JaVale McGee’s career as a Washington Wizard has been chock full of consistent inconsistency, and head coach Flip Saunders summed it up succinctly after the loss to the Charlotte Bobcats last Friday:

“JaVale has five highlight plays a game, unfortunately there’s about 200 plays in a game, and he’s gotta get more substance than style.”

Both McGee’s style and substance were on display during the Wizards’ 89-86 victory over Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.  Early in the game, McGee did an excellent job of preventing Marc Gasol from getting deep position in the paint, but then at other points, he would incur the wrath of Saunders for being out of position on both offense and defense.

This theme would also rear it’s inconsistent head in the fourth quarter, as my Truth About It colleague, John Townsend beautifully broke down. Even though Kirk Hinrich and Gilbert Arenas were having excellent shooting nights, McGee tried to take the ball to the hoop (via the dribble), was picked by Zach Randolph (not exactly a quick handed, nimble fellow), and Mike Conley picked up the ball and dashed full speed toward his basket.  Luckily for the Wizards, McGee was able to zoom from one end of the court to the other and block Conley’s shot, immediately exonerating himself from his earlier sin.  Substance and style in less than 30 seconds.

After the game, I ventured over to the Memphis Grizzlies locker room to get their take on the play of JaVale McGee (he finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks). Their depiction of McGee was much different.  Now, I’m not naive enough to really know that, because Lionel Hollins doesn’t see McGee in practices and games everyday, and of course I know the Grizzlies were a bit dejected because McGee had a hand in their close loss.  Still, it was clear that in Memphis’ locker room, they viewed McGee has one of the main culprits in their loss. Here’s Hollins and Rudy Gay on McGee:

More Quotes:

“JaVale (McGee) does a great job of coming over everybody and tipping or dunking and anything around the rim.  It’s hard when you have a player like that.  It’s hard to disengage and go help somebody else, but you have to.” – Marc Gasol

“Let me tell you that dude is long, that dude is active, and he plays the paint good, because he can cover so much ground so quick.  He hasn’t put it all together yet, but that young fella is working on his game slowly but surely and he’s getting a lot better.  That’s what I like about him, I workout and play in the summer leagues in L.A., and I’ve played against him there and I’ve seen what he can do when he’s really focused, so games like tonight are no surprise to me.  He has awareness, he can score, he’s active, he runs the floor, man he’s a player.  Now he needs to quit falling for those damn head fakes.”  - Zach Randolph

Other notes from the Grizzlies locker room:

I talked with Mike Conley before the game about a variety of topics ranging from his new contract, Matt Moore’s reaction to it, getting comfortable playing point guard, and guarding Gilbert Arenas versus John Wall.

On getting a new contract:

“I definitely knew there were negotiations going on, and I knew I wanted an extension, but as you know, it wasn’t a guarantee that I was going to get one with lockout coming and all that.  So I just tried to stay focused on winning games and playing hard, but once I got it it was a definite relief and now I can play relaxed without having to answer questions about if I’m going to get it or not.”

On Hardwood Paroxysm’s Matt Moore and his highly-critical article on his contract:

[Laughs]  ”I didn’t see it initially but I had some folks show it to me, and man what can I say?  People are certainly entitled to their opinion and I have no problem with that.  What I care about is that the Grizzlies believed in me, and my teammates believe me, and we have a young nucleus that can only get better with time.  I’m not out to prove anyone wrong, I’m just out to play my best.”

On defending Wall and Arenas:

“Well of course both of them are talented,  and they get to spots on the floor at will.  Wall is very quick, active and athletic.  He can get to the basket for himself, he creates plays for his team and he’s slowly becoming a beast defensively.  Gilbert is still trying to get his quicks back, so he’s concentrating on his shot, shooting the three ball, and tonight I assume he’ll be running the team since Wall is out.  It’s easy to sit here and say it’s easier to defend the Wizards with Wall out, but Gil dropped 30 on the Bulls the other night, so it ain’t easy at all.”

On how long it take to get comfortable playing point guard:

“You know it’s at least two years, and that’s assuming you have the same coach, same system and the same personnel both years.   It takes that long to grasp the whole game in terms of seeing the whole floor, knowing what you can do, knowing what others can do, how they will defend you, and all that.  Guys are coming to the league younger and younger and this is a different game than high school and college, so there’s a huge learning curve.  Luckily for me, Damon Stoudamire is here, he’s still in game shape, and he helps me out, guards me in different drills, and it really helps out a lot.”

Other reads from Truth About It:

• November 20, 2010 -- Play of the Game: JaVale McGee’s Redemption Song
• October 7, 2009 -- Wizards 101 – Grizzlies 92: Preseason Game 1 Recap & Thoughts
• April 4, 2009 -- The Wiz vs. The Griz in Pictures

The Washington Wizards found themselves ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies 82-79 with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Wizards were on the offensive, but on this particular occasion, they faced a defense playing with a little more attitude. As the shot clock winded wound down — the Wiz just couldn’t find a good look at the basket — the ball found its way into the hands of JaVale McGee. About 20 feet from the basket. Passing the ball back to PG Kirk Hinrich (1) would have been too easy … so with about six seconds left on the shot clock, McGee decided it was “go time.”

McGee (5) tried to lose Zach Randolph (x4) with a hard crossover and a spin move. Z-Bo wouldn’t stand for this and punched the ball out. Mike “Million Dollar Man” Conley (x1) collected the loose ball and took off on the break.

Hinrich and Gilbert Arenas (2) got on their horses to cut off Conley, while Ovinton J’Anthony Mayo (x2) curled around Arenas to support the wing. McGee was in hot pursuit.

Both Arenas and Hinrich tried (unsuccessfully) to poke the ball out of Conley’s hands. Conley went up casually, assuming he had beaten the Wizards defense. Not so fast, my friend.

Go up strong or don’t go up at all, son!

Al Thornton (3) easily recovered the freshly blocked rock, handed it to Hinrich, and the Wizards raced back the other way. Andray Blatche found himself in an isolation set on the left wing, where he gave Marc Gasol the business  – bobbing, weaving, and leaving him virtually undressed — and took off toward the rim. Gasol, whose trousers were still around his ankles, was slow to react to Blatche’s aggressive drive and was forced to foul. Unfortunately for the Grizz, Blatche finished the play, kissing the ball softly off the glass. And he made his free throw. Three-point play, the conventional way.

With 2:53 left in the fourth quarter, the Wizards found themselves ahead 85-79. In the blink of an eye, Epic Vale went from Blunder to Wünder. His chase-down block was essentially worth three points — the margin of victory in tonight’s contest. THAT’S GREAT HUSTLE.

From the Voice of the Wizards:

Steve Buckhantz: “And again Phil, we really cannot overstate this: You look at the effort that McGee has been giving … It’s really impressive. There are some obvious deficiencies that he’s working on trying to correct but there’s nothing you can do to short anybody for their effort. He’s been giving it the last ten games.”

Phil Chenier: “And the extra effort really goes along with his strengths, because he’s long, but he’s quick and agile. So, he can recover after making a mistake.”

Other reads from Truth About It:

• July 2, 2010 -- CHECK MY STATS: Kirk Hinrich, Sioux City Shooter
• October 7, 2009 -- Wizards 101 – Grizzlies 92: Preseason Game 1 Recap & Thoughts
• February 7, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Plodding Through An NBA Lottery Winter

Marc Gasol Air Fist.

{keep going for more pictures}

I’ve recently taken to shooting some pictures of early pre-game warm-ups for both the Wizards and their opponent. As I arrived to the court last night, I saw the Wizards’ new guys going through various drills with assistant coach Wes Unseld, Jr. A couple shots of newcomer Mike Harris were a priority, so I did so. But then I glanced to the big man drills on the other end … them dudes were big. And Baby Head Zach Randolph wasn’t even present.

Marc Gasol, Hamaed Haddadi and Hasheem Thabeet out-weight the trio of JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche and James Singleton by 67 points.

Note: I’m got player weight info from each team’s official NBA.com rosters, but I’m skeptical that McGee weighs 252, a listed four more pounds than Blatche and the “heaviest” guy on the Wizards.

I was afraid of Memphis’ big going in, even as they were coming off a tough loss to the Lakers the previous night. Part of me genuinely feared for JaVale McGee’s life.

And I guess the Grizzlies didn’t disappoint, specifically Marc Gasol. He scored 10 of Memphis’ first 12 points, all in a span from the 8:57 to the 5:48 in the first quarter, and all against JaVale. The Grizzlies also scored their first 18 points of the game in the paint. The Wizards unexpectedly hung around, heading into the fourth quarter only down one. But Memphis eventually wore them out, the 99-94 final score being a little bit closer than the game actually was.

“JaVale was getting his butt kicked tonight, it was a learning experience for him. He plays 15 minutes. The guy he’s going against goes 10 for 10. He gets one rebound. Those are things he’s got to do better. He’s got to fight better, he’s got to keep on learning as far as that situation,” said coach Flip Saunders after the game.

Coach Flip did applaud his team overall for battling on the boards (Washington only lost the rebounding battle by three, 46-43, the difference coming on the offensive end), and said his players gave a good solid effort.

James Singleton had 10 rebounds off the bench in 25 minutes. The 6’8″ Al Thornton had 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. The 6’11″ Andray Blatche managed eight rebounds in 41 minutes.

“That’s their strength, that’s what they do. They lead the league as far as points in the paint,” said Saunders, speaking of Memphis’ early romp under the rim. “They scored the first 18 because they scored the first 10 with Gasol going at JaVale. As I said, that’s a learning process for him. He’s going to have to learn how to use his size to try and deny his guy from getting the ball, then being able to contest shots and being able to rebound.”

I didn’t get a chance to ask JaVale what he took most from the learning experience. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I suppose. The kid is taking his lumps and is ready to keep fighting … because everyone likes playing time (and more Twitter followers — Did you know JaVale wants more Twitter followers? Well, he does).

Part of it is that JaVale just needs more girth, to grow into his body. Part of it is that the Wizards probably need a big man coach with more big man experience, one who can perhaps teach some Darius Songaila-esque leverage when guarding bigger players in the post. I applaud Wiz assistant coach Gene Banks for his efforts, but in his playing days, the Duke basketball Hall of Famer, at 6’7″, was a small forward.

[Sidebar: Did you know Banks once appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated (Mar. 13, 1978)? Also, check this article in the SI Vault for some background on Banks.]

Getting tossed around like he was a rag doll couldn’t have been fun, but McGee will remember nights like this in the future and will hopefully be a better player for it.

And … at least Nick Young dunked on a 7’2″ Iranian dude.

Score one for Los Angeles, America.

{Pictures of Grizzly Bigs}

Hamed Haddadi had 8 points & 8 rebounds in 15 minutes.

Hasheem Thabeet didn’t even get into the game, dude has really fallen off.

Haddadi, Thabeet’s replacement, led all players with a plus/minus of +14.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• January 28, 2012 -- DC Council Game 19: Wizards 76 at Rockets 103: Remember Us? We Didn’t Get Fired.
• December 15, 2011 -- Wizards Training Camp Day 6: Where Flip Talks Popcorn and Dray Finishes Last
• March 16, 2011 -- Under The Hoop: Washington Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks

{Mike Harris}

As you probably know, the Wizards today signed Mike Harris of the NBA D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers to a 10-day contract. Had a brief chat with him before tonight’s game …

“It’s basketball, so it’s always better up than it is down.” -Mike Harris

• Mike has never been to D.C. before, said he’s most definitely not used to the weather.
• Said he’s a “basketball guru” so he already knew a good deal about the current Wizards … played against Al Thornton and the Clippers when he was in Houston, also knows a little about Nick Young and Andray Blatche when he played against them in the 2008 Vegas Summer League as a Rocket.
• Harris said Flip Saunders told him to just come in and “do what you do” and to not try so much to fit in with the team, but to let the team fit to him … just play hard, have a good time, and try not to think to much.
• There is some familiarity, as Mike said the Wizards run similar plays to what they ran down in Rio Grande, just with different calls.
• Mike said he found out about the call-up about five minutes after getting out of tuesday’s practice with the Vipers when his coach informed him. It was about 12:30-1:00 pm when he found out that he had a 4:45 flight to Washington. Harris said he was lucky that he already had a rental car, so getting to the airport wasn’t a problem. His flight was a bit delayed in Houston, so he didn’t get into D.C. until 1:30-1:45 on Wednesday morning.

Here are some more bullets on Harris:

• He turned 26 last June 15th and shares a birthday with Mary Carey (the porn star who ran for governor in California and who once was “courted” by Dwight Howard), Neil Patrick Harris, Andy Pettitte, Ice Cube, Courtney Cox, Wade Boggs, Dr. Jerry Buss, D.J. Strawberry, and Zan Tabak … yes, “the” Zan Tabak, who won a ring in Houston with Hakeem Olajuwon. Take that Barkley!
• Harris went to Hillsboro High School in Hillsboro, Texas and averaged 27 points and 19 rebounds his senior year. He was recruited by Baylor, Oklahoma State, Stephen F. Austin and Tulsa, but ended up choosing Rice.
• After four seasons at Rice, Harris left as both the Owls’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder. He was named the WAC freshman of the year in 2002 and made the all-WAC first team in ’04 and ’05.
• The last, and only other, Rice alum to suit up for the franchise was Mike Wilks, who briefly played for the Wizards in December 2007.
• Harris previously suited up in the NBA for the Houston Rockets, but has also played in the Ukraine, China (where he won the all-star game dunk contest and was named to the All-Chinese CBA 1st team), and Kuwait, among other domestic stops.
• Harris will wear #33.

{Grizzlies Preview}

3 Shades of Blue, the fabulous Memphis Grizzlies blog in the ESPN TrueHoop Network, has a full preview from their end. But for a quick hit on the Griz, Chip Crian, one of the blog’s proprietors, writes:

Well the book on the Grizzlies is pretty simple. Force Zach Randolph out of the paint before he gets the ball and double him when he does get it, double Marc Gasol down low too but don’t worry about him in the high post. Dare Memphis’ perimeter players to beat you with their outside shots and hope they aren’t hot that night.

Memphis looked to improve the team before the trade deadline by getting Ronnie Brewer for a super protected first round pick starting in 2011. It may not be so helpful as he partially tore his hamstring in his first game with the Grizzlies and is expected out for 3-4 weeks. Memphis’ bench is too young to contribute on a nightly basis and Hasheem Thabeet looks like he’s losing his backup center job to Hamed Haddadi. That tells you all you need to know about how the Grizzlies feel about the second pick in the draft.

The bottom line with the Grizzlies is they want to run to get easy baskets and when they hit their outside shots can beat any team in the league. They already have wins over the Lakers, Cavs, Magic, Nuggets, Blazers and Jazz to name a few teams. They also have lost to the Clippers, Kings and Timberwolves. Most disturbing has been the Grizzlies inability to put teams away. They have lost more 10+ pt leads than any other team in the league (including last night against the Lakers at home). Being the youngest team in the league that is somewhat understandable especially when you factor in the terrible bench but it is still a bad trend. Teams don’t quit against the Grizzlies because they know that the Grizzlies have a reputation as a team that will let people back into games.

{Buyout Tid-Bits: Big Z & Mike James}

NBA.com’s David Aldridge reports that the Wizards and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are “still working” on a buyout, but the Wizards are playing hard ball … as well they should be. The Wiz hold all the cards on this one since they’re already under the luxury tax.

More recently, the WaPost’s Michael Lee Tweeted that the two sides are “moving closer” to a buyout, which is expected to be in the $1-1.5 million range. Lee says an announcement could come Thursday.

As has been reported, Mike James and his agent are hoping that the Wizards waive him instead of going through buyout negotiations. Obviously this would benefit James because he would not be losing out any money if waived. And from his perspective, he would also be slightly more flexible with whom he could sign after officially severing ties with the Wizards. James wouldn’t have to worry about trying to re-coup any money lost in a buyout.

The Wizards, however, don’t have much incentive to waive James at this point, aside from doing the guy a solid. As much as you’ll hear NBA players say, “this is a business,” front office personnel will probably say the same. Evidenced by hard ball discussions with Ilgauskas, the Wizards, still run by the Pollin family, are looking to save money in any way possible. So, the Wizards waiving James is highly unlikely at this point. It’s not like they really need to free up roster spot.

Either way, if James wants to catch on with another team and be eligible for the playoffs, a decision to waive or a buyout agreement will need to be reached by March 1st, which is Monday. Miami, Charlotte and Portland, as a third dark horse, have been rumored to be interested in signing James should he become free from the Wizards.

Miami is already over the luxury tax and would have to pay double to sign James. Charlotte is under the tax threshold, but the Charlotte Observer reports that they might have interest in former Wizard Larry Hughes, who was recently bought out by the Sacramento Kings. Hughes, however, is dealing with a fractured finger and could miss four weeks of action.

In any case, stay tuned.

{Appetizing Links}

Rashad Mobley profiles the ‘Ins & Outs’ of JaVale McGee. [Hoops Addict]

Mike Jones poses some questions for the Wizards’ final 28 games. [Mike Jones Sports]

One excerpt in particular stands out:

“[Al] Thornton has come right in and made an impact, averaging 16 points a game as a Wizard. He has run through only a handful of practices, but already has earned more trust from Saunders than [Nick] Young.”

Mike Prada implores us to look at the bright side of Josh Howard’s injury. [Bullets Forever]

{Mike Harris Post}

Other reads from Truth About It:

• April 1, 2010 -- Celebrating The Wizards Departed in Portraits and Stories
• February 19, 2010 -- Wizards Fans React To Jamison Trade & Top Web Links
• January 5, 2010 -- A Quick Trade Idea with the Wizards, Jazz and maybe the Cavs

Some also call Zach, “El Toro”

{he had 19 total rebounds, 6 offensive}

The duo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol were too much for the Wizards to handle. They combined for 43 points and 30 rebounds.

Washington doesn’t have a guy who can take up space in the paint, and that hurts them on both offense and defense. Brendan Haywood has size, but is not agile. Antawn Jamison put up a good fight against Randolph the Bull, but just doesn’t have the size.

The Wizards are missing a dependable post player who can play with his back to the basket and pass (think the Kevin Garnett Flip had in Minnesota or the Rasheed Wallace he had in Detroit).

Andray Blatche can pass, but he’s also Andray Blatche. Plus, ‘Dray doesn’t have a back to the basket game that will make opponents double. Jamison can score in a variety of ways in the post, but once the ball goes into him, he’s going to shoot, not pass. And Brendan Haywood … well, he’s got phone books for hands.

Once again Flip Saunders’ team provided an inconsistent effort, especially on the offensive end. Agent Zero kept the Wizards in the game at times with his long distance marksmanship. Jamison and Butler each pitched in with 24 points.

But it was the bench that came up way short. Nick Young played okay with seven points. But Blatche only had one bucket, a big three at the end of the third set up by an Arenas drive, and Earl Boykins put up a goose egg in seven field-goal attempts. Boykins did, however, have six assists to one turnover.

Gilbert Arenas had an eFG% of .558.

eFG% adjusts for the fact that a 3-point field goal is worth one more point than a 2-point field goal.

The rest of the Wizards had an eFG% of .471.

Speaking of Earl Boykins … there clearly wasn’t much he could do above. But more and more, I don’t like playing him.  He affects a lot of possessions negatively on defense and his dribbles are erratic.

Case in point, the possession at the end of the second quarter when Earl held onto the ball for so long before firing up some crazy runner from almost the three point line with two seconds on the shot clock. He missed.

A hurtful, memorable play:

6:28, 4th Q - With a chance to score four quick points and cut Memphis’ lead to six, Arenas got his second steal in a row and passed the ball ahead to Boykins. Earl usually has to worry about getting blocked … so with a breakaway layup opportunity, he got the ball caught on his hip and stripped by Mayo. The Grizzlies quickly went in the other direction and Gasol tipped in a Randolph miss in transition. The Memphis lead got pushed back to 10.

Hey, at least Boykins didn’t play at the end of the fourth and Randy Foye showed a basketball pulse with strong signs of aggressiveness.

There are many factors for losing in this seemingly perpetual “process” of a team trying to play more like a team.

Missed free-throws stand out. From the 2:30 to the 0:30 mark in the 4th, Haywood and Jamison combined to shoot 3-6 from the charity stripe (Brendan went 2-4, Antawn 1-2).

After posting a career-high .735 FT% just two years ago, said to be courtesy of Dave Hopla by many, Haywood is now back to shooting .604 from the line. Not his career worst, but a major step back.

Jamison’s .685 from the free-line is his worst since he joined the Wizards. Antawn has only shot worse from the stripe in two other seasons, his first two in the NBA.

Free-throws are just a small part of the larger equation of losing. When some things go wrong, it seems like just about everything goes wrong. There’s still talk from the Wizards about not getting the “breaks” that they need. And it’s still clear that Wizards fans are watching a team that just doesn’t know how to win.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• April 4, 2009 -- The Wiz vs. The Griz in Pictures
• December 31, 2009 -- What Went Wrong When Oklahoma City Came To Washington, DC
• December 30, 2009 -- Denial and The River Without A Paddle: Wizards-Thunder Post-Game Locker Room Video

Caron Butler had his eye on the ball

“Shoot it boy!!”

At around the 8:11 mark in the first quarter, Arenas could have taken his first shot. He didn’t. Left wide open at the top of the key, the ball was kicked out to Gil, and he turned it down. C’mon dude, is that what the team is paying you to do now?

Instead, Arenas tried to drive and turned the ball over. “Shoot it boy!!” Jamison yelled to him as O.J. Mayo was taking his steal to the other end for a dunk. The next time down the court, Arenas did, in fact, shoot … but it was an off-balanced, ill-advised miss.

Although I didn’t exactly phrase the question as I would have liked, I asked Jamison about it after the game. Here’s a portion of his answer:

“It’s been awhile since he’s played, now he’s healthy … so gotta iron some things out. But he comes off screens, he’s supposed to shoot that. That’s who Gilbert is.”

Jamison didn’t make a big deal out of yelling out to Gil, explaining that’s what teammates do sometimes. And being on both sides of the coin when playing basketball myself, he’s exactly right. When it comes to Arenas’ “new” game, his teammates probably love getting passes, but they’ll also be more comfortable with themselves as players, and as a team, with him being assertive on offense like they’re used to. But I’m not worrying too much, Arenas’ instinct and decision making will come along just fine (I believe).

Iverson’s Nachos

Iverson sat out with a sore left hammy (aka, likely out of shape — of course, Iverson claims: “If it was Game 7 of the (NBA) Finals, I wouldn’t be able to go.”). I didn’t noticed him on the Grizzlies’ bench once. Then again, I didn’t find many reasons to pay attention to a baffled Lionel Hollins & Co. … evidently A.I. was there for the first half, but he definitely wasn’t around for the second half.

After the game, us media folk/bloggers turned off our internet machines and headed to the locker room area to mill around. As soon as we were able to get over there (about three minutes), Iverson immediately emerged in jeans, a white-T, doo-rag, hat, and a plastic basket of nachos. Bless Iverson’s damn heart. I seriously hope that guy gets buried in this outfit (sans nachos), ’cause I’m betting that he wouldn’t have it any other way. BTW … I’m kicking myself for not taking a picture of this.

Locker Room Hova

Jay-Z’s latest album, The Blueprint 3, had a strong presence amongst the pregame locker room listening. Most players had their designer headphones turned up loud enough for us to hear. At one point, Gil Arenas went from Jay-Z’s ‘Already Home’ to Big’s ‘One More Chance’ (Remix), walked out the locker room and returned to the sounds of Jay-Z’s ‘Hate Jay-Z’. Antawn Jamison was also pumping the Jigga Man. And even DeShawn Stevenson got ready for the game by listening to the friend of LeBron James who once used his name in a diss track … “Thank you, thank you, thank you … You’re far too kind!” ironically emitted from Stevenson’s pink headphones.

Fab’s Hammy

Oberto’s current hamstring issues can clearly be attributed to a lack of conditioning due to the heart surgery he had this summer. He said he had to sit out about two and a half months and couldn’t do much aside from walking and perhaps some light jogging here and there. Not only is he used to being able to keep himself conditioned in the offseason, but he’s usually played in international competition as well. So, a pretty different summer than any he’s had before.

He did look a bit sluggish during his eight minutes of floor time on Tuesday … save for taking it right through Hamed Haddadi for a bucket once. But I’m going to cut the guy some slack. Before the game, Saunders said Oberto would be limited in a similar fashion to Arenas. Of course, we all saw how “limited” Arenas was in terms of his initial 8-10 minute estimate. But it was important that Oberto, no matter how lost he may have looked, reach Flip’s goal amount of time for him. With JaVale McGee looking more and more like he has a ‘ways to go’, it’s important that Oberto be brought along with caution, but at a consistent pace so that he seamlessly gets his court familiarity back.

Flip On The Replacement Refs

“I didn’t really notice it very much. When you have younger referees who haven’t been there, they’re trying to get their perception of everything. So, I think … they’ve been cleaning some things up on the weak side, some three seconds. And that’s one of the reasons they pounded us on the glass (Wiz got out-rebounded 60-45). They put their big guys around the bucket a lot, so you’re begging all you can to try to get those guys out of there. Overall, I didn’t notice much of a difference.”

And I’ll agree with Flip in this regard. I remember one bad call that didn’t go the Wizards’ way (which was a hard call to make … a Grizzly actually knocked a loose ball out of bounds). And to not notice the refs that much, I’d say they did a pretty decent job (in the one game I’ve seen so far).

Picture time …

I wish I’d taken more, but between Tweeting, taking notes, and watching the game, there was enough to do.

Gilbert Arenas Getting Seriously Serious

Blatche v. Grier

Blatche to the rack with Mike Miller’s hair watching

Vincent Grier dunks before he’s gone

JaVale McGee jets to the rack

Epic Vale Woos The Rim

Arenas cherishes the rock

Segregation: white guys at the end of the bench

DeShawn Stevenson vs. A Replacement Ref :
A Four Part Series of Faces

(wonder if ref was more intimidated by DeShawn’s face or Abe Lincoln’s)

Flip Saunders vs. A Replacement Ref

Arenas Icing, Mike James Chillin’

Haywood tosses the game in the books

Choice Cuts From The Web

Arenas certainly showcased his skills as a facilitator, dishing out 10 assists, but at times he seemed like a lighter version of the player who played two games last season. His passing and decision-making are there, but he is still searching to recapture his ability to put the ball in the bucket. Saunders said that shouldn’t be a problem as Arenas rediscovers his rhythm and his body adjusts to the bumping and grinding of playing more often. He had no problem getting to the rim but Arenas struggled trying to finish, as missed about three point blank layups. Another pullup jumper barely grazed the rim. Had Arenas not missed those shots and six free throws, Saunders said he had “a 20[-point], 10[-assist] game right at his fingertips.”

[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

You could tell he was making a real effort to set up his teammates and get them going. All of the Wizards that played alongside Arenas (other than Haywood) had double digit scoring nights. There were times when Arenas was probably too passive, turning down scoring opportunities to set up his teammates.

But as Saunders said, he’ll continue to get more comfortable with the pace of the games again, he’ll eventually start attacking offensively. Saunders wrote Arenas’ six missed free throws (and his teammtes’ misses as well) off as tired legs from long training camp and abundant practices.

[Mike Jones - Wizards Outlet, Washington Times]

I didn’t think Nick Young played great, but his final line (11 points on eight shots) was pretty good. He played very good defense on O.J. Mayo (though I think that was more Mayo taking himself out of the game), but really got abused by Sam Young in the second quarter. He also had a couple plays where he tried to dribble too much and forced a shot. There was one fast break in particular where Nick tried launching a terrible fadeaway from 17 feet when Memphis had gotten back. Luckily, Young was fouled on the play, but it was a pretty stupid shot. However, I also didn’t notice him a ton, which is probably a good thing, because it means he wasn’t dribbling much.

[Mike Prada - Bullets Forever]

Whatever the Wizards’ second unit ends up being, it could be formidable. Randy Foye and Mike Miller led the reserves on Tuesday and got more and more comfortable as the game wore on. Maybe it was the Memphis backups that weren’t exactly stellar – could that team be any more inexperienced? – but it was a nice start. The only member of Washington’s bench that didn’t come out with a plus was Fabricio Oberto (-2). Foye was +12, and DeShawn Stevenson was +10 despite some foul trouble.

[Craig Stouffer - Washington Examiner]

Caron Butler on fitting in with Flip Saunders’ offense: It’s a real good fit. Coach, he goes to the hot hand, he’s gonna milk it, he’s gonna keep going to it. No knocks to the offense we had over the last couple of years, but that was an equal-opportunity offense, so if a guy came down and scored, it might be five or six more possessions before that guy got the ball again, because it’s the Princeton offense. That’s just how it worked. Everybody gets the opportunity to be aggressive. This offense is a little different and you saw examples of that tonight.

[Interview via David Steele - NBA FanHouse]

Sixty rebounds. Preseason or not, that is darned impressive, especially since the Wiz only had 45. Not just a number, either. The Grizzlies’ rebounding efforts last season were often just above abysmal, and sometimes, well, lower than whatever is just below abysmal. ZBo with 7 offensive boards, and the team as a whole seemed to have really heard the voices of the coaching staff that have surely been IMPLORING them to be focused about where that miss is going to bounce and to be focused about how to use feet and body to position properly. Haddadi, especially, seemed to have learned to use his gargantuan size to better advantage, although he needs to break camp in the lane-his turnovers due to 3-second violations are just way uncool.

[Matthew Noe - 3 Shades of Blue]

Other suggested reading:

• Cheap Seats Daily: Would Dan Snyder Censor Dan Steinberg’s Photos of Censored Bags? [Dave McKenna - DC City Paper]
• NBA General Managers Appreciate Ernie Grunfeld’s Wizardry [Stet Sports]
• Pay No Attention to that Beat Reporter Talking Stats [The Secret Weapon]
• NBA Season Preview: Q&A with Wiz Examiner George Panagakos, and Michael Prada from Bullets Forever [Boston Examiner]
• 30 Teams, 30 Days: Washington Wizards Season Preview [Slam Online]
• Grizzlies do everything but win in preseason opener vs. Wizards [Memphis Commercial Appeal]

Other reads from Truth About It:

• October 7, 2009 -- Wizards 101 – Grizzlies 92: Preseason Game 1 Recap & Thoughts
• October 3, 2009 -- Unheard and Unseen Cuts from Wizards Media Day
• April 30, 2009 -- Questioning Antawn Jamison

Time and patience are the lessons to take from the first Wizards preseason game. They didn’t look bad on their way to a 101-92 win over Memphis, but they didn’t look particularly good either. But did anyone expect this team with so many newcomers, including a coach, to gel right away? Nope.

On the offensive end, where the Wizards are assumed to be amongst the NBA’s upper echelon, they appeared out of sync at times. Bad spacing and jumping to pass sloppiness reared their heads in spurts, but nothing disconcerting, and mostly occurring when the second unit guys were on the court.

After the game, Brendan Haywood gave the offense a C+, in terms of translating the instruction of training camp to a real game. Haywood said they weren’t smooth and were in the wrong place a lot of times, but that’s understandable because many guys on the team were in the Princeton for five years and they have a long way to go before mastering Flip’s offense.

The defensive end left the most to be desired (again, something to be expected), especially in the defensive rebounding department. Haywood called the effort “poor,” while Flip Saunders didn’t mince words by calling the Wizards’ rebounding “atrocious.”

Zach Randolph was a bull in the paint. Seven of his 11 rebounds were on the offensive end; he played just under 22 minutes. Even Hamed Haddadi, fueled by a new beard making him the Iranian Vlade Divac, was able to snag six offensive boards in just over 14 minutes of court time, giving him nine total.

In terms of on-the-ball defense, DeShawn Stevenson, aside from a couple hiccups, really got after his man (O.J. Mayo) aggressively. Gilbert Arenas appeared ‘interested’ in paying attention, but was very passive in guarding his man, often leaving too much space between himself and Mike Conley. Nick Young was also a bit more focused (than in the past), seeing ball and man, and keeping his head on a swivel off the ball. But Nick was abused by Sam Young a couple of times, once falling for a pump fake, and on another occasion, moving his upper body first instead of his feet against a drive. Saunders also said that Nick got tired chasing his man around screens late in the game.

Haywood was his usually communicative self. Jamison also seemed to step up his defensive talk a notch. On the second unit, Dominic McGuire’s talking especially stood out, and I even heard a couple of peeps out of JaVale McGee, who, for some reason, was given the mic before the game to thank everyone for coming out. He’s such a funny little fellow (well, he’s not ‘that’ little). For someone who seems to be such a drab and mundane “Quote-able,” he gets pretty animated off the court via his Twitter and other social networking venues. I’m almost surprised he didn’t drop his @bigdaddywookie Twitter account for the VCU students to follow.

Saunders said Randy Foye looked nervous and a bit uncomfortable running the point at first, but settled down and had a nice second half, scoring nine points in the fourth quarter.

Blatche also bounced back from a less than desirable first half where he got pushed around in the paint, lacked aggression, and took a couple bad shots (kinda par for the course with him). Although, when Andray was using both hands to rebound and showing confidence on the offensive end in the second half, he was one of the more ‘veteran’ players on the court against Memphis’ scrubs.

Caron Butler attacked the rim, once throwing down a jack-hammer dunk as the trailer in transition off a nice/patient assist from Stevenson. He also showed his usual quick hands.

Mike Miller, although he went 1-7 from the field, really impressed. He’s an intelligent defensive player, a better driver than I thought, and could have the best court vision on the team. The shot will come in time. Mike Prada of Bullets Forever was right when he told me he’d like the ball to be in Miller’s hands more, and for him to be more assertive.

Arenas was  too passive on offense in the early going (more on that in the next post), but saw the court well the entire game … 10 assists to three turnovers is your proof. As the game progressed, he used the strength he still has (despite losing weight over the summer) to get into the paint and earn trips to the free-throw line. He just needs to do better than 3-9  from the stripe, and he will.

If I’m grading the team, I give them an overall C minus. So how does it come all together? Time and patience. The potential and talent are there. This team just needs time to learn how to play together. Rebounding is clearly the biggest concern after preseason game one, and that requires more of an overall team effort, not just a couple individuals keeping with their assignments. There’s no reason not to trust Flip’s artistry skills in bringing the canvas together. Making progress is why preseason games are played.

Preseason game two will be against the Dallas Mavericks at the Verizon Center in D.C. on Friday.

Note: In the future, I’ll try to get game recaps, or whatever, up more expeditiously. My bad, I crashed after getting home from Richmond really late last night. But many thanks to Prada of Bullets Forever for shepherding our blogger carpool.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• October 8, 2009 -- Wizards v. Grizzlies: Leftover Table Scraps & Pictures
• August 28, 2009 -- 10 Questions for the 2009-10 Wizards
• October 3, 2011 -- Washington Wizards Suspensions & Fines Since 1995

{There’s the Wizards home floor … transported all the way from D.C. to VCU’s Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia}

Currently en route to Richmond for the Wizards’ preseason opener, I’m not exactly sure how I’ll be covering games this season. But for tonight I’m going to update the goings-ons of the game via Twitter, which will also update live in a post on this site (hopefully).

The game will not be televised, but can be heard over the radio on 107.6 The Fan.

So, follow me on Twitter and check back here to see anything you may have missed.

From the other side: Check out tonight’s preview from Memphis Grizzlies blog, 3 Shades of Blue.

I wrote the preview below for 3 SOB, but for one reason or another, it didn’t make it up on their site …

Washington will finally be able to test the cohesion they’ve been working on in training camp when they open the preseason against the Grizzlies on Tuesday. Integrating three newcomers expected to receive significant minutes (Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Fabricio Oberto) and three previous starters who missed a bulk of 08-09 due to injury (Gilbert Arenas, DeShawn Stevenson, Brendan Haywood) has gone smoothly so far with new coach Flip Saunders leading the charge. Ready to erase the embarrassment of a 19-win campaign, the team has been receptive to what Saunders has been preaching. Excitement and selflessness are the prevailing themes as players young and old are anxious to turn over a new leaf and earn minutes in Saunders’ 8 to 9 man rotation.

Four of the five starting positions are set with incumbents: Arenas at point guard, Caron Butler at small forward, Antawn Jamison at power forward, and Haywood at center. The starting shooting guard spot has been left unfilled. Saunders has said he will decide via an open battle that will span from training camp and through the preseason schedule. Who starts versus Memphis might not be who starts on opening night against Dallas. Flip has been relatively coy on the subject. For Tuesday’s game, he facetiously told me this weekend he would decide at 7 pm. On Monday, he suggested that it could be decided by a match of ‘rock, paper, scissors’. The latest reports (speculation) indicate that Miller (because of his three-point shooting and passing), and Stevenson (with his perimeter defense) have separated themselves from the other two candidates, Nick Young and Randy Foye (who likely will see significant minutes backing up Arenas at the point).
[UPDATE: Young will start tonight.]

The Wizards have very high hopes this season, and will surely be able to put points on the board with an array of options. But the real gauge of potential success will the improvement of their defense. Will the players master Saunders’ match-up zone and apply his instruction with more focus and execution than they’ve exerted on D in the past? We will see.

And now the big NBA blogger 2009-10 preview extravaganza …

Boston Celtics

CelticsBlog | LOY’s Place | Celtics17 | Red’s Army | Hoops Addict | Celtics Central | Celtics Hub | Gino’s Jungle

New Jersey Nets

Slippery When Nets | Barkley’s Mouth

New York Knicks

Posting and Toasting | Bandwagon Knick

Philadelphia 76ers

Liberty Ballers

Toronto Raptors

RaptorsHQ.com | Hoops Addict

Bonus Links

See full schedule here |

Random Posts

• November 20, 2009 -- Wizards Game 11 at Oklahoma City: What You Need To Know & Questionable Journalism From Denver
• April 2, 2008 -- Gilbert Arenas Goes Backwards: Washington Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks
• March 12, 2010 -- Video: Catching Up With Alonzo Gee

Sure, the excitement of Gilbert Arenas’ comeback tour and the new-look Wizards are probably enough to fill the 7,500 seat arena … I mean, pictures of the Wizards are literally on the side of the building (see below).

But the main draw might be Allen Iverson, the prodigal son returning to his home state of Virginia (as a Memphis Grizzly of all things). Iverson grew up in Hampton, VA, about 80 miles away from Richmond.

I kind of heard a secondhand joke about Iverson this weekend, stating that he hasn’t been in Richmond since … [insert item from troubled past]

• … since he must have been thanking then VA Governor Doug Wilder profusely for giving him clemency and detention instead of jail time due to charges related to a 1993 bowling alley brawl (which was in Hampton, but Richmond is the state capital).

  or
  

• … since 1997 when Iverson was arrested and spent the night in a Richmond jail. Police found weed and a gun in his car after pulling it over for going 90 mph in a 65; Iverson was a passenger, not a driver.
  
  or
  
• … since 2006 when Iverson bought his mom an ABA franchise that was supposed to be called the Richmond Warriors. The team became the Ballerz before playing briefly in 06-07. They then moved to the Hampton Roads/Norfolk area, but haven’t really been heard from since.

I doubt anyone will be asking A.I. if he remembers the last time he was in Richmond tonight.

Regardless for whom the fans will be cheering the most, it’s going to be hype when the lights come on. I’ll be checking back in before heading down to Richmond.

[UPDATE: And of course, via Michael Lee's Twitter, Iverson will miss tonight's game with a strained left hammy -- sorry VA.]

Other reads from Truth About It:

• October 8, 2009 -- Wizards v. Grizzlies: Leftover Table Scraps & Pictures
• October 7, 2009 -- Wizards 101 – Grizzlies 92: Preseason Game 1 Recap & Thoughts
• December 29, 2009 -- Pictures & Words: Griz Shake Drops of Wiz Heartbreak 116-111

flickr/Antonio Rull

Amongst claims the Washington Wizards hold an “enviable” spot in Thursday’s draft, (they seem to be the only team apathetic towards the keep vs. trade scenario), the Memphis Grizzlies hold an even more enviable spot … because well, two is better than five. The argument on which team has the most enviable spot starts and ends with the L.A. Clippers, of course.

The Grizz don’t know what they want to do. ESPN’s Ric Bucher tweeted that Grizzlies scouts want Hasheem Thabeet, GM Chris Wallace wants Ricky Rubio, and Coach Lionel Hollins wants Stephen Curry. However, according to reports, Thabeet (insinuated by a cancelled workout) and Rubio might not want Memphis back. Wallace says he could care less about a ‘Spanish-Stay-Away’ order, but probably really does.

During his meet-n-greet with fans, Flip Saunders said, “I still think [Rubio] is going to get taken two. I think someone will make a trade when it comes down to trying to get him because he has that type of impact.”

Flip is exactly right. Rumors of Rubio slipping to the Wizards at the five spot are out-of-touch, especially with the reduced buyout from his contract with DKV Joventut potentially allowing him to join his NBA for the Las Vegas summer league. But hey, that hasn’t kept the Blazers from getting excited about the possibility.

I’d be shocked if Rubio got past the Kings at the fourth spot. I’m very close to calling my boy in Vegas and telling him to put money on Rubio going second (might as well get the Wizards to win the NBA title at 75-1 while I’m at it).

Unteachable instincts, a great feel for the game, court vision, 6’5″ in shoes, and a 6’7″ 3/4 wingspan to boot? Sign me up.

Hence rumors of teams trying to pry the #2 away from Memphis are swirling.

• Minnesota might want the 2nd pick. They could send a package to D.C. for number five and then flip it and their sixth pick to Memphis for number two (probably because Kevin Love for the #2 pick straight up was rejected) … or the T-Wolves could trade with Oklahoma City to land the third pick.
• Boston would like the #2, but Danny Ainge is being absurd with silly offers like Kendrick Perkins and Billy Walker for the #2 … Curiously enough, Celtics fans screamed ‘No!’ at the thought of this trade, as did the reasonable guys at 3 Shades of Blue.
• Chad Ford floated a Ray Allen for Darko Milicic, Greg Buckner, Marko Jaric (and insinuates the 2nd pick would go to Boston) idea so Memphis can “save a little money” — Chris Herrington of the Memphis Flyer quickly shot down that ridiculousness, citing that Memphis doesn’t necessarily need to trim salary because they may be under the league minimum next season.

How ‘desperate’ are the Grizzlies to trade?

The Memphis Commercial Appeal via a team ‘insider’ reports there’s a 50/50 chance the pick will be traded. But to whom?

The Knicks are interested in Rubio, but outside of the 8th pick, they don’t have a ton of assets that would be desirable to a team like Memphis.

One thing we do know, the Grizzlies would love (but aren’t desperate) to get rid of Marko Jaric and the 2-years, $14.725 million left on this contract. The eight pick and Cuttino Mobley or Quentin Richardson (each with 1-year, $9.5 and $8.7 million left on their contracts respectively) for Jaric and the 2nd would at least get Memphis to pick up the phone, but the call wouldn’t last very long.

Matt Noe from 3 Shades of Blue puts it best:

Are there really any valid, examination-worthy trade partners out there for the Grizzlies when it comes to Ricky Rubio? There just aren’t as many as one might think..unless some team comes from VERY far in left field with a total-knockout offer at the proverbial eleventh hour. One would hope that to trade down in the lottery, that there would be an exchange of lottery picks plus an asset in the form of either a reasonably-priced vet who fills a need (which could be just about anyone as far as the Grizz are concerned)..or maybe a higher-priced vet who is not a “problem contract”.

The Grizzlies are certainly in a bind. If they can’t find a suitable trade partner, they may just select Hasheem Thabeet and hope for the best.

I wouldn’t get Thabeet canceling his workout with Memphis too twisted. Second overall pick money, and playing alongside his fellow Huskie Rudy Gay, probably quells thoughts of not wanting to be a Grizzly.

Realistically, the Grizzlies will likely take the value of Rubio on draft night. Once they do, we’ll all wonder what’s going on as the cameras show a dejected Ricky with Steve Francis face, some insider will suggest he’s going here or there, and a couple of picks later, David Stern will announce a trade.

That’s where the Wizards come in. If someone Memphis truly wants (think Thabeet, or Stephen Curry, or Tyreke Evans, or James Harden), is available to the Wizards at five (and one of them will be), the fifth plus Etan Thomas, for Jaric and Rubio might suffice.

Thomas would give Memphis a serviceable backup big (I’m using ‘serviceable’ loosely and interchangeably with depth), putting them closer to the league minimum with his 15% kicker, which would make Etan’s salary around $8.46 million. The one year left on Thomas’ contract instead of the two left on Jaric’s also allows the Grizzlies to save $7.625 million next summer.

Memphis gets a prospect they want while leaving plenty of money to re-sign Rudy Gay and get a big name free agent for 2010-11 (if anyone would actually want to join a core of Mayo, brother Gasol, Gay, Conley, a draft pick, and an Iranian).

On the other hand, would it be worth it for the Wizards? Meh, not necessarily. If Rubio has potential to slip, you definitely don’t get into any sweetheart deals with Memphis (again, Rubio is NOT slipping past four, just ask Tom Ziller).

But overall, adding Rubio and Jaric, who likely would not be a contributor in any way, shape, or form (but hey, there would be some great sightings of a preggers Adriana Lima in DC), just doesn’t give the Wizards that championship push fans desire (not too mention such a trade would leave Washington heavy on guards and short on post depth).

Mike James for Jaric, and the exchange of picks, keeping Etan to serve as a second or third center, could be a possibility. However, in either case, the Wizards would have to really believe Rubio is worth entering luxury tax territory.

It all depends on how bad the Wizards might want Rubio. Draft Express reports:

If Rubio is on the board, all indications are that the Wizards would take him, and worst comes to worse, deal with the repercussions of him staying in Europe for another year or two until his buyout situation gets resolved. There aren’t many teams that are higher on Rubio’s upside than Washington.

Despite the seemingly unprofessional and immature actions of Rubio’s agent, Dan Fegan (Ok, so unprofessional/immature accusations might be a stretch, but Fegan, being the agent who Gilbert Arenas fired, seems to be blacklisting his players in the draft from meeting with the Wizards — curious in any case. Our friends over at the WizzNutzz threw incites Fegan’s way years ago), Rubio would surely take second slot money, playing for a good team with a chance for minutes (which might also be a stretch given Flip Saunders’ propensity to keep a tight eight man rotation).

In addition, Draft Express recently reported that Rubio’s ‘camp’ backed off statements that the Spaniard wouldn’t mesh with Gilbert Arenas. In fact, D.C. might be the best situation because Rubio won’t necessarily be coming in with pressure to be an immediate savior/creator.

I’m still enthralled with Rubio. If the Wizards had landed the second overall pick on May 19th, the uncertainly surrounding their draft would be much lower and they’d probably go with the young Spaniard. But where Washington sits now, it seems like better deals are out there. And as Mike Prada states on Bullets Forever, it’s definitely not anything the Knicks could send to DC.

The ultimate point of this post is that there really isn’t a point. Anything can happen and the press, the insiders, the pundits, the ‘team sources’, the bloggers, the GMs, and whomever else, are not to be believed. Mock drafts are ridiculous. If you want the truth about it, Kelly Dwyer might have what you seek.

The final thought: if Rubio somehow improbably slips, you take him and celebrate with beautiful high pick and rolls for years to come. If a favorable trade to move up, down, or out of the draft presents itself,  take it. Otherwise, Washington is looking at a ‘best available’ situation.

The Wizards’ draft position has become so attractive because of the tight ship Ernie Grunfeld runs. None of the trade rumors seem to derive from the Wizards’ organization itself. The simple perception that Grunfeld is willing to move the pick allows him to sit back and evaluate the offers rolling in.

The pick isn’t enviable, it’s the position of tight-lipped Grunfeld which is enviable. The worst that can happen is the Wizards come away on Thursday night with yet another nice piece for the future. And at this point, the best that can happen is just about anything imaginable.

Can you tell which one is Adriana Lima? … Does it really matter?

flickr/zambomba

Other reads from Truth About It:

• May 22, 2009 -- Addressing JaVale McGee Trade Rumors
• June 27, 2009 -- Wizards Web Hits on The 2009 NBA Draft
• June 26, 2009 -- The Draft That Got Away

But then he ordered a Five Dollar Footlong and got comfortable.

Rumors of Gilbert Arenas’ possible presence spread
along Beale Street and the masses gathered.

The Wizards moved the ball well in the beginning, but the defense gave Ed Tapscott heartburn, the throw-up feeling, and the ‘it hurts when I swallow’ throat.

The Swarth of Marc Gasol was swagger inducing.

Ladies & Gentlemen: Brendan Todd Haywood

But dude got winded after coming back from rehabbing his wrist.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• April 9, 2009 -- Wizards vs. Cavs: The Final Showdown in Screen Shots
• April 1, 2009 -- The Gilbert Arenas Comback: In Screen Shots
• December 29, 2009 -- Pictures & Words: Griz Shake Drops of Wiz Heartbreak 116-111

But before I get into doing a bunch of research on the kid’s past, I wanted to asked some NBA bloggers from LA and Memphis their opinion about Crittenton. Thanks to Kurt of Forum Blue & Gold and Josh of 3 Shades of Blue for providing their thoughts. Read on…..

Kurt from Forum Blue & Gold:

When the Gasol trade went down last season, the only twinge of regret for fans was losing Crittenton. Well, there was really no twinge of regret, but Lakers fans were sad to see Crittenton go. I haven’t seen him play in a year, but his game has potential with a capital “P.” He’s long, very fast, played hard on defense, was developing a shot, and he can get to the rim. He played a little out of control, especially for the rather controlled triangle offense the Lakers run, but that was a matter of youth and maturity. He could develop into a quality player in this league. He’s just in the weird spot a lot of young players are: He needs run to develop, but he can’t get run because coaches can’t sacrifice wins for experience. So he sits a lot.

Put it this way: A lot of us thought Crittenton could overtake Jordan Farmar as the number two PG on the Lakers eventually. The thing we knew was that Farmar has a crazy strong work ethic, and I honestly don’t know if Crittenton has that same fire. But he had the talent to do it, if he could harness it.

[In case you didn't know, the Lakers lost to the Kings last night, FB&G has some thoughts on that.]

Josh from 3 Shades of Blue:

Javaris Crittenton is a great athlete. He was a top-flight PG prospect coming out of high school, but has played more combo guard or straight SG since being drafted. Critt is more of a scorer than a passer, which is one of the reasons that he has found it difficult to get off the bench in Memphis this year after playing well at the end of last season after coming over in the Pau Gasol trade. At the young age of 20, he’s still got a lot of untapped potential and upside that could see the light of day on a team that doesn’t currently have Mike Conley, O.J. Mayo and Kyle Lowry already on the roster.

Looking over your roster, I see that you now have an all new PG rotation of Mike James and J-Critt, replacing the departing Antonio Daniels (who has a Grizzlies conneciton in his own right) and the waived Dee Brown. Prepare for some “growing pains”, as Crittenton is only in his second year (and now his third team), but expect to see flashes of the player that had everyone in Memphis excited last spring. Given your current backcourt situation, I suspect that he’ll get a lot more playing time than he was able to garner on the crowded Grizzlies roster. If his playmaking skills continue to develop, then he could be a long-term solution as a combo guard 6th man for the Wizards.

[What? The Grizzlies beat the Rockets and Rudy Gay didn't start? Read more from 3 SoB....]

Random Posts

• January 24, 2010 -- Wizards Game 43 vs. LA Clippers Live Twitter Blog: Easy Like Sunday Morning
• November 8, 2007 -- Stuffed Baked 'Taters – The Potato Valley Cafe
• April 21, 2009 -- Assessing the Wizards on HoopsDaily.com

Crittenton is the big “get”…some are saying “steal”…for the Wizards. But until I’m able to do a more exhaustive write-up on the former Yellow Jacket/Laker/Grizzly/high school teammate of Dwight Howard, I wanted to remind everyone that Javaris Crittenton has once walked in the shoes of Gilbert Arenas, literally.

From a June 2008 story in the Washington Times, “Arenas’ shoes are on other feet” –

“While Georgia Tech guard Javaris Crittenton may one day fill Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas’ shoes, he certainly didn’t think that day would be yesterday.

During pre-draft workouts for the Wizards at Verizon Center, Crittenton’s foot burst through his sneaker. Fortunately for the guard, Arenas happened to be on hand with an extra pair.“

Direct quote from washingtonwizardsblog.com:

“Gilbert gave me his shoes, because I busted mine. I didn’t realize it at first because I was playing so hard, but it didn’t feel right. Then I looked at it and there was a big hole in it. Luckily, Gilbert wears the same size. His shoes were comfortable, but those are big shoes to fill. I hope he lets me keep them; I think he will.“

[photo source: flickr/brookenovak]

Random Posts

• August 11, 2008 -- Did Gilbert Arenas bury the hatchet with Kwame Brown? He's a better man than me
• January 3, 2011 -- Reminder: JaVale McGee Can Get Up
• December 5, 2011 -- ShareBullets: John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins Think About The Future

Dallas Mavericks

[Mavs Moneyball]
The single biggest move made in the offseason was the dismissal of head coach Avery Johnson and the hiring of Rick Carlisle. The Mavs have the luxury (or curse) of having their core team signed for some time. This continuity will certainly help the team transition under a new coach, as they only need to adapt to him rather than a bunch of new faces.
Prediction: 55-27

Houston Rockets

[Dream Shake]
The Artest trade will go down as one of the biggest steals in NBA history if you ask me, and since you did, that’s my stance. Even if Greene turns out to be a solid player, we got a top 30 player for a rookie, an old PG and a future very late round pick (I can only assume). That’s a steal as long as Ron Ron can play more like No Lay-ups and less like Crazy Pills. I believe he can.
Prediction: 63-19

Memphis Grizzlies

[3 Shades of Blue]
Youthful exuberance and determination. This team could achieve quite a bit more than is expected of them simply because they don’t know any better. Top draft pick O.J. Mayo has been lauded for his drive to succeed and that attitude has visibly spread throughout the entire team. This collection of players doesn’t intend to lay down for anyone, no matter what the odds against them might appear to be. In that way, they remind me a lot of the youthful team that arrived in Memphis a mere 7 years ago.
Prediction: 28-54

New Orleans Hornets

[At The Hive]
Back up bigs. Behind Tyson Chandler, New Orleans literally has nobody. Third year player Hilton Armstrong was toeing the line between abysmal and I’ve-seen-high-schoolers-better-than-this-guy last season. Melvin Ely was pretty shabby himself. If an opponent can get Chandler in early foul trouble, the entire Hornets’ team will be thrown off kilter. It happened repeatedly last year, and there’s no reason to think anything has changed this season.
Prediction: 57-25

[Hornets Hype]
I say you can gauge excitement about a team by looking at how kids are reacting. Now, I fortunately happen to have firsthand evidence of this, since my “real” job involves kids. And I am telling you that kids in New Orleans LOVE Chris Paul. This crosses racial and socioeconomic boundaries. They worship him. Do not underestimate the impact of the whining, pleading, and begging of thousands of Chris Paul-enamored kids on parental willingness to spend the entertainment dollars on Hornets tickets. Especially because Chris Paul has been and continues to be clean cut, polite, and generally perfect from a marketing and PR perspective.
Prediction: 58-24

[Hornets247]
When I did some number crunching, I predicted 61 wins for the Hornets, and I’m tempted to stick with it, but like last year, when I got scared of predicting 50 wins after doing a similar number crunching, I’m going to drop it back 2 wins. In essence, the Hornets won 56 last year and have improved their team. Posey and Devin Brown are better than Pargo and a half-season of Bonzi Wells.
Prediction: 59-23

San Antonio Spurs

[48 Minutes of Hell]
The Spurs will continue to be one of the smartest teams in the league as well. Obviously the team’s intellectual prowess begins and ends with Popovich’s excellent coaching, but it extends throughout the entire squad. Tim Duncan is as cerebral a player you will find on the floor, and the upside of our much maligned “age” is that we are about as savvy a club as you will come across in the entire association. Prediction: 54-28

Random Posts

• October 26, 2009 -- Truth About It.net 2009-10 Washington Wizards TrueHoop Network Preview
• January 23, 2009 -- Poo-Poo Platter Game 42 Blog: Wizards at Lakers
• November 8, 2009 -- Wizards Game 7 vs. Phoenix Suns: What You Need To Know

While the DoJ’s Donaghy letter [via thesmokinggun.com] reads like a episode of the Sopranos, in real life, the story of Tim Donaghy is as trivial and dysfunctional as Growing Up Gotti.

Donaghy began dealing with James Battista and Thomas Martine, both of whom Donaghy knew from high school….[The trio met in December of '06 in Philly]….Donaghy indicated that although he would meet with Martino, Donaghy did not want to meet with Battista because Donaghy knew that Battista was a professional gambler…..When Martino arrived, Donaghy noticed that Battista was also in Martino’s car…..Battista then told Donaghy that he should provide his picks to Battista and Martino, and not to [Jack] Concannon [a prior gambling associate of Tim Donaghy]. Battista also told Donaghy that Battista “didn’t want the NBA to find out” about what Donaghy was doing…..At a later meeting back at Donaghy’s hotel……Battista told Donaghy that “you don’t want anyone from New York visiting your wife and kids.”

It’s your classic case of worse gets worser as Donaghy took the entertainment aspect out of gambling and towards a downward spiral gone overboard like Goldie Hawn in a thong (20-year-old movie reference kids).

The heart of this story started long ago at Cardinal O’Hara High School in the privileged white township of Springfield, Pennsylvania; about a dozen miles from the heart of Philadelphia. Why do I say privileged and white? Well, because the census [via wikipedia] says that Springfield is 96.6% white and only 1.9% of families are below the poverty line. But remember, if Mexico is America’s beard, then Philly (and it’s suburbs) is New Jersey’s dingle-berry…..not to mention that the Garden State is already America’s arm-pit. Confused? I don’t know how a dingle-berry got into your armpit either.

Donaghy, being a Kenny Rogers (not the pitcher) wanna-be, was associated with other wise guys from O’Hara High….such as James Battista (the Charles Barkley of Donaghy’s world, with mob ties, whose nickname is “Sheep”) and Thomas Martino. Martino by most accounts was not a mobster, rather your run-of-the-mill 42 year old douche-bag with a mullet, Lotus, and a MySpace page. Oh, did I mention that he co-owns(ed) a hair salon?

Being overtaken by the possessive Gamblor, Donaghy got in deep with his debts and was essentially forced not only down a slippery-slope, but a damn near 90 degree decline. The worst part is that Donoghy was only making about 10-30K per year (in dealings with his initial gambling partner, Jack Concannon). What did Kevin Garnett make this season? $22 million? So you’re telling me that the Big Ticket makes Donaghy’s dirty refereeing peanuts in the amount of time he spends cussing each day? As much fanfare as this case has received, and justifiably so, I am still not exactly wowed by this dollar amount.

But the part of note to Wizards fans from around the nation is the excerpt below from the DoJ’s letter:

For example, on December 26, 2006, Donaghy refereed a game in which the Washington Wizards hosted the Memphis Grizzlies. Donaghy originally informed Martino that he thought the Grizzlies would win. Just before the start of the game, however, an official NBA scorer entered the referees’ locker room and said that the Grizzlies were “all banged up.” Armed with this inside information concerning the physical condition of the Grizzlies, Donaghy called Martino and changed his pick to the Wizards. According to NBA records, the Wizards won 116-101

JakeTheSnake from Bullets Forever and Gilbertology had a good post on this subject, Referees, Gambling, Tim Donaghy, and how the Wizards fit in.

Thankfully, it doesn’t look like Donaghy’s bet made much of an impact on how he called the game. The Wizards roared out to 45-18 lead after the first quarter and they took a 77-51 lead into halftime. The 15 point closing margin was a byproduct of Chucky Atkins hot shooting in the 4th quarter that took the game from being a blowout to being just an ugly loss, so the game was never close enough for Dongahy’s subconscious to have an impact on the game. In fact if you check out the box score from the game, you’ll see that the Grizz actually got the free throw line 13 more times than the Wizards did.

While I agree with Jake’s assessment, I think you will be very hard pressed to find any empirical data which could be obtained from a box score that would indicate Tim Donaghy having an affect on the outcome of the game, subconsciously or not. And this would probably hold true for any of the NBA games in which Donaghy was involved on both a refereeing and insider information level.

Of course, this post could turn into a thesis on the power of the subconscious and the role of e
nvironmental conditioning. To circumvent, I’ll go ahead and suggest that you read ‘Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking’ by Malcolm Gladwell (it’s not the bible on the subject, just a great book….and it’s not like you haven’t heard of it, or perhaps read it by now — go read it again). So, the assumption is that referees are trained to instinctively make decisions within the blink of an eye. But the conclusion is that calls are not only the result of years of honing an expertise, but also a side effect of personal biases, which varies by individual at an immeasurable percent; the lower the percent, the better the referee……in theory.

The art of refereeing a sporting competition can be a highly subjective act, seemingly even more so in the game of basketball. That’s one reason why I agree with Jeff Van Gundy on eliminating disqualifications after six fouls in the NBA (or five in college and FIBA)…but I’m digressing as that’s neither here nor there and best be saved for a future post.

The available surface evidence does not point to Tim Donaghy having an impact on that December ’06 match-up between the Grizzlies and the Wizards. And if I had a copy of the game tape to analyze, I’m not sure if I would find anything there either. Maybe the Wizards were just on fire (going 10-18 from 3-point land), and the Grizzlies just sucked (turning the ball over 25 times). Which made me curious as to why the hell Donaghy initially chose the Grizzlies to win in the first place? As Jake pointed out, at the time the Wizards were eight greater in the win column and 10 fewer in the loss column than Memphis, and had won 10 of their previous 13 games.

Who knows? Perhaps after the Wizards jumped out to a 45-18 lead after one quarter, and then kept up the drumming to the tune of a 26 point lead at the half, Donaghy felt that it was getting a little two obvious as the Wizards were favored by seven. After all, the halftime FT discrepancy was in favor of the Wizards, 16-14. Only in the second half did the Grizzlies gain the FT lead by attempting 23 free throws to eight for Washington. A tactic to keep the game close? I don’t know who made the calls.

My point is that while I don’t believe Donaghy had a significant impact on the game, he certainly had an affect, even if he himself was not aware. The human subconscious is a powerful tool. When factoring in threats to his family, aside from his personal financial interests, it’s virtually impossible that Donaghy’s inner biases were not an exponentially greater factor than the normal subjectiveness of NBA referees. Wanna bet?

Random Posts

• January 7, 2009 -- Stan Van Gundy Chews Markers (Num, Num, Num, Num)
• November 13, 2008 -- Wizards vs. Jazz Game 6 Recap: Breaking The Dagger Seal
• May 29, 2010 -- Don’t Forget That Carmelo Anthony Is A Celebrity Too.

Bullets Forever with tonight’s game preview.

I’m not going to talk about that other game, you know which one (this needs to be my only memory). I’m just confident that everything is going to add up tonight. The Wiz will return to their defensive ways. Yeah, the Grizz may score a lot, but it should not be easy for them. Memphis will have to work on offense, which will make an already sorry defensive team even worse.

A couple quick Washington Wizard links:

DC Sports Bog Video: Antonio Daniels has a hard nose. He would also like to tell the children to dress well. And one thing I learn from the AD’s video is that I’m one up on an NBA player in something……I got 10,000+ songs on my ipod…and that can take on your 9,000 any day Antonio. You hear me son? That’s a challenge.

A Bullets Forever reader provided a link to this good Sporting News article on the relationship of Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison – some nice torch-passing going on here.

Gilbert Arenas owes Oleksiy Pecherov some Fogo De Chao. Holler at me when ya’ll go, that’s my joint.

Now let’s start the show…..

1st Quarter

The Wiz don’t eff around on D to start…and get a 5-0 lead in the first 1.5 minutes. Active hands, sneaky steals, and great ball pressure.

Ha! The Grizz are only sending that sucka Darko to the offensive glass…good luck with that. Oh yea, Pau Gasol is out tonight. Makes no difference to me, I think Pau is a softy….as Gasol displayed in a game against the Hornets earlier this year.

9:00 – Butler just tried to take Mike Miller down low. He posted up and got great position almost right under the basket, but was unable to convert after receiving the entry pass. But that’s what I like to see! I’ve been wanting Tuff Juice to muscle cats all year.

7:47 – JCN just got a three look that was a little too open. Luckily, he missed. Surprisingly, these two teams are having a little bit trouble scoring right now….just over 5 minutes in and it’s only 7-2 Wizards. That is, until Mr. Gay comes calling.

6:36 – Pick and roll between Stevenson and Haywood works to perfection…AND a dunk right in Mike Miller’s facial, plus Miller commits his second foul and has to sit. Maybe this Bullets Forever thing is working out. 11-4 Wiz.

Phil Chenier notices the Wizard hand activity. First timeout.

5:30 – Wiz stay balling like Indo G (random Memphis rapper reference) out the timeout….forced turnover leads to points.

4:40 – I think the Griz just committed their 8th turnover which leads to a Jamison bucket on the other end as he literally snatched an offensive board away from a Grizzly and got the put-back. 18-4 Wizards.

3:14 – Although they only have 2, the Wizards have been crashing the offensive boards hard. BTH also starts the game with 7 points and 4 rebounds before Blatche gives him a rest.

2:25 – Not good coming back…Andray Blatche is leaving the floor with the trainer. He can walk on his own, but with a limp. That’s what I’m saying….the injury bug is always just around the corner. At least this doesn’t look serious.

1:40 – Okie Doke! Butler threw a perfect pump fake to Darko and that dude went flying. Butler went on to sink a smooth Ice Man-like layup. If he ain’t anything now, Darko will never be good. Is it finally time to officially give Joe Dumars the full business for that one?

Dominic McGuire is in early. I like to see Eddie change it up with the young guys…in terms of when they check in. You’ll see a lot of coaches follow some type of schedule. But with EJ’s method…hopefully the kids will learn that they always need to be ready because they never know when their name will be called.

AB is back….the report is a mild ankle sprain.

0:00.6 – Wow….don’t see that too often. As the quarter clock was just about to expire, The Lock Smith tossed up a runner from half-court. But after the release, he gets clocked by Bobby Jones. The foul is called and DeShawn hits all 3 FTs to give the Wiz a 30-9 lead after 1. Nice work.

2nd Quarter

10:23 – And then the kids go bad…D-Mac with two straight turnovers. Plus, Butler picks up his second foul early and must sit.

3 is not a good number for the Wizards to start the 2nd. In the first 3 minutes, the Wiz get outscored (3 x 2) to zero and have 3 turnovers. Plus, in addition to Butler with those 2 fouls, AD and AJ already have 2 as well. That’s 3 guys with 2 fouls.

8:00 – Eddie sits AD after he picks up his 3rd. The Wiz wake up….a little…..after a Kyle Lowry J, it’s 35-19. (Still, a 10-5 Grizzly run)

Scoring has picked up a little for both teams, 13 total points in the last 2 minutes.

I’ve always thought that Kyle Lowry was a better player than Conley (right now at least), but I guess the investment is in Conley. Lowry must be doing a decent job as the Grizzlies have yet to turn the ball over in the 2nd. But Conley was not really responsible for their 8 so far as he has 0 while Gay and Navarro have 3 a piece.

The Wiz picked up 3 turnovers early in the 2nd, but two of those were D-Mac’s in the first couple minutes of the 2nd. Washington is able to build a 20 point lead at 46-26 with 4:40 left in the quarter.

3:10 – Had to happen sooner or later, 2 straight turnovers by Memphis leads to 4 Wizard points, 52-31.

2:19 – Mid- range jumper by Haywood…..on his grown-man-BI. 13 points and 5 rebounds for BTH.

1:11 –
Now is the point where I think it’s a mistake not to play Nick Young or Oleksiy Pecherov. As I’ve noticed before, Nick’s psyche seems to be affected when he gets into games late. So…..with AD on the bench with 3 and both Butler and Jamison with 2….in addition to an 20 point lead, why not know?

Probably because Eddie Jordan is an NBA coach and I am not…..and with a quick scoring team like the Grizzlies, I can easily see the youngsters letting things get out of hand. Can’t blame Eddie, but I still wonder.

A minute left and Andray Blatche is back in, so that’s a good thing.

Mike Conley is quick though…I can see the Tony Parker comparisons. He’s able to get a step just about whenever he wants.

A Stevenson 3 miss ends the 2nd. Definitely would’ve liked to see a better play, having the ball with 10 seconds left on the clock…..but I’ll take a 59-38 lead going into the half.

Half Stat Guts:

• The 9 points that Memphis had in the first quarter — a Washington franchise low for an opponent
• 11 turnovers for Memphis, 6 for DC
• Assists are 13-4 in favor of the Wizards
• 55.6% FG for DC, 36.1% coming from Beale Street
• The Griz were 10-19 from 3 point land in that first game, they’re 2-11 at the half tonight

3rd Quarter

11:14 – Conley goes out early with a shoulder…didn’t exactly see how he hurt it. I think Caron fouled him going for a steal. That Tuff Juice, it’ll bite ya.

8:51 – AJ 3 as the offensive rebound tip, partially hit by Haywood, landed right in his hands. AJ pulled that trigger so quick…I think he was already into his shooting motion before the ball got to him.

8:24 – Jamison just picked up an offensive foul, his 3rd. Butler and Antonio each have 3 as well.

7:15 – The 3rd has a sloppy feel to it for the Wizards. The once 21 point lead is down to 16 at 70-54.

Does Steve Buckhantz really need explaining as to why Ji Jianlian has more all-star votes than Caron or Jamison? Thankfully, Phil Chenier is gracious enough to give him one…The World Is Flat.

6:02 – Mike Miller trey cuts that lead to 13 at 74-61. Kyle Lowry is really playing well. He’s got 4 assists so far in the 3rd, 6 total in the game. Eddie Jordan timeout.

5:02 – AJ nails a 3. 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for the soon-to-be All-Star.

Steve Buck says something that I really don’t like to hear: The Wizards have committed 7 turnovers in the first 7 minutes of the 3rd. Gotta clean up the slop.

Still, it’s an 18 point Wizard lead at 79-61.

3:54 – Big Block by Andray. The Cleaner doesn’t like none of that mess Kyle Lowry.

3:37 – Pecherov comes in to keep Jamison fresh. OP immediately gives up a foul AND1 to Warrick.

3:02 – The White Hole got burned on the rotation….c’mon son, those slow feet will get you dunked on by…what? Darko Milicic? 79-66 Wiz.

2:11 – Blatche with a charge draw, he’s got good feet…and doesn’t even realize it. He’ll learn though.

1:03 – And the Grizzlies stay closer as Mike Miller hits a 3. No one was even close to him. The quarter ends and the Wizards are up 84-71.

The Grizzlies exerted a lot of energy out-scoring the Wiz by 8 in the 3rd. Time to guard the grill and knuckle up.

4th Quarter

Nick Young is in the game. Hopefully he won’t try to force anything. Mike Conley will not return tonight.

11:04 – Rudy Gay 3 makes it an 8 point game. 84-76. Not sure I like the lineup of Blatche, Jamison, Pecherov, Young and Stevenson. Not good to bat 2-5 on Defense, especially against this team.

Lead gets as low as 6 before Tuff Juice takes over. He hits a jumper to make it 88-80 and then gets a big block on the other end.

8:44 – Nick Young 3…smooth Rookie, smooth. Lead is back to double-Ds at 11.

7:40 – Good ol’ AJ. He “veteraned” Warrick into a foul as he tried some crazy hook/scoop shot, going under Hakim’s arm…the ref didn’t have a choice but to blow the whistle. 1 FT keeps it at 11, 92-81 Wiz.

6:57 - #58 and #59 consecutive made FTs for Caron Butler, 94-81 Wiz. This game is a grinder now.

I can actually hear the crowd in the Verizon Center tonight….”Let’s Go Wizards! Clap-Clap-Clap-Clap-Clap”

5:32 – FT #60 for Caron (tech foul on Lowry).

4:18 – AJ offensive rebound and put back. 102-81 Wizards. Really, who else fights, battles, and scraps more than Antawn Jamison? All-Star no doubt.

3:01 – D-Mac checks in for AJ…Another routine double-double — 24 points and 11 rebounds.

2:37 – Timeout…it ain’t over yet. 102-87 after 2 straight JCN threes.

0:00 – The Wiz hold on to finish the Griz, 104-93. Came short of the Bullets Forever 206 over/under.

Check out the box score for the stats.

My boy Adam sent me a text that he’s pretty happy how the Wizards took the Memphis comeback well. Me? Not so much. It’s fine if the Griz get hot, but Washington really could have gone without the sloppiness to start the 3rd. But it’s not a perfect world, a win is a win, and I’m thankful for how it is.

Well folks, that’s the halfway point of the season. 41 games up, 41 games down. 23-18 will do. In fact, it will more than do. Congrats on a great first half Wizards. Keep that motivation up for the 2nd half of the season.

Eddie Jordan Post Game Quotes:

• “We won, we did enough to win, and we have to get better.”
• “We got the lead and we just didn’t manage the game properly.”
• “We just have problems right now with a quicker, smaller lineup. We saw that against Houston, we saw that tonight.”
• “You gotta contain the ball.”

Doesn’t sound like a happy coach, huh? And therein lies the problem. Aside from DeShawn Stevenson, what other Wizard guard can really play defense? Hell, including DeShawn, what Wizard guard has quick feet on defense? No one.

The Wizards are not going to shut down anyone with individual D, rather, team D is the key. But team D starts with commitment from individuals. Antonio Daniels, being the vet, is always going to work hard on D…even though he cannot keep up with smaller, quicker guards. DeShawn, same thing. Roger Mason…you know he is going to try, he’s playing for his life. Nick Young? Ick. I’m just satisfied with a whole-hearted effort from him.

You see, it circles back to our friend Gilbert Arenas. Can he do the things that Eddie just talked about? Manage the game, work with his teammates on D (instead of constantly playing Kenny Rogers in the passing lane)….we will see.

Random Posts

• January 21, 2010 -- Reliving A Night of Rogue Tuff Juice
• November 30, 2007 -- Linked In – Kobe, Kwame, Timmy & The Onion
• July 19, 2010 -- Looking Back on John Wall’s Summer League

SideBar: My Campaign for Chris Paul, Western Conference All-Star Starter — I don’t care who you put with him, Kobe…Steve Nash….Baron Davis…..Deron Williams, just put them with Chris Paul.

CP3 – New Orleans – 2008 – It’s only right. (And you may recall my previous thoughts about Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd)

Oh yea, back to the WHY….

Caught the end of the New Orleans Hornets-Memphis Grizzlies game last night. Here’s the deal: Game in OT….tied @ 116 and the ball is in Chris Paul’s hands. Mind you , he has a career high in points at this junction (he finished with 43). The Hornets isolate for him, Tyson Chandler comes up to set a high screen and Chris Paul takes it to the hoop for the deuce layin with a couple ticks left. Hornets up 118-116.

Such a gutsy move. Something you’d expect from Kobe, MJ, Gilbert Arenas…(don’t worry, I’m not actually comparing Chris Paul to any of those guys)…but the way he took the ball to the rim, strong. And how he was able to get through traffic for a layup with the clock winding down. Now, you’re saying, “oh yea”…you just remembered, Chris Paul is a 6-0, 175 lb. superstar who just commanded the ball to the rack.

Wait…what happened to that Pau Gasol guy? Yea…we’ll here’s the thing. He went off for the game (26, 10 & 7). He played with a black eye. He was “Antawn Jamison-like” crafty around the rim. Even did the double-arm pinch-jersey-flip after scoring a big bucket during regulation.

But no, with ’bout 1.8 left, after the Grizzlies called timeout and advance the ball, Gasol catches the inbounds pass, tries to flip it to a rookie, Kyle Lowry, in the corner (after he sees the double team coming), but ends up bobbling the ball out of bounds.

Game.
Over.

No stupor-star, when you catch the rock where you got it, you display strong hands regardless of the double team. You pump fake…. get fouled….take it to the basket…whatever. You don’t try to touch pass to a rook.

Moral of the story: vote for Chris Paul, NBA All-Star.

Random Posts

• July 8, 2008 -- Brendan Todd Haywood: Washington Wizards Player Evaluation
• January 6, 2012 -- Gilbert Arenas Is 30 Years Old
• November 8, 2007 -- Keys to Game #4 – Washington Wizards @ New Jersey Nets

Anyway, the big games tonight: The Wizards against the Memphis Grizzlies will be on the main TV, but I’ll also have Missouri-Kansas and the Iron Bowl (Auburn-Alabama for those not in the know) on the side TVs. I’m not exactly sure how I will concentrate, but I’ll give it a try.

First of all, tough loss last night to Golden State. The usual Wiz issues on D….starting with the inability to guard opposing superstar guards (much less 2nd fiddle guards) and the inability to cover the 3-point line. Of course, the Warriors can be a devastating 3-point shooting team for anyone to stop. Oh well, that’s all in the past.

Tonight’s game: as usual, Bullets Forever has the good opening run-down. The rookie Mike Conley from Ohio State is out with a shoulder injury, but I can still see Damon Stoudamire and Kyle Lowry giving the Wiz guards fits. Really, watch out for Lowry, he can hurt ya in more ways than one. Darko sat out last night against the Spurs with a thumb…not sure if he will play tonight. Regardless, the Wiz need to get physical with the Griz down low. Both Euros, Gasol and Darko can be soft…and Stromile Swift is capable of being a disappearing act. Oh, and don’t forget, this will be the first up-close view of Juan Carlos “La Bomba” Navarro for Wizards fans tonight. With his bad D, I’m still okay with trading him…although I’ll keep my stance that I think Ernie Gruns got gipped with all of that draft protection BS. Navarro has started off slow this season, but his time has increased in the last 5 games…while averaging 13.6 ppg, albeit, 28 of those points came against the Hornets on Nov. 16 when he went 8-9 from 3-point land. He seems like a sneaky SOB, Wiz need to keep an eye on him.

Just in…the Wiz will debut the Gold & Black Unis tonight. Steve Buckhantz informs us that the Wiz were 8-7 in those jerseys last season.

1st Quarter

Darko is out…La Bomba starts with Gasol, Rudy Gay, Mike Miller & Mighty Mouse Stoudamire.

10:00 - Gasol gets an easy offensive rebound…the Wiz just aren’t making contact to box anyone out.

Again with the ‘Scores for Schools’ BS….Irene and Abe Pollin are only donating $500 dollars tonight since Gilbert is out for the road game. Hello? Do I need to remind people that’s only 5 points worth in donations? This is some straight cheap-o crap. Schools are going to get nothing but hosed while Gilbert is out. I’m sorry, I know it’s found money that they never had before, but still…I think these richie-riches…and yes, I’m also talking to you Gil, can afford a little more than $500 per game.

8:49 – Brendan Haywood muscles Gasol for a spin and dunk….and then La Bomba with a 3 on the other end.

5:55 – La Bomba with some dribble penetration and a dish to Gasol for a wide-open two at the FT line. Phil Chenier just said that the Wiz need to contain that dribble penetration.

TV Timeout – Wizards up 12-11.

DeShawn 1 of 2 FTs, he’s 13-22 on the season. Way to go…2 guard.

5:20 – More dribble penetration by Stoudamire opens up Gay for a made jumper.

4:26 – A developing theme: Mike Miller drive baseline in transition and hits La Bomba for another 3, game tied at 16. The Wiz guards just don’t make it easy for the Wiz big men to protect the basket, do they?

2:05 – This is getting ridiculous, Stoudamire drive and dish to Gasol for a dunk. Game tied at 20, only cause the Wiz are scrappy on the offensive end.

TV Timeout – The Wiz are shooting 56.3% compared to 37.5% for the Grizzlies, but the Griz have been able to get off 8 more FG attempts. Why? Rudy Gay has 4 of the Memphis’ 6 offensive rebounds himself. That’s just way too much to give up at this point in the game.

Blatche in the game to give Haywood a rest.

0:31 - Rudy Gay is on fire…maybe ‘Tuff Juice isn’t up to the task. 10 points on 5-6 shooting for Rudy.

The first ends with the game tied at 26.

2nd Quarter

Nick Young in the game, along with Songaila. They join AD, Blatche and Jamison. The Wiz start out active on D, allowing them to get 4 quick points.

9:59 - Timeout Eddie Jordan….the Grizzlies are getting transition baskets way too easily off of Wizards turnovers. 30-28 Wiz.

9:40 – Roger Mason nails his first shot, an open 3. He checked in for AD a second ago.

9:17 – Blatche holds his ground and draws a charge on Hakim Warrick, really nice to see him get smart positioning with his feet and put his body on the line.

8:22 – Songaila dives, hustles, and flows for a loose ball — he’s the only one with playing with energy on D — the ball is recovered by the Wiz, outlet to Nick Young in transition, who does a good job to draw the foul and make both FTs.

Little better effort on D…monster block on Gay by Andray. When Rudy recovers, Caron Butler steps up and makes him miss a very tough shot.

7:02 - Of course, all that doesn’t mean that Gay still isn’t on fire. He hits an open 3, Wiz up 37-31.

Auburn is up 10-0 on Bama by the way….and Missouri in on the verge of cracking the eggs in that game.

5:02 – La Bomba for 3. It’s like the Wizards totally forgot about him…leaving him wide-open a little less than 3 feet beyond the arc.

…and Mizzou scores, up 7-0 on Kansas.

Timeout – Wiz up 41-38. The Grizzlies have already attempted 15 3s, making 5 of them. I’m not quite sure how the Wizards are even ahead.

Daniels, Butler, Songaila, Blatche, DeShawn in the game.

3:27 – Lowry goes end to end for a lay-up…no one even touches him. Griz go on an 8-0 run to take their first lead, 43-41.

Navarro has a crazy runner that he shots with his right hand while fading to his left…seems like it’d be impossible to stop.

2:37 - Timeout Wiz – Mike Miller, as the trailer in transition, hits a 3. 11-0 Grizzlies run, hurried shots for the Wiz on offense. I can go on and on. Griz up 48-43.

1:50 – Yuck…AD misses a 3…BAD. AJ gets the bound and a two….then AJ
gets a three after a Mike Miller turnover. Back to a tie game at 50. Jamison has 17 already.

Songaila can sh0ot…he’s hustles when he’s in the game…but I wish he could just finish the damn ball down-low.

The half ends with a DeShawn driving lay-up that allows the Wiz to retake the lead, 53-50.

The Wiz are shooting 57.5% compared to 43.8% by the Griz. Pretty much the reason why they are in the game.

But…the Grizzlies have been able to take 8 more shots. And wow, they’ve attempted 18 3 pointers, making 6. The Wiz are damn lucky that it hasn’t been more. 10 offensive rebounds by the Griz isn’t good. Turnovers and assists are relatively even between the two teams. You know, it’s fine if the Wiz want to let Memphis score from the outside, rather than inside. But in the second half, they really need to contest shots and stop the transition game of the Grizzlies.

Navarro vs. Deeee-Shawn – La Bomba has 17 points, Stevenson has 5.

Rudy Gay vs. Caron – 13 points on 6-12 shooting for Gay, also 5 rebounds; Caron has 8 on 4-8 along with 3 boards and 2 assists.

3rd Quarter

Bama is on the board, down 10-7. Mizzou has a 2 TD lead.

I really hope the Wizards find a way to resign Antawn Jamison. He is always going to be a scorer. Hell, he already has all the slick old man tricks up his sleeve. Could you imagine how nice it would be to bring him off the bench a couple years down the road?

Wiz try to go to Haywood early…he seems to be able to back down Gasol easily, but settles for a baseline hook that he misses. I’d like to see him get even lower, perhaps get Gasol off his feet.

10:24 – Tip rebound good for Jamison, he is all over the place.

Phil and Steve wonder if there is extra motivation for Navarro after the Spaniard hits a lay-up….Buck seems to think so, but I would contest. He should be thankful that the Wizards traded him to play with his boy Pau Gasol. If anything, he’s playing like he wants to show out to the whole league….not necessarily just trying to stick it to the Wizards. Seems like more than not, the pros see it as just another game because they want to show out in every game.

(As I type, La Bomba hits another 3, of course…game tied at 60)

[I then went on to read the following quote from Navarro in the Washington Post: "It's a special game," Navarro said before the game. "They picked me in the draft and I want to play good against them for that reason." -- well good for you....jerk]

7:42 – Jamison is scoring in every way imaginable….scoop lay-up in transition after a Navarro 3 miss. He’s 12-15 from the field with 26 points. ‘Tuff Juice needs to get going if the Wizards want to win the game.

5:51 - Mike Miller 3, 9th make for the Grizzlies on 23 attempts from 3 point land.

One thing I can say for the Wizards tonight is that they really seem to be passing the ball well. With Gilbert out, all the guys are more than willing to share the scoring duties with each other. Ok, now that I said that…can someone else please score besides Jamison? He has 28 points and there are no other Wizards in double figures.

Well…at least the Wizards are giving Gasol a hard time down low. When he’s indecisive, they are swarming him and forcing Pau into doing something stupid.

4:06 - Sweet reverse slam by Butler, Griz try a long outlet pass, but Daniels is paying attention, gets the steal and sticks it to Blatche for a lay-in. Wizards 8-0 run, up 5, 74-69.

Buck says the Wiz have 44 of their 74 points in the paint so far.

7-0 run by the Griz, who take the lead 76-74. This is really a back and forth game full of runs.

1:47 - Rudy Gay 3 from the corner, 20 points for him. Is it really that hard to find the shooters in transition? The scoring run is up to 11-0 for the Griz.

1:02 – Nick Young ends the drought with a J, his first FG of the game. Wiz down 4, 80-76.

Kyle Lowry is very adept at getting into the lane. He draws a foul with 0:00.3 left in the quarter and makes both FTs. And he’s actually not a bad rebounder for his size…6-0, 175 pounds….he’s averaging 4.3 boards per game for the season. I have him in some fantasy leagues…and I’d love it if he got more than 24.8 minutes per game.

Griz up 82-78 going into the 4th.

4th Quarter

11:05 – Nick Young’s good pressure on Mike Miller..on the ball and off…leads to a Griz turnover. Unfortunately, Andray picks up the loose ball and tries to push it in transition which leads to the Wiz turning the ball right back over. I’m fine with Blatche trying to run, but he MUST be more aware of his surroundings and not let someone come from behind and tip the ball away.

Blatche is just not hitting his shots tonight, 3-8 from the field. He seems a little rushed….or forcing it.

9:42 – Butler 3 miss…who is there to pick him up? Who else? Antawn Jamison with the tip of course. Wiz down 7, 89-82.

9:01 – Roger Mason with a BIG 3 after a Warrick deuce. Mason Jr. has 7 off the bench….just wish he didn’t have those two sloppy turnovers. Wiz down 91-85. Timeout on the floor.

8:01 - Hook by Stro Swift puts the Griz up 10…this game is on the verge of getting out of hand for the Wizards.

Fast break points tonight: 25 for the Griz, 15 for the Wiz. I’d say that’s the difference in the game.

6:25 – La Bomba step back 3…28 points for him. And basically, a mini-dagger unless the Wiz get their shhhh together. Griz up 99-87.

Not sure what’s wrong with Caron Butler tonight. His mid-range wasn’t falling earlier, so he’s been trying to go inside, but it just hasn’t been working for him there either. 6-16 FG for Butler, 2-2 from the FT line.

Brendan (I almost called him Brenda) Haywood only has 2 rebounds in 18 minutes.

This 3 point crap is ridiculous, Grizzlies are 11-27 from the arc tonight.

5:55 – 33 points for AJ after a 3….he’s still working.

AD does have 7 assists, 7 points, 5 rebounds and ZERO turnovers…that’s about all you can ask of him.

5:14 - 3 point And1 play by Butler, still only down 10.

The Grizzlies are starting to pile up the FTs too. How on earth can a team that’s shot so many threes be 20-23 from the line while the Wiz are 10-12?

4:14 - Down 8 after Haywood makes 1 of 2 FTs…Nick Young hit a 3 before.
<
br />3:50 – “Back-Breaker” comment from Steve Buckhantz after a Rudy Gay 3.

3:18 - Butler breakaway dunk miss (he’s fouled hard by Lowry…who pretty much swatted Caron’s arm as Butler was just about to the rim). Butler looked at the kid like, “You little MF, if you EVER do that again…” Thanks Haywood for jumping in the lane on Butler’s 2nd FT make.

2:55 - Mike Miller 3, Griz up 111-98. Steve Buck won’t say it, but I will……”DAGGER!!”

Has DeeShawn even been in the game during the 4th quarter?

This just in: Donovan McNabb will be throwing-up from home during this weekend’s Eagles-Patriots game.

Missouri still up 14-0, Auburn still up 10-7

2:35 – A Daniels 3 works as a temporary defibrillator…Griz lead cut to 9.

2:12 – 3 point play by AJ.

1:48 – Gasol 2….Wiz can’t get a stop with they need one, down 10.

1:02 - Butler slick pass to AJ (the Griz just lost him, don’t know how) for 2. Butler steal…and a THREE! Wizards down 5, 115-110. Timeout.

Ok, Wiz…rattle the Grizzlies on D!! Problem is, Memphis is a great FT shooting team and they’ve been in the bonus for just-about ever.

Kyle Lowry driving layup with 0:37 left (he took up pretty much all the time off the shot clock). I TOLD you about this kid. He’s been doing that crap all night.

Daniels misses a wide-open layup on the other end and the Wiz have to foul. Down 9 with 28 seconds left.

Isn’t it nice to know that a lot of hard work can be easily negated with silly turnovers and bad misses? Game slippage, plain and simple. Jamison stepped up. Butler tried. Mason had 10 off the bench…and that’s about it. Steve Buck reminds me that the next two games are at Dallas and at San Antonio. Gee, thanks Steve.

Another 3 by Caron Butler…that’s two for him in the past 7 seconds. The Wizard are down 5, but only :21.9 left. Of course, all that quiet-ness I talked about Caron, he’s got 27 now. Much of it, I believe, is too little, too late.

Mizzou up 21-zip by the way… I was hoping that game would be good. Oh well, there’s always the Iron Bowl.

Jamison & Butler have 26 of the Wizards 38 points in the 4th quarter.

Wow, Jamison 2 cuts it to 4 with 13 seconds left…foul on Memphis, Wizards ball.

Well, so much for that..Nick Young missed a 3 at the top of the key…Griz FTs, game over. The Wizards lose 124-118 while giving the Grizzlies their 4th win of the season.

Ahh..Kansas finally scored. I’m off to watch football.

3 POINTERS, 3 POINTERS, 3 POINTERS!!

The Grizzlies end up 13-29 from 3….of course, the Wizards ended up 10-19 cause they were playing from behind.

The differences: The Wizards were out-rebounded and shot 14-18 from the FT line, while the Grizzlies shot 29-33 from the line.

At least Jamison showed up with 41 points, missing only 4 shots, and 11 rebounds. Butler had amazing numbers, 27 points, 5 steals, 6 assists and 7 rebounds (5 turnovers by the way)….but he just didn’t seem to have as much influence on the game as Wizards fans would have liked.

I really don’t think this loss would be as frustrating if the next two games were against the Kings and the Knicks instead of the Mavericks and the Spurs. Oh well……

Random Posts

• May 20, 2009 -- The Mortician of Wizards Draft Lottery Luck
• March 24, 2009 -- Wizards Lottery Ball Memes: The Rundown
• December 18, 2009 -- Dissecting Caron Butler’s Inefficient Offense Part 1