After a horrible start, the Wizards, a rather dysfunctional team themselves, came back to beat the New Jersey Nets, the worst team in the NBA. Good for them. For the 81-79 win, Flip Saunders need the 5’5″ Earl Boykins, a mid-November pick-up, to hit a jumper with 0.4 seconds left. Jarvis Hayes, a former Washington Wizard, badly missed a shot at the buzzer for the Nets.

The secondary storyline to the Earl of Last-Second Heroics is the fact that not one of the Wizards’ starters, Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood, scored in double figures, something that hasn’t happened to an NBA team so far this season and perhaps beyond.

The starters combined to shoot 15-42 from the field and not one of them finished with a positive plus/minus (-14, -1, -7, -11 and -5 respectively in the previously given order).

Other the other hand, the reserves, Boykins, DeShawn Stevenson, Nick Young, Andray Blatche and Fabricio Oberto, were responsible for 43 of the Wizards’ 81 points. Boykins (15), Young (10) and Blatche (14) were the double-figure scorers for Washington and each reserve finished with a positive plus/minus (+17, +4, +7, +13 and +7 respectively in the previously given order).

So in a season where just about anything has happened on and off the court, Wizards fans, the ones who are left, have been exposed to yet another new adventure. At least this time their team won. Read more »

{Post Game Locker Room Video}

{Best Web Cuts}

There’s so much out there on the web … to filter through it all, I provide the best web cuts from the Wizards-Nets game:

[Mike Jones - Wizards Outlet, Washington Times]

Andray Blatche was feeling good tonight, and for good reason. After the game he got dressed in a snazy suit and tie, accented by giant diamond studs and to top it off, a pair of dark shades. He playfully strutted through the locker room and joked that he didn’t feel like doing an interview, then bust into a laugh and sat down and said, “Alright, let me get for real. What’s up, y’all?”

[Jake Whitacre - Bullets Forever]

Read more »

Andray Blatche looked more comfortable than he ever has in a Wizards uniform en route to a new career high 30 points and a Wizards 123-104 win against New Jersey. Sure, he had Yi Jianlian and Eduardo Najera guarding him. But Wiz fans are used to Blatche being his own worst enemy, and not necessarily a Halloween nightmare to whomever is guarding him.

After the game, Flip Saunders praised Blatche for his methodical offensive movement, his ability to read the defense, and overall, his consistency to this point of the season. But no one is going to get too excited over the Blatche they’ve seen so far.

“As a player you have to understand that every game is a building block. I hope he continues to give us that consistency offensively but more importantly defensively,” said Saunders. When asked about the visions of Blatche that people haven’t seen before, Saunders responded, “He hadn’t seen it either.”

On media day, Blatche spoke first and foremost (and second-most) about a summertime concentration on his jump shot. One couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Is that really what he should be talking about?’

Evidently so. With the fluidity and smoothness seen in his jumper on Saturday night, it’s easy to understand why he was bragging so much about the work he’s put in.

Read more »

Ok, Halloween Night, at the Verizon, ready for the Wiz to make up for last night’s loss in Atlanta. Unfortunately, the Wizards didn’t just lose the game, but they lost Caron Butler too.

Butler had an MRI and X-Ray today that revealed no structural damage; the diagnosis was a bruised kneecap. Before the game, Flip Saunders said he expected Butler to be back in the lineup against the Cavs in Cleveland on Tuesday. The official injury report is that he’s day-to-day.

In Caron’s place, Randy Foye will start; Mike Miller will move to the three-spot. Arenas obviously still starts at the point and Fabricio Oberto and Brendan Haywood will hold down the front court.

I spoke to Foye before the game. He said it will be a little bit different on out the court with the starters, but he will have the same mindset to play his game … be aggressive on offense, execute plays, and play hard on defense.

Foye will likely matchup against New Jersey’s Courtney Lee. He said he played against Lee last year and knows he’s a slasher who also likes to shot the corner three. His main goal, as with most any defensive assignment, is to make it tough on Lee before he gets to ball so that he can’t get in a good position to score.

Read more »

flickr/The CJM

On draft night, there were many frustrated rumblings on Bullets Forever over Ernie Grunfeld failing to land (or go after) Vince Carter. Not only that, but Carter was allowed to go to the reigning Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic.

With Hedo Turkoglu opting out, unlikely to return to Orlando, who knows if the Magic will be better off with Carter … many assume yes. I’ll be curious to see if Stan Van Gundy uses Carter similarly within the offense as he did Turkoglu, creating for others off the high pick and roll.

And if Rasheed Wallace goes to Orlando (which probably means that baby ‘Sheed is backing off demands of $8 million a year), they could be very scary. Tumultuous with Wallace the home-wrecker, buy scary nonetheless.

But in terms of the Wizards, should Grunfeld have gone after Carter?

Point

Read more »

[photo source: flickr/dskciado]

This is Eduardo Alonso Nájera Pérez, a Mexican victim. Probably not of the swine flu, but definitely a victim of capitalist America’s NBA luxury tax, which is designed in a rather socialist manner to penalize those who spend more money.

Many have wondered where Denver would be if they still had Marcus Camby, who was sold to the Clippers for a 2nd round pick. But watching the energy, hustle, and scrapiness of the Nuggets, led by the Birdman Anderson, it’s easy to see how a big like Nájera might fit better than the frail Camby.

Nuggets coach George Karl hated to see the Big Mexican sign a 4-year $12 million contract with the Nets this past summer, but Kiki had an edict from cost-cutting owner Stan Kroenke (even though anyone might question giving that much to a 32-year old). Still, Kroenke and his wife, a Wal-Mart heir, are both on the Forbes billionaires list (Kroenke is ranked 205 and worth a meager $3 billion).

It’s clear that Denver misses a big man to compete with the Lakers. But I’m here to say that the playoffs as a whole misses the Mexican from Chihuahua, the 10th most marketable player in the NBA.

Read more »

The Wizards are hemorrhaging and the sharks are in the water. When a team is in the crapper, opposing trade ideas get delusional.

The Wiz are in a unique situation of futility. They are dealing with crucial injuries that would be a critical blow to any other team. (Do I appreciate the job that Eddie Jordan & Co. did last year even more? Yes I do.)

That being said, it’s evident that even if 100% healthy, the Wizards are pieces short of being a championship contender.

Does all this mean that Ernie Grunfeld, on whom the heat has been increasing lately, should push the panic button and just start making trades? Maybe and maybe not.

In either case, Grunfeld is the patient type of GM who bides his time, ignoring irrationality…..I can’t say the same for opposing fans.

Read more »

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

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

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

Dee Brown FYI

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

Read more »

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

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

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

Q1

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

Read more »

This Wizards team has me changing directions more times than Jack Nicholson in that maze scene at the end of The Shining. Turn one corner and things look familiarly optimistic…..turn another and I wonder if I’ve just gone in a full circle….returning to the mid-90s. I look down and I’m wearing a red Bullets Starter jacket and some Tims. I grab my DiscMan, pop in Return To The 36 Chambers, and it’s time to go to school.

Uhhh…..no. It’s Thursday morning and I have the privilege of working at a desk in a building all day. Hey, at least my pockets are straight…..well, more like wrinkled with the standard wadded dollar bills/receipts/credit card combo, complimentary to waking up hung-over……except I didn’t go out drinking last night.

Back to the Wizards…..shots don’t fall every once in a while, oh well. Andray Blatche looked kinda good while looking mostly bad, to be expected. Some of the Wiz Kids, Nick Young and JaVale McGee, showed increasing promise. But the opener against the Nets just didn’t feel right. This team has overcome bad shooting nights before, but for some reason, lacked the energy/desire/wherewithal needed to take grasp of the game.

In either case…..it’s a long season. For the full story, check the Wizards-Nets Game 1 Blog on Bullets Forever.

Oh yea….after a long hiatus, the WizzNutzz are back…..and dish the inside scoop about JaVale McGee’s painful trip to France. I hope JaVale at least got a baguette and an ice-pack for his troubles.

Read more »

In anticipation of tonight’s Washington Wizards opener against the New Jersey Nets, Mike at JoeNetsfan.com was kind enough to answer a couple questions about their team. Enjoy.

1) Vince Carter is much maligned around the league….how confident are you in his ability to lead the team? Is he more interested in being an All-Star, or getting wins?

Here’s the deal on Vince – he means well. He’s not necessarily interested in being an All Star per se, and I think he recognizes the fact that he can’t do what he once did. Having said that, Vince is a great team player, but he really doesn’t want to be “the man” and because of that, the Nets will suffer from having all the pressure on Vince. As far as leading the team, well, he always deferred to perhaps the greatest leader in the NBA today – Jason Kidd. So we really don’t know what sort of leader he’ll be. He appears to be happy to work with the youngsters, he appears to relish the role of team leader, but I don’t think it will translate into anything more than his being a great cheerleader for the rookies. When the pressure’s on, Vince’s track record is only so-so. Let me clear up one thing for the record, though – he does play hurt, and he does try much harder than his rep would lead you to believe. I’ve watched him enough to feel confident saying that.

2) Will Devin Harris make the Mavs really kick themselves? Where does (or will) he rank among the Eastern Conference point guards?

Harris will make the Mavs kick themselves, if only because he’s about 100 years younger than Kidd, and he’ll be floating in the paint long after Kidd is gone. As far as a rank among E.C. PG’s, he’s a scoring point who needs to learn how to make his teammates better by passing the rock, so he’s probably right up there in the top 7 PG’s (let’s say Chauncey, Andre Miller, Gilbert Arenas, Jose Calderon, Mike Bibby, TJ Ford, Devin Harris, Rajon Rondo for the sake of argument. Harris might be better than Bibby or Ford at this point, but it’s too early to tell).

Read more »

Jeff from CelticsBlog.com is doing the grunt work to put together a comprehensive NBA preview from bloggers ’round the ‘sphere. The complete Atlantic Division Preview is out. Here are the highlights from the participating bloggers for each team:

Boston Celtics

[Celtics Blog]
The East is getting better, so I feel like the bad teams will lose less and the good teams will win less, but the Celtics should still be good for the best record in the East. Prediction: 59-23

[Green Bandwagon]
Last year I laughably predicted the Celtics would win 49 games. Translation: I’m not too good at this. Meanwhile, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, and the Eastern Conference in general should be better. Factor in James Posey’s departure, the question marks on Boston’s bench, and concerns about whether or not the Celtics will have the same fire and drive, and it is reasonable to expect fewer wins. Prediction: 58 – 24

[Loy's Place]
The goal is obviously to repeat as champions. Nothing less will be considered a success. They may not be as dominant in the regular season this year because a lot of teams have improved with the goal of beating the Celtics. And everyone will be gunning for the champions and seeking to unseat them. But, I believe it will all come together in the playoffs and that they will meet their goal to repeat as champions.Prediction: 60-22

Read more »

All of us NBA bloggers recently got off the couch and collaborated to vote on the 07-08 NBA season ending awards. We then got the beer out of the fridge and went back to our couches to send our votes in via an online survey tool. My first participation in the NBA blogger vote came in this 11th and final installment. The highest commendation goes to the team at We Rite Goode for their Bobby Thigpen-like performance in closing this out. While this post concentrates on the MVP award, I strongly suggest that you check out both links below for the full results.

End-of-season Basket-Blogger Rankings [Pt. 1 - ROY, COY & MIP]
Rankings: The 7th Man of the year (oh, and MVP, too)

The masses [of bloggers who read other bloggers] have spoken…..and Chris Paul is the people’s choice for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player [that being those people who blog]. Who knows if this vote of bloggers, and not the opinion of those who get paid to assess the game [as most in the main stream media have chosen one Kobe Bean Bryant for MVP], truly reflects the voice of humanity. I say yes.

2008 CP3 All-Star Campaign Poster – yup, those are C-3PO’s limbs

Even though I’m a Wizards fan in DC, I have a vested interest in the city of New Orleans. While I’ve never lived in the city, I’ve visited more times that I can count. My father was born in the NOLA and I’ve lived in the region, along with having current ties to friends and family in that neck of the country. Needless to say, the NBA League Pass has allowed me to follow the Hornets at various times this season.

Read more »

So yea, I was making fun of LeBron’s penchant for the New York Yankees in a previous post, “LeBron James Lobbies to Get New York Yankees Logo Added to the Quicken Loans Arena Court.”

But would LBJ really bolt to the Big Apple?

Well, my boy AJ and I had a little gmail exchange about it….like to hear it go:

AJ:

Read more »

Ok, so the concept came from thoughts during the Dec. 28th Washington Wizards @ New Jersey Nets game blog.

Has the Jigga man been making [the New Jersey Nets] take cold showers, use duct tape to tape ankles and travel on a rickety old bus so that they will lose games and the franchise will thus have to move to Brooklyn? Plausible.

Makes me think, this year’s New Jersey Nets can definitely be compared to Major League I.

So….I decided to make the comparison it’s own entry.

Ladies and Gentlemen, you’re Major League New Jersey Nets:

Darrell Armstrong as Jake Taylor – both old as dirt veterans — kinda like Derek Harper played about 8 years after I thought he would’ve died of natural causes

Read more »