Nick Young and Gilbert Arenas were close … still are. When Arenas was traded, before he left town as quickly as a plane could carry him to Orlando, he knocked on Young’s door to tell him the news, and a goodbye. He didn’t even say goodbye to his family (and now we kind of know why), but still … point is, Nick and Gil were a close pair of teammates. Here’s a link to Young talking about Arenas before the Wizards played the Miami Heat on the day of the trade.
Midway through pre-game warm-ups before tip-off of Arenas’ return to Washington as a member of the Orlando Magic, a basketball “mysteriously” went astray from the other side of the floor, bouncing right near Arenas. None other than Young surfaced to claim the errant ball, smile on his face and eager to catch up with his friend. Below are a couple pictures of their encounter…
Marcin Gortat’s head is pretty stoic for the position that it’s in.
This was one of those weird times when some huge official arena flash went off while I was taking a picture … came out kind of cool though.
Before getting weirdly entertained by a white man from Iowa wearing Oakleys, in a January 20 chat on ESPN.com, John Hollinger wrote about Nick Young, when not even specifically asked about Young: Read more »
I challenge you to watch the range of emotions expressed by Nick Young after scoring a career-high 43 points and not like the guy … he’s made for Hollywood … he’s Nick the Thriller.
No “typical Wizards’ losing ways” from the media…
No ranting writers calling for heads…
No outrage of radio call-in shows…
No bloggy posts about how Nick Young is like the worst passer, ever…
Winning is the big differentiator. The Wizards did so, 136-133 versus the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night … barely.
[BTW, did you know, including Tuesday night's whopping three assists, Young has accrued 17 total assists in the last seven games -- since the Dec. 29 home win versus the Indiana Pacers. Those 17 assists represent 7-percent of Young's previous career assist total ... SEVEN PERCENT! ... Over 261 games!]
The below video is silly, inane, goofy … so why even post it? For those very reasons.
Andray Blatche’s recent hair stylings (and how they somehow reflect his ‘rollercoaster’ life) have been well-documented. Nick Young has also displayed a sweet hair-do game this season. What does it all mean? That maybe Nick & Dray should start a Hair Club For Wizards.
Limbs get tangled all the time in the NBA. But for some reason, when it involves tangled arms, you can depend on a two things: arms from two opposing players will become inexplicably intertwined so fast that you’d think elastic were involved, and the result is going to be tension filled until there is separation.
Sometimes the tangles and locks are unintentional. Sometimes the maneuver is enacted by a foe with the simple intent of getting under someone’s skin by quite literally, getting under their skin … knowing that referees are more likely to see and respond to retaliation rather than the instigator’s act. And the instigator can be an offensive or defensive player.
Nick Young is one of the most unique players the NBA has ever seen. Now in his fourth season, his numbers improved from his rookie to his sophomore year, then took a dip across the board last season, his third. Now, this season brings dramatic improvement from any Nick Young we’ve ever seen.
He’s found confidence to go along with his offensive talent, has vastly improved his jump shooting and does the other little things he needs to do to keep himself on the court. His stats, thus far this season, certainly would have kept him in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation, had it not been for the trade of his friend Gilbert Arenas to Orlando, thrusting Young into Flip Saunders’ starting lineup (assuming he starts more than he comes off the bench — right now, out of 28 Wizards games, Young has appeared in 27 and started in four).
But none of this exactly makes Young unique. What makes him unique is that he could be one of the worst passing guards the league has ever seen. Ever.
Let’s start by plugging some of Young’s stats this season in the historical database at Basketball-Reference.com. This season, Young is averaging 25.8 minutes per game, 20.4 points per 36 minutes and 0.9 assists per 36. His per game averages are 14.6 points and 0.6 assists.
That move. I saw Nick Young pull out that sweet, tricky move against the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night. It was slick. It was sweet like bear meat. It was smooth enough to match …
Nick Young tried to play it off as if he were sobbing. He joke-sobbed in front of the media with team security man Jackie Miles as the cameras and microphones encroached upon him for a pre-game interview session about the day’s big trade. Nick later joke-sobbed with assistant coach Sam Cassell. He played it off well, but it was clear that losing Gilbert Arenas, the closest teammate Young has had since entering the NBA, had a substantial effect.
Before playing the juggernaut Miami Heat, Nick spoke fondly of his departed friend with the same maturity as the manner in which his game has progressed this season. Nick then stepped on the court, played his heart out on defense, and led his team with 30 points as the Wizards almost upset the Heat, but they blew the game in the closing seconds. How fitting.
With 9:15 left in the fourth quarter, the Wizards were in the midst of an unlikely comeback against the sloppy New Jersey Nets. It wouldn’t be enough, but this play gave the Washington faithful hope that Gilbert and Hinrich’s heroics would be enough to put them over the top.
I like this play for the Wizards because it came out of structured early offense. Washington doesn’t really have the personnel to get consistent high percentage looks against set half-court defenses. However, during the secondary break, the semi-structured moments between the fast break and a called play, the Wizards’ athleticism and speed can be effective. This particular secondary break “set” came off of a free throw situation, so it’s almost certainly something Flip signalled from the bench to get a quick bucket.
The play itself is a relatively simple action that isn’t all that deceptive. However, because the Nets are in transition, they are out of position just enough to yield an open three when Hinrich attacks the middle of the paint.
Sure, you’ve seen Nick Young’s sweet 360 spin move, but why not watch it again (via the bootleg TAI remix version)?
So in honor of Nick’s move against the Lakers in Los Angeles, Truth About It.net is giving away four free tickets to see the Lakers play the Wizards in D.C. next Tuesday, December 14 … in a suite no less.
Yep, exactly … more free tickets (and again, courtesy of StubHub — they keep providing TAI with free tickets, and we, in turn, are glad to provide them to readers … everybody wins). Here at the details:
