Wizards’ throat. 35-23 Detroit.

10:31: Darius Songaila comes in for Jamison. Etan comes in to save Blatche.

9:18: Something good on D. Songaila doubles Stuckey off a ball screen…something which must be part of the game plan when defending ball screens at the arc….but unlike Jamison, D-Song is aggressive….bothers Stuckey….who dribbles around, but Nick Young sticks his nose in the lane to deflect a pass out of bounds with 4 seconds on the shot clock. Of course, the Pistons score off the out-under. 39-28 Detroit.

Offensive Interruption: Monumental Air Folks….this kid, wow. Did Walter Herrmann get dunked on? HELL YES.

Butler checks in for Etan (joins D-Mac, who has been silent, Songaila, Young, and Stevenson).

7:42: McGuire gets caught silly on a mini pump-fake….but McDyess missed the jumper.

6:57: McGuire with a nice block on a Stuckey drive….made sure to keep from the body contact and stretched his arm out to the ball……but the Pistons get the ball and Herrmann nails a trey. 47-30 Detroit.

Juan Dixon and Jamison in for McGuire and Stevenson….and Songaila is playing aggressive defense….how can Wizards fans not like that?

I Wonder: How long until Young takes DeShawn’s starting spot? Or do we like his scoring off the bench? Young is play very well by the way….9 points off the bench so far.

The Dixon-Jamison-Butler-Young-Songaila lineup is working well…..9-0 Wizards run. 47-39
Detroit.

4:20: Another instance of good D. The Wiz force a 24-second violation on Detroit. Young, Songaila and Dixon make this unit more active.

3:52: Jamison and Dixon double Billups after a McDyess ball screen. Songaila hustles to cover the screener (who is also the closest pass option) at the top of the arc, and Billups is forced into a turnover…the 11th for the Pistons.

2:50: Note: I just had my first out loud clap of joy on the season…..Nick Young hustles to save the ball from going out of bounds on offense….the ball eventually ends up in Juan Dixon’s hand who drives the lane and scores the layup on three Pistons. 13-0 run. 47-43 Detroit.

2:20: My 2nd out loud clap moment….Jamison’s trey cuts it to 47-46. Michael Curry 20-second timeout. On this 16-0 run, the Wizards have gotten MUCH better shots.

1:33: Can we stop wondering (or at least curtail) why Eddie Jordan likes Songaila so much? First of all, Nick Young is working very hard to keep up with Richard Hamilton. Butler and Jamison double Prince off a ball screen. Songaila runs to the spot to cover Jamison’s man, Jason Maxiell, and jumps the passing lane to get a steal.

Funny Gilbert Moment: Rip Hamilton travels….Gilbert immediately jumps off the bench before the ref has a chance to blow the whistle. The ref, Bill Kennedy, specifically looks in Arenas’ direction and yells, “I got it” twice before making the call.

Wow…the half ends and the Wizards are up 52-51 after being down 17 with 7 minutes left to play in the 2nd. The offense clicked….and the defense improved….not even making me write a paragraph breaking down a bad instance. The key in my opinion? Antonio Daniels was not in the game and Juan Dixon did a great job to bother Chauncey Billups and keep him under wraps.

Key Stat: The Wizards have managed to take care of the ball….so at least the early bad offense was able to get off shots…..Detroit with 15 turnovers, Wizards with only 4.

Q3

11:50: Stevenson gets caught bad on a screen (set by Wallace) and curl by Hamilton. Either Stevenson was trying to draw a foul (Wallace didn’t move), or Jamison did not make him aware that the screen was coming. Either way, Jamison didn’t recognize that he needed to help on Hamilton (I mean damn, he was curling right into the paint) and Rip got an easy layup. 53-52 Detroit.

Can’t Do Nuthin’ Bout It D: Rasheed just hit a couple back to back fading jumpers….that’s why he’s good and that’s why he scored 8 points in the first 8 minutes of the game…..can’t do nothing ’bout that.

9:52: Butler chucks up a jumper from the corner (who does he think he is…Gilbert Arenas?). Pistons easily run in transition…Chauncy and Rip are good. 8-2, run 59-53 Detroit.

AAAAAAnd I just completely ruined it for myself. You accidentally hit one wrong button and somehow your DVR goes “live” and jumps you to a point in the game where the outcome has been determined and you accidentally see what happens when you were watching the game at your own pace. F-ing great. The blog from here on out may be different…

9:07: Rasheed doing Rasheed things…missing another fading J from the corner, but drawing the foul on Etan Thomas. He then talks trash to Etan, I imagine it went something like, “Take those politics, bitch,” or “I gotta poem for you, ‘There once was a man from Nantucket, biiiitch.’”

8:28: Man, I’m l beginning to think that Jamison is just a bad, bad defender (double bad). The ball goes to ‘Sheed for a short corner fade again….thankfully he missed this time. But the Pistons have stopped moving the ball on offense to take advantage of Jamison trying to guard Wallace.

7:52: Pistons have gotten away with moving picks all night long. Why does refereeing in the NBA suck so much? I was watching the league pass the other night…can’t remember which game it was, but I do know a super star call when I see one. You think with the Donaghy scandal that they’d be trying to improve in all aspects. I think people are more fans of good basketball than they are of the refs making sure the offense gets an advantage.

7:11: It’s like DeShawn is always intentionally getting caught up on screens with his upper body….trying to draw a charge. Just stay with your man and get through them. Is that too much to ask, Lock Smith?

Do you ever get the feeling that Nick Young is just a goofy lil’ dude when he talks? I mean, I’m glad he’s been getting serious on the court, but I keep expecting him to bust out into a convo about Nickelodeon. Aaaand they just showed him yawning on screen……and he’s sitting next to a 12-year old girl in a Pistons uniform. Odd.

Side Note: Etan Thomas likes to hit, or kick, the ball far away after he dunks.

5:36: Damn Jamison again. He and Stevenson clearly are supposed to switch on an off-ball screen set by Wallace for Hamilton….at least I assume that since Stevenson immediately sticks with Wallace. Jamison seems to want to stick with Hamilton, but for some reason, turns his back on his man…doesn’t see Hamilton fade…..and gets stuck too far away from him in the paint. Essentially, instead of opening his body to see ball and man, he turns his back, Hamilton gets separation, and hits a mid-range J. 68-82 Detroit.

Should I be glad that Rodman kicked a cameraman now? I mean, those effs (I meant to say the word fucks) sit too close to the court. As sensitive to injuries as I (Wizards fans) am, we don’t need to see Etan Thomas roll his ankle on a damn cameraman’s foot.

More Rasheed fade in the corner….this time on Songaila. Although, I will say, D-Song forced him to take a shot much further out than Jamison was able to.

Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier get on the Pistons for artificial noise….oh please…the suckiness of the Verizon Center crowd doesn’t give the Wizards an excuse to do the same thing on the artificial noise front.

4:10: Jamison and his partner in defensive crime, Antonio Daniels, are at it again. Wallace pick. Daniels doesn’t know it’s coming or can’t get over it. Jamison isn’t close enough to cover. Hamilton mid-range jumper. 72-66 Detroit.

Stevenson does get credit for possessing the ability to score in bunches. 72-68 Pistons.

Comcast likes to show random shots of Caron Butler winking.

2:14: Well, the Wizards finally double on that ‘Rasheed in the short corner posting up on Jamison’ thing…..except the passer, Walter Herrmann, cuts and Butler leaves his man so soon that a helping Songaila could never be expected to leave his man and get in front of Herrmann in the paint. Easy pass. Easy bucket. And 1. 77-70 Detroit.

1:52: McGuire, Young, and Dixon check in…Jamison and Songaila remain. (you know, that lineup that did well earlier save Jamison for Butler).

Stuckey made such a nice move to end the 3rd, I had to watch it several times. Very top of the arc: takes a slow dribble 3 feet beyond the 3-point line…hesitates right and steps hard to the right…dribbles right, plants the right foot and goes behind his back to the left at the FT line. Nick Young, instead of shuffling his feet to the side, plants with his left foot, but steps backwards with his right. Stuckey gains the edge to the left , power dribble, and Debos his way to a layup with 00.6 seconds left on the clock. End of the 3rd, 81-76 Detroit.

Q4

D-Mac, Jamison, Songaila, Young, and Dixon remain. No McGee sighting….and I’m okay with that.

A minute and a half goes but until Caron checks in for Jamison.

Both teams pick it up with some aggressive D to start the 4th.

9:37:
Well, this is where D-Song’s lack of athleticism gets him in trouble. The Wiz show a man-to-man full court press off a made FT. Antonio McDyess acts like he is going to hang around but sees there is no Wizard down the court and takes off. It only takes Songaila a split second to react and get this feet moving. But he is no where near fast enough to keep up. Easy pass…..transition points….And 1. Songaila should not have allowed McDyess to get in front of him like that. 89-83 Detroit.

8:25: Great individual play by Dixon….he gets caught behind Maxiell on a high pick and roll (shouldn’t have happened), but when the Pistons go inside to Maxiell, Dixon slaps it out of his hands, and saves the ball from going out of bounds to Jamison (who just checked in for McGuire).

Of course, the next couple of possessions for Detroit, Rodney Stuckey bodies up the smaller Dixon and gets two straight layups. 94-88 Detroit.

5:27: Rip Hamilton gets Young with a vet move…..off the ball, Rip heads to the baseline off a Rasheed Wallace screen. Young does well to get over the screen, but really gets into Hamilton as he stops. Rip plants and attempts to change direction and essentially “runs” into Nick, and flops his arms back. The ref is right there and calls Nick for his 4th foul. Pistons are in the penalty, Rip nails both, 100-92 Detroit.

The thought about Young starting over Stevenson crossed my mind earlier……but now, the fact that DeShawn hasn’t been on the court peaks my curiosity.

3:40: Bad turnover….Wallace deflected a cross-court Daniels pass attempt to Butler….Pistons run. Songaila, Jamison and Daniels don’t really have a plan to cover the various Pistons in transition. Walter Herrmann is open for three (that dude is killing!) and Detroit goes up 105-96…..big swing.

2:59: Herrmann is hitting finger rolls in the paint…..good lord. 107-98 Detroit.

I can’t be sure…..but I think Pistons fans are chanting…’Over….rated.”
I’m baffled as to why.

1:20: The defense is moving, but the guy who was supposed to rotate out to Walter Herrmann, Nick Young, ignores the hot hand. Billups gets penetration and Herrmann is wide open for three. 112-102 Detroit.

0:45: Tayshaun’s long arms get a tap and Detroit gets the offensive rebound. Wizards foul Billups. 114-105 Detroit.

The Wiz fight until the end, but the final outcome is 117-109 Detroit Pistons.

ESPN.com Box Score.

The bad stat: Getting out-rebounded 49-24.

Random Posts

• December 13, 2007 -- Current or Former Washington Nationals in the Mitchell Report
• October 14, 2010 -- On Gilbert Arenas (again), and John Wall & The Larry O’Brien Trophy
• June 5, 2009 -- Manny Burriss Puts On For DC Sports (including the Wizards)

1. What significant moves were made during the offseason?

The Wizards re-signed both Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison to big contracts……controversial among some, but I was more than happy to have them back at whatever the cost. I’d rather take my chances on hope with them than dealing with a greater uncertainty without them.

Gone is hometown hero, Roger Mason Junior, who played his way to a nice contract with the Spurs in filling in for an injured Gilbert Arenas last season. Many fans, myself included, wanted to keep him, but the Wizards just couldn’t afford 2-years and $7.3 million while staying out of luxury tax territory.

Added is Juan Dixon, who is supposed to fill in for an injured Arenas this year, quick PG Dee Brown all the way from Turkey, and young JaVale McGee, “The Choppa”, via the NBA draft. I’m hoping that Dixon and Brown, as a two-headed monster, will better replace what the Wizards lost in Mason. I’ll admit that I wasn’t exactly thrilled when Ernie Grunfeld took McGee on draft night (I wanted Mario Chalmers), but I’ve flipped a 180 due to McGee’s preseason play….another reason to trust Grunfeld, The Closer.

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

Coaching
I wouldn’t say that Eddie Jordan is “much maligned,” but there certainly is a contingent of unsatisfied skeptics. My defense of Jordan has been relatively staunch, but at the same time, he needs to prove he’s capable of getting the Wizards to the next level. Of course, he’ll get somewhat of a pass this year because of injuries….essentially the reason why I believe that after Arenas had yet another knee surgery, the Wizards picked up the option on Jordan’s contract, extending him through ’09-10.

This I know about Eddie Jordan, he’s respected around the league. The Washington Post’s Ivan Carter seems to believe, according to his NBA sources, that if Jordan were on the open market, he wouldn’t be out of a job for long. A recent survey of NBA GM’s indicate that Jordan is seen as one of the better in-game adjusters in the NBA.

In the end, I refuse to discount the fact that Jordan has kept the team competitive through injuries, and has helped the franchise shed the “Clippers of the East” stigma by getting into the playoffs for four straight seasons.

Continuity
These players know each other, and seem to genuinely be friends in the locker room (aside from that Etan Thomas-Brendan Haywood thing a couple years ago….which they’ve since put behind them). But going into this season, there are 32 years of experience with the team among 11 players. Take away the three sophomores and you have 29 years among eight players. Sure, leadership is a very key factor in being a championship contender, but a team’s familiarity with each other provides the best chance to succeed as a cohesive unit.

Vets & Youngins
GM Ernie Grunfeld has done well to combine veteran leaders, such as Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and Antonio Daniels, with talented and promising youth in Andray Blatche (although I’m beginning to waiver on him…somewhat), Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, and JaVale McGee. Gilbert Arenas is a wildcard, and Brendan Haywood used to be known as ‘Brenda’ (not anymore), but both are aspiring leaders as I’ve seen the maturity level rise in different ways for each. The veterans provide the Wizards a chance to compete, and the youngins provide a bright outlook for the future……is there a better way to build continuity for a franchise?

3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?

Defense
As evident from preseason performances, the Wizards are still struggling with fundamentals and running the defensive system of assistant coach Randy Ayers like a well-oiled machine. Part of the problem is lack of a defensive stopper who is guaranteed to make trouble for the opposition’s best player. The ‘Big Three’ of Jamison, Butler, and Arenas are all what I would consider to be below average defenders. Antonio Daniels is too old and lacking the agility to keep up with quicker point guards. The best paint protector, Brendan Haywood, is out for 4-6 months. And the youth is obviously a work in progress on D.

DeShawn Stevenson is considered the best defender on the Wizards, but even he is susceptible to lapses in judgement. Ayers is in his second season of implementing his match-up zone, Wizards fans can only hope that the team will continue to learn on the job. For success on any level to be a reality, the Wizards don’t have a choice but to learn quickly.

Creator/Penetrator
Without someone like Gilbert Arenas, the Wizards will have to focus on team offense (something they should be doing with Arenas anyway). The team is set up well to deal with this issue because of Eddie Jordan’s pro-style Princeton offense. However, this is the NBA….to win games, a sniper is a must.

Maybe Jamison and Stevenson will continue to hit open threes. And maybe Caron Butler diversifies his offensive game. And maybe Nick Young and Juan Dixon can provide a needed spark off the bench. But all those ‘maybes’ won’t cut it for the duration of the season. If Arenas doesn’t come back some time in December, as is currently, tentatively, scheduled, then it’s not looking good for the Wizards to win more than 35 games.

4. What are the goals for this team?

All things considered, the goal is to make the playoffs. The team is a proven injury survivor. Knowing you can do it is a huge part of the needed mentality to take on such a challenge.

Of course the “ifs” are big….but if the team proves they can stay above water, it will most likely indicate that the inexperienced players have made vast strides. If the team can gain confidence, and if Gilbert comes back at full strength, and if Haywood’s time out falls on the shorter end of 4-6 months, and if the team can sneak into the 7th or 8th playoff spot….then maybe, just maybe, the Wizards can surprise in the playoffs and get to the Eastern Conference finals. I know, I know….a huge IF.

5. Can Andray Blatche Step Up?

His summer league play and added strength at one time pointed to yes. His foul rate and preseason play points to a resounding nope.

There’s been a lot of talk from Andray Blatche this off-season about being serious and gaining maturity. To Antawn Jamison, all that talk doesn’t matter, Andray has to prove he can be about it. To “be about it,” Blatche must display a consistent, hustling effort night in and night out.

With his dismal performance against the Cavaliers last night, where all Eddie Jordan needed to see was 3:49 of Blatche’s piss-poor effort in the first half before benching him for the rest of the game, I’m beginning the question if the kid will ever want
it.

I’m not giving up on the guy, but the potential success of the Wizards in the early going really rests on Andray’s shoulders. It may be a lot for a 22-year old, but considering that this is Blatche’s fourth year in the league, the time is now.

Predicted Record:

A week ago, before hearing that Arenas might be ahead of schedule, I would’ve guessed 34 wins. Today, I was all set to predict a 40-42 record, but that’s what the Pradamaster said in his preview on Bullets Forever. So, my inner optimist is going to one-up Prada with a prediction of .500 ball and the 8th seed in the East.

Random Posts

• January 25, 2012 -- Thinking Positive With Shelvin Mack
• April 8, 2008 -- A Tiger With No Charity Stripes (and some links to boot)
• May 14, 2010 -- LINKS: Wolf Blitzer Celebrates With G-Wiz, Pegs Wizards For A Comeback

I suppose people, myself included, can’t exactly help themselves when a team jettisons two guys named ‘Johnson’ from its roster. The official Washington Wizards blog treated the happening as if naming a law firm (or health care products/pharmaceuticals company) with the title, “Wiz Waive Johnson and Johnson.” Wizards Insider, usually run by the Washington Post’s Ivan Carter and Michael Lee, went the safe route with, “Wizards Release Two.” Someone named Alexa Steele filled in for Carter and Lee on this specific post….I guess when you have what sounds like a porn name already, you might want to avoid sexual innuendos by spitting out Johnson, the word. But alas, Mike Jones of the Washington Times ‘went there’ with his title, “Wizards Cut Johnsons.” C’mon Mike….don’t you know that Johnsons would rather be released than cut?

Ok…enough of that, back to the point at hand. Two positions of need assumed by Wizards fans this past offseason, before Gilbert Arenas went down, were a small forward to backup Caron Butler, and a third string point guard. After Dee Brown was signed, along with the summer league developments of Dominic McGuire’s mid-range jumper, the school of thought was that the former player would fill the latter position of need and vice versa. Working off these assumptions, Ernie Grunfeld would hold the 15th roster spot in a glass encased box to be broken in case of emergency.

Then Gilbert Arenas happened…..then Brendan Haywood happened….Haywood’s wrist surgery not having a greater influence over roster moves, as the Wizards seemingly had a logjam at the post position (Etan, Oily, ‘Dray, JaVale and Jamison — hey, that sounds like a MotheringHut t-shirt…..just remember where you heard it first).

Personally, even with Arenas in the lineup, I was worried about perimeter scoring off the bench, specifically wanting a three-point threat considering the loss of Roger Mason, Jr. to the Spurs. Sure, I was concerned with the ability to spell and save Caron Butler from playing too many minutes….but if The Cleaner could swing down there, all would be kosher.

With Arenas out of the picture for an indeterminate amount of time, the need for point guard assistance became glaring. Steps in Ernie Grunfeld, The Closer, to sign Juan Dixon, who not only has the capability/potential to supplant a 32-year old achy-wristed Antonio Daniels, and a young, inexperienced quickie in Dee Brown, but also the ability to wet the net from long distance. Not to mention that Dixon is already familiar with Eddie Jordan’s system, having played for the Wizards before.

For some, there were concerns about Dixon’s ability to be an efficient contributor, and for others, thoughts that Juanny might be the ticket. And so began the debate, Juan Dixon v. DerMarr Johnson, in the form of a smackdown, some madness, and a wackout…the outcome of which certainly wasn’t helped by strong DerMarr training camp and preseason performances pitted against a sidelined Dixon due to a calf injury.

But even before this was able to be hashed out on the court, MSM outlets “in the know” were reporting that Dixon was “all but guaranteed” and a “safe bet” to make the Wizards, leaving Boss Slim with neither straight pockets, nor a manager to his boss.

When Dixon finally saw action in the last preseason game, we were only left with a brief sample of what the latest version of him can do: 0-4 from the field….but five assists to only one turnover. I’ll easily give Juan a pass on the missed shots….it was his first game of the year. But the assist-to-turnover ratio certainly sparks a glimmer of hope in my eye. I wasn’t able to watch the game (just got the DVR up and running), so I’ll be paying close attention to what Juan can do, among many other team activities, in the final two preseason games.

I liked what DerMarr Johnson was showing, and really wish that there was a way to keep him on the squad….but the cliché dictates that it’s a numbers game. Hopefully he can catch on somewhere else and make a career for himself. In the end, I resigned myself that Grunfeld and Jordan best know the needs of the team and have made a decision accordingly. Stay tuned to see what the Wiz dribble out next.

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Ok, so Jamison isn’t exactly chewing on a straw a la Tuff Juice in the photo above….it appears to be a mouth piece. But it’s safe to say, the team better be following the actions and listening to the words of the guy with a teeth-marked plastic straw in his mouth.

The Pradamaster already did a Wizards link dump over at Bullets Forever. Now, I’d like to get in on the action with some linkage diarrhea…..gotta give good content across the world wide web its proper due…..not that the below links are bad like the collywobbles, but they sure are juicy.

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Speaking of Tuff Juice, Tom Knott has a column about the guy, “Wizards getting more than they bargained,” at The Washington Times.

Jordan took an immediate liking to Butler because of his fearlessness and combativeness, two qualities found lacking in the Wizards in the 2005-06 season. Jordan nicknamed Butler “Tough Juice,” and it stuck.

Many thanks to Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie for recognizing this very blog in his ‘Blog Association’ series saluting the most outstanding blogs for each NBA team:

“One of the best writers on the ‘net, one of the best Photoshoppers, it’s hard to believe a site like this can come in second. A tremendous daily read, especially during the season.”

I guess this is what Jay-Z meant when he said, “Real recognize real.” Truth About It placed second and Bullets Forever deservedly came in first.

Ivan Carter breaks down the Wizards bigs at The Washington Post, “Wizards Size Up An Oversize Roster.”

1. Brendan Haywood on JaVale McGee: “To me, he’s probably one of the top two or three centers in terms of athleticism, in the league, hands down.”
2. Eddie Jordan on JaVale McGee: “Get JaVale out of there, please…….Run the floor, JaVale!”

The Pradamaster at Bullets Forever gets curious about the possibility of Andray Blatche logging some time at the small forward position:

In the summer league, he was playing the four spot in the offense. He’s bulked up over the summer too, and now you’re going to tell him to play on the wing? That would really stunt his development, and giving Etan Thomas more playing time is not an acceptable excuse.

Highlights from a Washington Post chat session with Ivan Carter and Michael Lee:

Ivan: I’ll say this based on conversations I’ve had with scouts and gms from around the league, Eddie will have another gig almost right after he’s done with Wizards. He’s that respected around the league.

Ivan: As men, [Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas] were embarrassed by the attention given their spats and wanted to end that stuff. They’re still banging away and competing like heck out there in camp but it’s pretty clear that neither of them wants to be known for getting into juvenile fights.

Ivan: The main thing that is different this year from my last three camps covering this team is that Eddie has them doing a lot more scrimmaging. The reason is that guys are so familiar now with one another and the schemes, they can have crisp scrimmage situations without having to constantly stop and instruct. They just look smoother.

Ivan Carter at Wizards Insider wonders Who Fills (Roger) Mason’s Shoes?

Good post that essentially compares Mason and Juan Dixon on defense and offense…..I say the two-headed monster named JuanDee will be more than a suitable replacement.

Dan Steinberg at the DC Sports Bog reminds us of Dee Brown’s rap CD, and how he’s performed in Europe.

I’ve listened to Dee Brown’s entire CD, Unwritten, and learned exactly 14 things…..those things are posted at Bullets Forever.

Like fantasy basketball? I do. Check out the guys at The Fantasy Lounge for a preview of the Wizards, among other teams.

Stet Sports wonders: Where is the Wizards Bandwagon?

Ivan Carter has a piece on DerMarr Johnson on The Washington Post, “Hoping to Find a Home Where His Heart Is.”

“I never thought about playing here earlier in my career because every time my team came to town, I had to buy like 60 tickets because I have so much family and friends out here,” said Johnson, who played one season of college basketball at Cincinnati. “I was like: ‘If I played here every game, I’ll go broke just trying to get tickets.’ But now that I’m a l
ittle older in my career, I have wanted to play here. I love my city.”

[Previous Post: Washington Wizards Player Personnel: The Point Guard Factor]

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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.

Dee Brown: With the injury to Arenas, Brown has fallen into a chance that he wouldn’t have found anywhere else in the NBA, or even perhaps Europe. Even if he’s just a one-year rental for the Wizards (I’ve got my fingers crossed that the Wiz will select a PG of the future in the next draft), Brown can parlay his shot into a decent contract after 08-09.

The knock on Brown is that he’s not a shooter. However, when it comes to jumpers from beyond the arc, it’s not like he’s worse than Antonio Daniels. Last year, per 36 minutes, Daniels attempted 1.2 threes, making 0.3. I know it’s a limited (and perhaps skewed) sample size, but in 06-07 with Utah, Brown attempted 2.2 threes, making 0.5, per 36 minutes. Accounts from training camp indicate that Brown significantly improved his shot while playing in Turkey last year…..we will see. Regardless, teams are still going to make Brown beat them from the outside. The Wizards won’t be looking to Daniels or Brown to be a long distance threat, but at least the chances they get will most likely be open looks, optimal for taking advantage of.

Reports indicate that Brown is acting like he wants it. He’s being vocal in camp. He’s picking up the ball full court on defense. I’d suggest reading a piece Mike Jones wrote about Brown in the Washington Times, “Brown reaching comfort zone.” What I like most about Brown is his ability to push the ball up the court with this 24-year old legs, as opposed to AD’s 32-year old legs. It remains to be seen if Brown can play under control, I suppose that will develop with his understanding of the offense. In my post, Pace, Shot Clock Usage, and the Value of Gilbert Arenas, I highlighted that historically, during Jordan’s tenure, the Wizards shoot a better FG% the earlier in the shot clock they take an attempt. Of course, most of that can be attributed to the offensive Wizardry of Gilbert Arenas. However, it would benefit the Wizards to do one of two things sooner rather than later: 1) get into the Pro-Princeton offense, or 2) get an easy look at the hoop (in transition or early offense). Dee Brown might be the spark needed to make such a push.

Juan Dixon: With so many concerned about the loss of Roger Mason (now that Arenas is out), Ivan Carter might have cited the most important factor in the Juan vs. Roger debate, “….another major difference is that Roger pulled $7.3 million from the Spurs while the Wizards got Juan on the cheap late in free agency. Gotta stay under that luxury tax you know?”

But consider this, last year with Arenas injured, Eddie Jordan only had Daniels, Mason, and Stevenson as options to initiate the offense. Sure, Mike Wilks was around, for all of 44 minutes. Might Dixon and Brown be a two-headed monster option for Eddie Jordan which is a step above a solo Roger Mason? I think the chances are good. Brown can handle and push the ball better than Mason. Dixon has more of an offensive game….maybe. As Eddie Jordan put it when posed the question about the differences between Juan and Roger on offense: “High risk. High risk. And a lot of rewards [referring to Dixon]. Roger was a lot more steady and low risk and stayed in a small package but a very effective package. Juan is sort of all over the place but that is ok.”

[Update] Recommended Reading: In Defense of Juan Dixon by cuppettcj on Bullets Forever

DeShawn Stevenson: I like to think of DeShawn as a stop-gap solution at the point. And this scenario really only happens when he and Young are together in the backcourt (Butler will not see time at the two). In the top 20 Five-Man Floor Units from 82games.com, only one lineup did not involve Daniels, Mason, or Arenas at a guard position. The 9th ranked lineup in minutes (72) featured Stevenson, Young, Butler, Jamison, and Haywood. That lineup also led all other lineups in the sample with a +33 plus/minus. Stevenson is clearly a diverse enough player to be a capable fill-in. And perhaps Nick and DeShawn will be a go-to combo when Jordan wants some size and scoring punch out of the backcourt. All and all, just another option on Eddie Jordan’s plate that he, nor Wizards fans, should mind using.

Nick Young: I don’t even want to consider living in a world where Nick “Bean Burrito” Young might be a factor at point guard for the Wizards.

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