‘Wizards Shopping Blatche’

…Said ESPN’s Marc Stein on the Daily Dime last Friday. And look, everyone knows that when you shop an Andray Blatche, you shop him hard. We’re talking Costco free samples style. Because there’s no better way to get customers hooked than to give them a taste on the house. It also works in the hardcore drug dealing game as seen on television.

Meanwhile…

‘Flip Saunders On Steady Diet of Subway’

After Monday’s loss to the Houston Rockets, Flip Saunders had this to say:

“You can say it kills you to lose, but until it really kills you — I’ve been, for me, for three to four weeks I’ve been on a steady diet of Subway, which is 20 yards from my condo; into Subway and back up to my apartment. Like I said, you don’t feel good about yourself. As a team, that’s how it has to be. It has to hurt a lot.”

[quote via TAI's John Converse Townsend]

Other reads from Truth About It:

• February 2, 2012 -- Stickers for Selflessness: Leading the Charge Against Hero-Ball
• January 2, 2012 -- 3-on-3: Wizards-Celtics Part Deux, Wall, Cousins & Flip
• September 23, 2011 -- DISCOVERY: The Beginning of the NBA Play Offs, Washington Wizards Style

Look, people sponsor/host things all the time. Jimmy Johnson of Dallas Cowboys fame, for example, once lent his name to a pill for your jimmy. And just last week, Andray Blatche sponsored a night for lapdances (also for your jimmy). 

So cheers to Andray, “of the Washington Wizards” for hosting something that would’ve been happening on a Tuesday in Miami anyway. Some have questioned why Blatche would risk the head-smacking PR hit for a meager pittance from a club night. Simple answer: the lockout is a comin’. Can’t blame 7-Day ’Dray for getting his, sadly likely as it may be that all he got in exchange for the use of his good name was free cover, drinks and company for his lap.

Now, in honor of Blatche sponsoring Tuesday as the designated night for lapdances, we here at Truth About It.net have some other nights he could sponsor…

“Misunderstanding Wednesdays”

Has a perplexing interaction with your coach left you benched for the rest of the game? Do you often confuse “boxing out” as a trick to get rebounds instead of what it should be, a habit? Did you get whistled for 11 technical fouls this season, tying you for ninth most in the NBA? Well, ‘Misunderstanding Wednesdays!’ is for you… the guy who isn’t unfairly labelled as a vast under-performer in relation to talent, but rather the guy who is just misunderstood. Only on Wednesdays, and only at Club Alizé.

“Shoulder-Shruggin’ Thursdays!”

Look, things be happening. You can’t always control which prostitutes are really cops… You can’t always not get into a fight with a teammate at the club… You can’t always be expected to care… Sometimes, when brushing dirt off your shoulders can only get you so far, the best choice left is to shrug them. As mentioned, things be happening, and if things be happening to you, join Andray Blatche at ‘Shoulder-Shruggin’ Thursdays!’, exclusively at Café Le Neck Scarf.

“Burrito Fridays!”

A man gotta eat, don’t he? Some fool once called pizza the perfect food because it contains mad members of the food pyramid. That fool obviously didn’t meet the burrito. Burritos are actually pretty much like life: can’t control how things come in, can’t control how they come out. And if you enjoy the finer things in life — finer things such as a wardrobe consisting entirely of pleated pants, pleated shorts and pleated jeans — then don’t be afraid to join ‘Dray Blatche at ‘Burrito Fridays!’ held at The Deuce Lounge. Free shots of Pepto and Vodka from 10:45-11:00 pm.

“Whisper Saturdays!”

Basically, ‘Whisper Saturdays!’ is the new White Linen Party. Remember that song the Ying Yang Twins once put out where all they did was whisper? Of course you don’t. Nonetheless, that musical movement of genius equivalent to a headless turkey tasked to play the harp is what inspired ‘Whisper Saturdays!’ So join Andray Blatche at Club Shoosh where the only thing that will distract you from hot breath and braces full of leftover burrito lettuce will be trying to hear the sounds coming out.

“Air-It-Out Sundays!”

Been a long week man, time to liberate accumulated smells into the air of the free world. Held exclusively at The Bump Lounge and sponsored by Andray Blatche, ‘Air-It-Out Sundays!’ rolls the nightlife party scene, that burrito you ate on Friday, a sweaty sock filled with other sweaty socks and the well-regarded members of your local hazardous materials team all into one extravagant affair. HazMat suits optional, wearing plastic gloves and bird flu masks recommended, colon checks a bonus.

“Groinial Massage Mondays!”

If “lapdance” sounds too unsavory, then ‘Groinial Massage Mondays!’ is for you. First of all, we all have groins. And yes, sometimes those groins need to be handled in a delicate manner so as to allow the tense muscles to relax. There are a lot of ways one could hurt their groin, but if you’re not really moving laterally on defense, I’m not sure how. Regardless, ‘Groinial Massage Mondays!’ at Club Clerb is probably what you need. Now, we can’t exactly guarantee who will potentially be massaging your groin — and no, the security check to get in doesn’t count — but we will guarantee that it will be performed to completion.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• February 2, 2011 -- Happy Groundhog Dray
• February 6, 2012 -- The Washington Wizards: Making Amir Johnson and Others Look Like All-Stars
• February 2, 2012 -- Stickers for Selflessness: Leading the Charge Against Hero-Ball

I’m teetering on becoming a “one-trick pony” when it comes to Andray Blatche. Or perhaps I’m like a ground hog that just sits fat and only looks for its shadow once a year. All I know is that the boiling point with Andray’s on-court problem pertaining to the Wizards’ overall ineptitude is not just about him, and it goes far beyond my critique on this little chunk of the world wide web.

So please, allow me to apologize for whatever it is that I am apologizing for. It won’t last forever, I promise. Now, I’d like to wish you a Happy Groundhog Dray. Yes, Groundhog Dray … which I’ve found to be an appropriate nickname for Blatche on multiple levels. Harrison Goodman (@GoodmanHarrison) adds via Twitter: “Plus he usually comes out in the spring when the season is over with anyway.”

You see, today is actually Groundhog Day … and evidently Punxsutawney Phil has indicated that we will get an early spring. Would this mean that a Blatche trade is in the works before this month’s trade deadline? Well, if you gauge your weather plans by a groundhog, perhaps so.  But also know that there are a ton of groundhogs out there, such as Mountain Maryland Murray (who indicates there will be more winter, BTW),  running around doling out haphazard predictions.

Fact is, you’ll be hard-pressed to scare up a championship caliber player, coach or GM who would welcome Blatche as part of their NBA title efforts. Some sleep at night knowing that other GMs like David Kahn are still out there, but even he has his doubts.

So prepare yourselves, Wizards fans, to assume the role of Bill Murray … in that you will see Blatche (or Ned Ryerson, whomever first comes to mind), committing the same defensive mistakes over and over and over again. And the team will continue to provide their beleaguered player with ample amounts of support along with heavy doses of tender, loving care. Not necessarily the wrong move, but an unfortunate move … because they know that they are likely “stuck” with Blatche after signing him to an affordable extension this past summer in hopes that it’d be a confidence boost to him. It hasn’t exactly worked out that way.

A connected league source once told me that Blatche has to be over-coached at the risk of losing him, right before relaying the sentiment from another GM that Blatche simply was not a winner. Who knows if the Wizards are over- or under-coaching him now, but the results are certainly mixed like what they find in the bar rag at the Shadow Room club every night.

Remembering Groundhog Days of the Past…

Other reads from Truth About It:

• May 9, 2011 -- SOMEWHAT-BREAKING: Andray Blatche To Host Other Nights
• October 12, 2009 -- Links, Commentary, Notes From The Dallas Game and Caron Butler With A Clown
• February 6, 2012 -- The Washington Wizards: Making Amir Johnson and Others Look Like All-Stars

Who knows if it’s true … who cares? This isn’t a gossip site. All I know is that someone on Twitter directed me to some site called MediaTakeout that is relaying gossip about DeShawn Stevenson possibly being illegally married to two women at the same time. There’s really no “evidence” as the site advertises, aside from a 2003 marriage certificate to the supposed first wife, which neither proves he is still married to that woman nor married to another. Basically, all this is a bunch of noise (and the story looks to be from early December 2010, but you won’t be stopping me if you’ve already heard). So what do we do with noise sometimes? Why, we stuff it in the Photoshop Machine, ignore the fact that we have a hand in spreading the gossip (once it’s on the Internets, there’s free-reign captain), and come out with the below hypothetical.

Just what if, instead of Abraham Lincoln, Stevenson got a tattoo of Joseph Smith, Jr. on the front of his neck, founder of Mormonism and, of course, polygamist. It just might be a scenario meant for itself.

Another question worth posing … does this provide new nickname fodder for Stevenson? Big Love? Should we call him a regular Bill Pullman? These are the questions to which there are no known, or right answers. That’s life (for DeShawn Stevenson … “Mister 50 (percent)” … Hey! Double entendre!). Now go read some links.

Links.

Michael Lee brought the hammer down after the Wizards’ 20th road loss, via Wizards Insider:

“The Wizards like to talk about they play off the crowd at home, but Bradley Center wasn’t exactly what could be described as a hostile environment. The loudest boos of the night were when a guy walked around the arena wearing a Chicago Bears jersey. Former Bucks forward Yi Jianlian heard some light jeers when he scored in the first half, but there really was no need to fear the deer.”

[Washington Post]

Ted Leonsis warns that there will plenty of Celtics fans on hand for Saturday’s game, a sellout … and that he will not be doing the Dougie.
[Ted's Take]

Wonder how many NBA basketball cards depict an old man catching his breath with his hands on his knees … an old man who was a former Washington Bullet (but pictured as a Philadelphia 76er) who is also the current head basketball coach at the University of the District of Columbia.
[Fat Shawn Kemp]

Rashad Mobley writes about loss number twenty.
[DCist]

Speaking of TAI’s Rashad, ‘the’ Questlove gave him a birthday shout out, which was yesterday for Mr. Mobley … he’s inching closer to being a man of a certain age.
[@questlove]

Rashard Lewis is battling knee tendinitis, says it’s plagued him since Orlando. And actually, he’s seemed to have dealt with tendinitis his whole career, back to the Seattle days … so it’s not much of a surprise that at his age he’s dealing with it again. It was inevitable. Here’s to hoping he’s able to cope with it well.
[WashingtonExaminer.com]

Dan Steinberg is one of my absolute favs, but he found the laziest reason in the world to write a Wizards-related blog post.
[DC Sports Bog]

David Simon (of ‘The Wire’) goes tit-fot-tat with the Baltimore Police Commissioner.
[Warming Glow]

Arby’s could be up for sale … hopefully Ted Leonsis buys it brings one to D.C.
[news-record.com]

The problem with Redskins fans already hating the team potentially drafting Cam Newton is that if they have a chance to and don’t, he’ll probably win three MVP awards. Also, because selecting Cam Newton would be the most Redskinny/Danny Sndyer(ish) to do, and I like it for the irony. And probably also because the entire Redskins culture and environment could ruin Newton, which some people probably think he deserves with the whole check to the dad issue (at least Oregon and Alabama fans). And I say all of this as a Redskins fan. Why not keep swinging for the fences? (And missing.) Finally, I think guys like Mel Kiper Jr. mock draft Newton to Washington as a way to challenge the absurdity of Snyder.
[Hogs Haven]

Speaking of the SEC (in a sense), classic stuff on Florida’s Will Hill.
[EDSBS]

The band I feature in TAI videos sometimes, The Five One, they’re playing at the Black Cat in D.C. on February 11 … they’ll be joined by Violet Says 5 and The Mighty Heard.
[thefiveone.tumblr]

Here’s another picture of the former Wizard for the heck of it.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• June 12, 2011 -- ShareBullets: NBA At Dusk
• October 18, 2011 -- ShareBullets: A 50-50 NBA Lockout Mess
• September 22, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Andray Blatche Wants To Be Beefy

Long ago, in reference to his team’s troubles at the time, former Orlando Magic GM Pat Williams said:

“We can’t win at home. We can’t win on the road… As general manager, I just can’t figure out where else to play.”

The year was 1992 and the Magic fielded a 7-27 record when Williams said his quote that’s become one of the more infamously comical ones in NBA history. The 1991-92 season started out well enough for the Magic, as they won four of their first six games, two of which came against the Washington Bullets, one in Orlando and one in Landover, MD, despite 30 points from Michael Adams.

But when Williams said his memorable quote, the Magic had won just one out of the previous 21 games and held a  4-12 record at home and a 3-15 record on the road. After the quote, the Magic lost their next game at home versus the New York Knicks, but then won four out of their next six games. As irrelevant as all of this is, it all worked out for O-Town. Well, kinda. Their poor record that season landed them the No. 1 pick in the lottery and thus, Shaquille O’Neal, who later skipped town without winning a championship.

This year’s Wizards are in a different situation. Their 10-27 record is slightly less bad than Orlando’s 7-27 record, but Washington’s 10-8 home record vastly contrasts with their 0-19 road record.

Now, in an odd twist of fate, Rashard Lewis, a player the Wizards’ recently acquired from the Orlando Magic no less, a player who has experienced just six of those 19 road losses, doesn’t want to figure out how to play where his team can win more. Instead, Lewis would rather play where his team can’t win.

Lewis via the Washington Post’s Michael Lee:

“I don’t even want to play at home tomorrow. I want to play on the road, to get us a road win…

…It’s embarrassing to not have a road win, and we’re in a new year, it’s January and we’re getting ready to go into the all-star break.”

Well, there you have it. Instead of taking the easy road, Lewis would rather take the hard road and win a game … on the road.

Either it’s just crazy enough to work (mentally, perhaps … not physically, because the Wizards are definitely not playing the Raptors in Canada tomorrow), or Lewis has fond visions of an alternate universe where he’s one with the road via a traveling band in concert. Or maybe he’s just a big fan of Mad Max. Either way, Rashard Lewis would rather be a roadie … and can’t say that I blame him.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• January 5, 2012 -- DC Council Game 6: Wizards 85 at Magic 103: Making Progress Harder To Find
• December 22, 2010 -- The Rashard Lewis Positional Effect
• December 19, 2010 -- One Digestion of The Gilbert Arenas-Rashard Lewis Trade

Ever find yourself wondering when and if Kirk Hinrich wore a white home Wizards jersey with an Abe Pollin commemorative patch? Me neither. But thanks to the magic of Photoshop, or another graphic design/photo editing software that a tech guy insists is better, and my observations of the Verizon Center hallways while covering a Washington Mystics game on Sunday, you now have a where and a how, just not a when, because it’s actually never.

If none of that makes sense, good … I’ve lost you. See, much has been made of what’s displayed on the interior and exterior of the Verizon Center. Well, not really. It was only made over Gilbert Arenas and how his banner was removed from the outside of the arena, his face removed from pre-game video montages, and his jersey removed from sales availability. His image was scrubbed, they said … except for the various photos that were still posted around the locker room, and on the hallway wall outside an entrance, across which there’s also an entrance to the Wizards’ practice facility. So Gilbert really never left the arena. (Remember when it seemed all but guaranteed that he’d never play in a Wizards uniform again?)

Anyway … the pictures on those walls, which display several members of the team, must be dynamic and resourceful, because they’ve changed several times over the past months. And well, if a player hasn’t exactly appeared in a real game, the pictures must be adjusted. So let’s take a look at a couple more guys who’ve never played in a Wizards uniform, in a Wizards uniform…

John Wall (no patch) …

And I really wish there was a better picture of him. Not that this is a bad picture, but it looks off. Maybe it’s the awkward fist pound motion he’s making.

Yi Jianlian — ‘Hi, how ya doin’?’

His face almost says … “I realize that I’m a role player.”

And Gilbert Arenas, already sporting his new No. 9 with Andray Blatche…

And the rest of the pictures that have been hanging around for a bit longer…

Gilbert Arenas

Andray Blatche

JaVale McGee

Nick Young

Al Thornton

Josh Howard

NOT PICTURED: Hilton Armstrong, Trevor Booker, Hamady N’diaye, Kevin Seraphin, Cartier Martin and Emir Preldzic.

And now … Gang Starr – Step In The Arena …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0kWmodVdws

Other reads from Truth About It:

• October 30, 2010 -- Quick Bullets On Wizards As Hawks Take Them Down 99-95
• February 17, 2011 -- John Wall Raised His Game, But No One Went With Him
• February 7, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Plodding Through An NBA Lottery Winter

Sixteen losses in a row and counting. The Wizards showed some bright spots in Tuesday night’s loss to Houston, such as JaVale McGee. Actually, he was pretty much the only bright spot. Well, James Singleton played okay.

Andray Blatche’s 31 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three assists and three blocks you say? Well, when you play 41 minutes and receive the ball ALL. THE. TIME. (he took 23 shots) you are supposed to put up those numbers. He still has too much Tin Man in him … no heart … especially when it comes to rebounding toughness.

The Wizards mostly showed that they did not deserve to win. I’m sure some are saying, ‘Hey, those guys competed without Foye, Thornton, Gee, etc.’ But the Rockets also competed without Kevin Martin, Shane Battier and Jared Jeffries. Plus, the Wizards were beaten by Chase Budinger. Enough said.

Nonetheless, below are the notes and observations I took/made as I watched the game on delay at my leisure.

Note: Starters: Livingston, Young, Miller, Blatche & Oberto — 25th different starting lineup, 21 wins … something to be said about that ratio.

{1st Q}

11:26 – The first time Nick Young touches the ball is when he picks up a loose ball steal and heads in the other direction in a 2-on-2 with Blatche. Likely learning from the Caron Butler school of confidence (at least when he was with the Wizards), Nick tries a poor hesitation move to the basket only to hold the ball down low, getting it caught against his leg and ultimately stripped and stolen by Jermaine Taylor. To make matters worse, Taylor beats Nick down the court and converts a transition bucket.

10:00 - To give Nick credit, Taylor receives the ball with five seconds on the shot clock and Nick moves his feet very well around a Scola pick and does not allow Taylor to get a shot off in time. Not a lot of awareness from Taylor here.

9:55 - Flip Saunders subs Quinton Ross for Young, but doesn’t allow Young to sit, rather coaches him and then sends him right back to the scorer’s table.

7:01 - Sometimes, as a point guard, you have to know when to call your own number. Shaun Livingston excellently does so here by taking the lane for a strong left handed layup with quickness, the Wizards’ 14th points in the paint. 14-8 Wizards.

The floor is spread, the Wizards are in transition … it’s the right tome for Livingston to use his length to get to the rack.

5:38 - Unexpected … a Nick Young assist. He receives a cross court pass in transition from Mike Miller. He’s almost backing into the right corner, but sees that Scola is coming to get him in the rotation, throws up a pump fake, drives, and when the help comes, finds Andray Blatche making himself available in the middle of the paint for a lay-up. 16-12 Wizards.

5:21 - However, on the other end Young allows much too much separation off the ball between him and Jermaine Taylor after an off-ball screen. By the time Taylor catches it, Young is in poor position to get around Scola’s on-ball screen at the top of the key. Taylor drives to the hoop for a bucket, his seventh and eighth points of the game.

4:54 - Nick’s first shot, a three miss …

4:12 - Young attacks the basket, misses a baseline layup long, but gets his own rebound, keeps his composure and when the Rockets defense falls off him, he hits the short baseline jumper from the other side.

Mike Miller misses two layups. I kinda miss his long hair. At least it was some sort of spectacle. On Miller’s third layup chance/cherry-picking opportunity, he makes –  And 1. 23-18 Wizards.

1:53 - Nick Young picks up his second foul.

Blatche has been very active by scoring in a variety of ways … and not all opportunities created for him, rather opportunities that he created for himself … such as tip-backs, etc.

Wizards: 22 points in the paint, 7 fast break points … up 30-27.

{2nd Q}

5:13 - I’ve noticed JaVale McGee getting more post-up opportunities this game. They haven’t always worked out, but those chances are certainly more preferable than him catching the ball on the perimeter, something that seemed to happen in the previous offense. Here, he catches the ball on the left block, without a ton of resistance from Jordan Hill mind you, gives one dribble/look toward the middle, then performs a classic right foot drop step move baseline. He’s so athletic that all he needs is just a little bit of space and one step to get a dunk. Again, the defensive physicality of Hill leaves a lot to be desired, but at least McGee is trying. 42-41 Wizards.

Phil Chenier commends McGee on moving toward the basket and not fading away.

On the other end, McGee does the right thing and gives baseline help to Boykins on the driving Aaron Brooks. However, after Brooks releases the shot, McGee just turns around and watches instead of finding someone to hit in going for a rebound. Hill glides in for the put back dunk.

Can’t get caught observing the action.

At this point the Wizards start to look a little lacking on defense … losing just a tad of focus/energy. We’ll see what the future holds.

3:28 - Nick Young is working to try to keep up with his man off the ball, but picks up his third foul on a minor hold… enter Cartier Martin.

2:40 - Martin closes out on Budinger who catches the ball at the three-point line on the right wing, but doesn’t really have his hands up … neither acting like he’s contesting the shot, but playing the drive, nor being active in the passing lane. Trevor Ariza sets a ball screen. Budinger beats Martin to the spot and is able to turn the corner. The newest Wizard commits a two-shot foul.

Meanwhile, Blatche is 8-11 on FGs and has 17 points. He had 15 points in the first quarter.

1:18 - Again, the Rockets looks to pick on Cartier. Ariza gets the ball on the left three-point wing and throws the ball into Scola in the post. Ariza then cuts toward the baseline to receive the hand-off from Scola. Martin, however, feel asleep for a second after Ariza initially dumped the ball into the post. This allowed Ariza to gain a big step advantage on his cut. Martin fouls him on the ground, but the Rockets are in the bonus.

This is a simple cut by Ariza that Martin should see coming;
off-ball defense is just as important as on-ball.

Wizards up 53-48 after two quarters.

Solid first half from Washington. Composed play. They took care of the ball. They tried to work the offense into the paint for points. And they weren’t completely terrible to watch, although it’s clear that these two teams are pretty bad.

Wizards: 52% FG, won battle of boards 22-19, assists even at 11, outscored Houston in the paint 30-24. Blatche with 20 points.

{3rd Q}

9:00 - The Wizards, still looking for their first points of the second half, swing the ball left to right, from Livingston to Young, who gets a ball screen from Oberto, splits the defense, and has a large lane to drive to the basket.

Unfortunately, Young has a one-track mind. Chuck Hayes, being an intelligent defensive player, and probably someone who scouts other players, has plenty of time to get in position and set himself in Young’s path. Nick barrels into Hayes … charging foul, #4 on Young.

Nick can’t believe the call … I watched it a couple times, it was totally legit … he sprawls some sort of move on the court, puts his head in his hands while laying on the ground, and then Mike Miller finally goes to get up off the ground.

No matter how many times Young seems to get these learning opportunities while playing, both in body control and reading the defense, along with his body language/getting down on himself issues, he never seems to, well, learn. Assistant coach/advanced scout Mike Wells talks to Young on the bench.

7:51 - I’m told by Steve Buckhantz that Flip Saunders was stomping his feet in frustration on his play. Miller gets the ball on the left wing and Oberto looks to be going to set a ball screen for Blatche at the free-throw line. Getting Scola switched on Blatche is preferable because of Chuck Hayes’ strength … he is always able to out-muscle Andray, usually causing him to take some crappy, off-balanced shot.

However, Blatche doesn’t go off Oberto‘s screen hard … he actually just kinda half-asses his way by. When the Rockets aren’t forced to switch, Andray does not even make an effort to post up against Hayes, which he is seemingly supposed to do as Miller is looking for him. Instead, Blatche, directing traffic, points for the ball to go in the other direction. It does, back to Oberto.

Confusion ensues … the Flip Saunders foot stomping commences. Miller goes behind Oberto and is actually able to receive the hand-off and get open for a shot, but misses.

Otherwise, way to go Dray … I could be wrong, but you broke the play because you were soft compared to the strength of Chuck Hayes.

7:19 – At this point Houston takes a 57-55 lead and Flip Saunders calls a timeout. The Wizards, as a team, are clearly not as mentally in the game as they should be. They have also only scored two points so far in the period.

4:58 - With the score tied at 60, and a very stagnant Wizards offense, I’m not sure what the goal is. Blatche gets the ball in the deep right corner with 19 seconds on the shot clock. He takes five dribbles over six seconds and only moves about four feet from where he started … but not toward the basket, laterally. He then fires a very lazy, crappy shot with 13 seconds on the shot clock that hits the highest part of the backboard first and then misses badly. With shots like that, you could comfortably accuse Andray of tanking himself and I would not argue. But then again, it’s Andray Blatche, that’s just the crap he pulls sometimes.

Why is it so often that lesser naturally talented players, such as James Singleton, have much more heart? I blame America’s player development system, from AAU to college.

2:39 - I wish it wasn’t getting so absurd, but it is. To start, see where Andray catches the ball in the below screen shot. At this point, he’s taken one post dribble, the previous double-team of Jordan Hill has departed, and Blatche is about to take a second dribble. There are nine seconds on the shot clock … plenty of time.

Somehow, Blatche picks up the ball after a second dribble, steps with his left foot far away from the basket, and takes an absolutely horrible fade-away … that’s also heavily contested by Scola. Airball.

What a horrid offensive possession.

On the other end, Blatche is called for a silly frustration foul, his third, and loses the headband. Watch out world.

1:01 – Also, Mike Miller has had a ton of open looks … he just can’t buy a bucket … 3-13 on FGs at this point. Could be  just a bad night, could be that his visible frustration has taken over and his head is not completely into basketball these days. In any case, his value heading into a contract summer has taken a hit.

But believe it or not, the Wizards and Rockets are tied at 65. With the Wizards play, I keep on expecting Houston to make a run to put the game away. Basketball seems like the furthest thing away from fun for a lot of these guys.

0:27 – Holy Moly … Blatche gets the ball on the left block and takes it against Hill, without a double team coming, for a baby right-handed hook shot in the lane. 67-65 Wizards.

{4th Q}

11:42 - Blatche goes back to working in the paint … so why the moments of apathy toward working hard earlier? Can’t afford to half-ass it on plays. Here he earns a trip to the FT line and makes both. 69-65 Wizards.

11:07 - Dray catches the ball on the left block with 10 seconds on the shot clock. He diddles around with some barley jab steps, etc. Chase Budinger comes to double with five seconds on the shot clock. Instead of being aware of the double and passing right away, Blatche tries to dribble out of it. Shot clock awareness bro … shot clock violation bro.

10:39 - Blatche has box out position on Jordan Hill, but gets out-worked for the board and Hill gets a put-back dunk. 69 tie.

9:09 - Mike Miller falls asleep against Budinger off the ball. He hits a two. 77-76 Rockets. Again, the focus is just not there for the Wizards. I’m not noticing everything Houston is doing in this same area, but the Wizards in no way deserve to win this game … from my perspective.

8:52 - But now, JaVale McGee has burned the Rockets, and Jordan Hill, for two straight baskets with And1s on both. He’s really using his advantage in length, but only after working to get closer to the hoop. McGee makes all free-throws, scoring six straight points for Washington. 80-77 Wizards.

7:42 – McGee continues to work hard … he’s making me happy with his play. He’s staying close to the basket and trying to keep his arms extended to get rebound tips on offense. He gets one here. 82-80 Wizards.

7:22 - Another rebound put back from McGee! Again, Houston is not being that physical with him … but hey, JaVale is doing what he’s supposed to do. 84-80 Wizards. He’s scored the last 10 points for the team.

5:39 - Weird play. Miller and Budinger go down for a loose ball near the baseline with the Wizards on offense. Both end up lying out of bounds on the baseline, but it’s unclear if either was touching the ball, or if the ball even went out of bounds, as it suddenly emerged within view rolling in-bounds along the baseline.

The refs blow the whistle with one second on the shot clock and somehow call a jump ball, but to the Wizards’ benefit, the shot clock resets for some reason. However, an educated guess would indicate that it should have been out of bounds on Budinger.

Nonetheless, the ball is jumped and Houston/Aaron Brooks controls (did you really think Miller was going to out-jump Budinger?) … but the worst part is that Budinger is allowed to freely streak down the court and Brooks ends up throwing him a lob for a lay-in. 86-84 Wizards.

5:11 - Andray Blatche hits a crazy, lucky, fading, free-throw line jumper off the glass against Chuck Hayes, And1. 89-84 Wizards.

3:55 - Blatche’s assignment, Luis Scola, gets a rebound while Dray is not worried about boxing out. Scola puts it back for points. 89-86 Wizards.

3:24 - McGee travels. On the dead ball, the Wizards fall asleep in getting back. Not Kyle Lowry, who sees an opportunity to quickly get the ball to the ref and ready to take it out of bounds. Houston suddenly had a two-on-one advantage … after a dead ball I remind you. Budinger gets the ball to Scola, McGee gets called for goal-tending. 89-88 Wizards.

3:03 – Wow, Boykins gets fouled shooting a three, but only makes one. 90-88 Wizards.

2:53 – Budinger hits a shot off a screen. He has a career-high 20 points off the bench and has been abusing fellow white boy Mike Miller. Steve Buckhantz says Budinger looks like Reggie Miller. Game tied at 90.

1:50 - The Wizards get two offensive rebounds on one possession. Houston then bails the Wizards out by fouling Earl Boykins with five seconds on the shot clock. He was losing the ball on a drive and had no where to go. Boykins makes both free-throws. 92-90 Wizards.

1:25 - Kyle Lowry ties the game at 92 with a crazy runner at the shot clock buzzer.

1:03 - A long jumper from Blatche over Hayes as he operates further and further away from the hoop misses. Yuck.

0:53 – But Lowry gets called for carrying the ball. Do either of these teams want to win?

0:36 - Blatche gets to the free-throw line against Hayes, but his old up-and-under move into an off-balanced fade-away doesn’t work again. Chuck Hayes pretty much owns Andray Blatche. Game still tied at 92.

Blatche goes into the timeout bitching about a foul. Sorry dude, no chance.

0:28 - Budinger jumper off the glass … against Mike Miller, again. 94-92 Rockets. Probably smart for Houston to play the 2-for-1 possession game too.

Lemme guess … the Wizards are going to futilely go to Blatche again.

0:12 - Coulda surprised me. The possession involves several dribbles from Boykins and a three-point miss by him. Budinger is fouled and makes both FTs.

0:05 - Nick Young misses a three, Mike Miller gets a tip-back, Houston calls timeout. Kyle Lowry fouled with 3.5 seconds left, he makes both.

The Wizards have no timeouts, they turn the ball over, and the losing streak continues at 16 in a row.

98-94, Rockets over Wizards.

Oh well, at least Friday night is Phil Chenier night.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• March 11, 2010 -- With Houston, The Wizards Had Problems
• April 17, 2010 -- Who Will Win The NBA Finals? The Washington Wizards Will Tell You
• January 28, 2012 -- DC Council Game 19: Wizards 76 at Rockets 103: Remember Us? We Didn’t Get Fired.

I couldn’t exactly get inside the brains of the Washington Wizards, but my imagination did.

[Correction: I originally said it was Michael Ruffin. It's actually Calvin Booth ... so the correction has been made.]

Other reads from Truth About It:

• April 3, 2009 -- My Hero: Darius Songaila & His Shine Time Swag
• February 5, 2010 -- Screen Shots & Thoughts From Disgraceful Effort in New York, Wizards Selfishly Lose to Knicks 107-85
• February 3, 2010 -- Wizards Trade Rumors Links & Pre-Celtics Game Photos

Duncan finished with an efficient 23 points (10-16 FGs), seven rebounds, and three assists in 36 minutes.

Flip Saunders

After the game, I asked Coach Saunders asses how the defensive plan against Duncan worked. He said:

“Well we didn’t want to double at all. Every time we doubled, we gave up a three-point shot, which we weren’t supposed to be doing. So, like I said, when you play against a good team and you don’t stay with your game plan, you mess up, you pay the price.

It’s one of those things, you’re saying Duncan you’re going to have to go out and get 40 and try to cut everybody else off. We played too in-between.”

I then got the take of Duncan’s defender:

Brendan Haywood

On doubling Duncan:

“We were supposed to dig down. We have to learn where the grey area is. You dig down so the opposite post player doesn’t see that wide-open lane, and doesn’t know if your coming to double or staying with your man. It makes it a little hard for him.

A lot of times we get caught letting guys iso so, I think that tonight, sometimes we doubled when we weren’t supposed to … but Duncan had it rolling and a double couldn’t hurt.”

{more locker room quotes}

Caron Butler

On if it’s frustrating that it’s taken 31 games to get to this point in terms of effort:

“It’s a process … it’s a process and it’s going to take time, but obviously you can see the effort and energy and see progression. And that’s something you can feel satisfied by.”

Gilbert Arenas

On how he’s dealing with what’s been going on:

“Watchin’ a lot of comedy. You know, laughter usually heals pain.”

Andray Blatche

On keeping focus after slow starts:

“Every night is not going to be a great night for me, so whenever that occurs, that’s when I have to play defense or hustle, rebound, give my teammates energy.”

[Also see the full TruthAboutIt.net interview with Andray Blatche.]

Other reads from Truth About It:

• October 8, 2009 -- Wizards v. Grizzlies: Leftover Table Scraps & Pictures
• October 3, 2009 -- Unheard and Unseen Cuts from Wizards Media Day
• April 30, 2009 -- Questioning Antawn Jamison

In the Arenas/Crittenton comparison to the movie, Way Of The Gun, I suppose Gil would be Ryan Phillippe and Javaris would be Benicio del Toro. I’ve never seen the movie, but might own it. I sporadically buy $5-dollar movies from Target and leave them unopened on a shelf.

But if you Wikipedia Way Of The Gun, (BTW, is ‘wikipedia’ now a verb like ‘google’?) you’ll find that one critic, Richard Corliss of Time, described the film as, “a two-hour gunfight interrupted by questions of paternity.”

Seems fitting. Kinda.

Oh, and there’s not really a ‘Photoshop Theory’ here, I  just wanted to entice you with a headline, such as “Wizards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton pull pistols on each other” like the NY Post.

BTW, even if this story is true, did I mention how prototypically skeevy the NY Post reporter asking Gil about his guns was on Tuesday? Well, I did on Twitter, where, another BTW, Gilbert Arenas is active and in full-effect. Really, a must read.

Random Posts

• November 4, 2010 -- Wednesday Practice Notes: Gilbert Doesn’t Want To Be Witnessed
• January 8, 2012 -- The Wizards Said WHAT? And Other Post-Knicks Game Stuff
• January 25, 2012 -- 3-on-3: Wizards vs Bobcats: Who’s Driving Your Car: Michael Jordan or Ernie Grunfeld?

“We can’t reserve ourselves on defense. We gotta reserve ourselves on offense and give 110% on defense.

{Gilbert}

“Right now we stink … and we’re showing it.

{Caron}

“Can’t call it … you know, if I had the answer, we’d be winning.

{Antawn}

“It’s not the coaches, you know …  it’s not them putting this group together, it’s the guys that are in this locker room.

{Brendan}

“Sometimes we get mad about the wrong things. We get mad that a guy didn’t see you on offense or you didn’t get your shot. Well, get mad when your guy goes by you. Get mad when we’re not playing defense. That’s when we’ll grow as a team.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 30, 2009 -- Denial and The River Without A Paddle: Wizards-Thunder Post-Game Locker Room Video
• December 28, 2009 -- The First Two Minutes of the Third Quarter Against Minnesota: Just Part of What Flip Saunders Was Talking About
• October 23, 2009 -- Wizards Practice Video, Must-Read Links and An Appearance By Sleepy Floyd

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

Nick Young

When asked what the team needs to do to build on this one victory:

“We need to just not get too down on each other, not criticize each other. Everybody needs to be one as a team. When one player messes up, pat him on the back and tell them ‘do a good job next time’ instead of talking trash.”

Gilbert Arenas

When asked if it was a relief to hit two clutch free throws that put the Wizards up 101-97 with 1:10 left:

“Yea, I mean ever since I got on the West, I’ve been shooting about 80-something-percent. So, that just felt good. I had to change up the routine a little bit and from there I’ve just been hitting shots.”

What’s the new routine?

“Uhh … {pause to think} … spin it three times, dribble three times, and shoot it (laughs).”

Dominic McGuire

When asked if he had any idea that Flip Saunders was going to make a wholesale substitution:

“Naw, not really. I was sitting over there just waiting. I actually didn’t think I was going to play this game because usually when I don’t play the first half, I usually sit. But, I was ready though … just waiting.”

Randy Foye

When asked about what he thought when he saw five Wizards ready to check in all at once:

“Your mindset is, you know,  ’we’re not bringing it’ … obviously coach thinks we’re not bringing it. So, he’s going to get a new group of five in there that’s going to bring energy. Usually when you see that, when you’re sitting down on the bench, it usually starts you up and then when you go back in, you’re always ready.”

Caron Butler

When asked what he was thinking when Flip took the starters out:

“This is not personal. When things happen like that, and you make adjustments and win the game, it’s not personal. Everybody’s trying to get the same goal, they’re trying to win games. If a coach does that, it’s discipline, you accept it, take a smack on the wrist, and you get prepared to get back out there and show what you’re capable of doing.”

Antawn Jamison

When asked about what happened in the third quarter when the starters were taken out and he proceeded to hit the baseline ad banner machine:

“I have no comment on that.”

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 23, 2009 -- Flip Saunders’ Wholesale Third Quarter Substitution: Wizards Top Sixers 105-98
• October 23, 2009 -- Wizards Practice Video, Must-Read Links and An Appearance By Sleepy Floyd
• August 12, 2010 -- How The Wizards’ Future Has Changed: Power Rankings With Foresight From Hollinger and Ford

Caron Butler

When asked about the shot Hedo Turkoglu hit with 8.1 second left in overtime, putting Toronto up for good at 109-107 …

“Turkish Jordan.

You know, it’s tough. It was a tough shot. Tried to make him take a difficult shot, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Brendan Haywood

When asked about the rebounding of Chris Bosh, who had nine offensive boards, five in the fourth quarter alone, and 16 total for the game …

“A lot of times with their team, they put you in rotations. [Chris Bosh] is so long that a lot of times we’ll have somebody smaller rotating to him. And that’s when he can really thrive on the offensive glass. As an offensive rebounder myself, I love it when there’s rotations so I can attack somebody’s two guard or three man and gain an advantage.”

Nick Young

When asked about Gilbert Arenas, who he’s never really seen be Agent Zero in a game-winning manner …

“Agent Zero’s going to be back. I’m waiting for a three, and he’s going to turn his back and walk into the locker room.”

Gilbert Arenas

When asked about the turnover which was caused by him and Earl Boykins running into each other with the Wizards down 107-102 and 1:22 left in overtime …

“He told me to come, I’m thinking he said, ‘Come get the ball,’ that’s usually what he said, but he was trying to tell me to come so he can go pass the ball to Brendan.

And I said, ‘Well next time use your little arm and wave me through.’ Wave me through (motions hand from left to right) means ‘get through,’ go like this (motions his hand toward himself) means come get the ball. So that’s what it was.”

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 2, 2009 -- Wizards at Raptors in Seven Frames: Jamison Yells Early
• October 3, 2009 -- Unheard and Unseen Cuts from Wizards Media Day
• January 4, 2010 -- Doubling Tim Duncan: Wizards Locker Room Portraits & Quotes

In the Wizards locker room before the game, I noticed a stack of duPont Registry magazines under one of the huge flat screen televisions. If you aren’t familiar with the duPont Registry, it’s a publication full of fancy/luxury cars, etc. that only really, really rich people can afford. One of my friends had a duPont Registry once, but it was just for lookin’, not for buyin’.

So … Wednesday night was the first time I was in the vicinity of the magazine while also being in a room full of dudes who could purchase something from it.

So I have that going for me.

After Wednesday’s win over Milwaukee, I was all ready to write about Earl Boykins, as was everyone else in the world (and I kinda did … below), but life/work got in the way of a more formal game write-up. It happens.

I’ll be going to/reporting from the Toronto game tonight, and … IT’S FRIDAY!

Go Wizards.

{Post Bucks Game Locker Room Portraits}

******

Caron Butler thinking about dunking on Andrew Bogut.

Nick Young working on his tough, non-smiley face.

He then proceeded to smile … a bunch.

Brendan Haywood thinks about a career in the media while talking to the media.

Gilbert Arenas wonders: “Where do I win at?“

Antawn Jamison is not satisfied.

The Humble Hero.

And on Wednesday night against Milwaukee, in the crucial waning moments of the game, what worked was a high pick-and-roll between 5’5″ Earl Boykins and 7’1″ Brendan Haywood. The play set was used on the final five possessions, including start and resets on two of those.

Meanwhile, the Big Three, a trio that once led the NBA in points per game, served as virtual decoys, watching the action unfold.

The wizardly triumvirate of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison dropping a combined 71 against the Raptors had no bearing on the trust of Flip Saunders … especially since the game in Toronto was just one night and not an indication of developed chemistry.

Saunders went with what worked before. He went with his closer, Little-Big-Man Earl Boykins … the Mariano Riviera of the Wizards, according to Steve Buckhantz … our very own Kyra Sedgwick (TNT’s “The Closer”).

You’d think that putting the game in the small hands of Boykins, a guy who spent a prior season overseas and was working out in Denver when the Wizards called him to join the team in mid-November, might cause some locker room strife on a team full of veterans. Not at all. These are ‘wins over individuals’ players.

These guys want Malcolm X wins … by an means necessary.

{web hits}

[Craig Stouffer - Washington Examiner]

Gilbert Arenas had 22 points and nine assists, but it wasn’t for him that the Verizon Center crowd chanted “MVP!” Antawn Jamison had 15 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn’t for him. Even Caron Butler had 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, but it for wasn’t him either.

It was for Earl Boykins, who wasn’t even on an NBA roster at the beginning of the season, and who scored 10 of the Wizards’ last 14 points, including two free throws with one second remaining, to give Washington a 104-102 win over Milwaukee.

[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

The Wizards have won four of their past five games and the difference in three of those games has been the presence of Boykins, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, with Saunders relying on the same high pick-and-roll with him and Brendan Haywood. Saunders said he contemplated putting in Nick Young late in the game, but decided to stick with Boykins because the Bucks couldn’t stop it. They just took it to Jennings, who played against Boykins last season in Italy.

“He’s real quick. He was running on seven different screens at one point. How can you really guard that?” Jennings said. “He’s so hard to guard because he is so little. Once he gets around the screen, he puts pressure on the big man. It’s just hard to stop him.”

[Mike Jones - Wizards Outlet, Washington Times]

When it comes to Earl Boykins, Antawn Jamison said it best “The only amazement is that this guy wasn’t on a team.”

Seriously. I mean, I know it may drop off at any moment, but for now, Earl Boykins is hot at the right time for the Wizards. Gilbert Arenas still is working his way back, and although he’s getting better as is evidence of the last two days. But without Earl Boykins and his late-game charges of energy, the Wizards very well could be looking at 3-14 instead of 7-10.

[Mike Prada - Bullets Forever]

Earl Boykins wasn’t originally going to talk to the media.  He had somewhere to be and left before everyone got there, and the Wizards’ PR people apologized to everyone on his behalf.  But he eventually came back and chatted for a bit, though he’s not the most talkative guy in the league.

One thing he was asked was about playing in Italy last year, which yielded an interesting answer.

“It was easy for me [to go to Europe], because when most guys go, they go because they’re forced to.  I chose to go.  That’s the big difference.  When you choose to do something, it’s easier to handle being away from home.”

It’s nice that he tells himself that, and clearly it’s allowed him to persevere.  But let’s be honest, he kind of was forced to go to Europe.  The money dried up in the 2008 offseason and nobody was willing to offer him good money, so he went to the only place that paid him.  Nothing wrong with that, just saying his explanation doesn’t seem right to me.

[Rashad Mobley - Hoops Addict]

In the second quarter, Gilbert Arenas came down on three consecutive possessions, drove the ball, was seemingly fouled, but nothing was called. After each call, he went and pleaded his case to the referees. This happened just one night after he earned a technical foul against Toronto for doing the same thing. In the third quarter, Arenas again complained about the officiating, and this time that complaining led to him being relaxed on defense and Brandon Jennings went by him and scored. Flip Saunders promptly called a timeout and yelled something to Arenas as he ran off the floor. After the game, Arenas explained his behavior, “I used to average 11 or 12 free throws a game, and now I can’t even get a call. I feel like they’re profiling me as a player,” Arenas said while he stood in front of his locker. “They say I’m creating all the contact, and I’m saying that’s what a scorer is supposed to do, there’re supposed to create the contact when they get in the lane. If they [the defensive players] are outside the lane its a charge…now if they’re inside the lane and I run into them, its a no-call. I’m asking [the refs] where do I win that? Last night I got frustrated I got a technical.”

{other side}

[Alex Boeder - Brew Hoop]

0. As noted, the point guard duo of Jennings and Ridnour didn’t commit a single turnover. The Wizards aren’t the best defensively, or really very good at all. But zero turnovers is zero turnovers, and they had 13 assists together.

1. Earl Boykins made more free throws in the final second of the game than all Bucks not named Hakim Warrick did the entire game. Warrick made 8-8 while the rest of his mates shot 1-4 at the free throw line. The Wizards made 25-34 at the stripe.

25. The Bucks (42-95) attempted 25 more shots from the field than the Wizards (38-70). Neither team did much work on the offensive boards (6-3 Milwaukee) so the field goal discrepancy was largely a product of… surprise, surprise: shooting far fewer free throws (34-12).

[Jeremy Schmidt - Bucksketball]

Nick Young for one was shredding the Bucks. The same Nick Young whose game I was so critical of Wednesday morning. The Nick Young who does nothing but score. Well, he again did little but score (he did chip in five rebounds) but he scored a whole bunch. Young poured in 21 points on 7-12 shooting. Toss in his 7-7 performance from the free throw line and he joins Vince Carter, John Salmons and Thabo Sefolohsa as the latest shooting guard to score with great efficiency.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• March 16, 2011 -- Under The Hoop: Washington Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks
• February 3, 2010 -- Wizards Trade Rumors Links & Pre-Celtics Game Photos
• October 3, 2009 -- Unheard and Unseen Cuts from Wizards Media Day

So, below you will find my massive, bang-it-out, smörgåsbord (don’t worry, the proper accents on the Swedish word come for free) preview of the Washington Wizards. Some content is specific to the TrueHoop Network preview, and some content is specific to the big NBA blog preview (which, for the Wizards, was actually supposed to be posted on Sunday, but I waited).

Enjoy and godspeed.

Basketball is a thinking man’s game?

Sure, many Wizards have a championship on the brain, but what else?

Key Losses: Darius Songaila, Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas, the 5th pick (Ricky Rubio – traded predraft to Minnesota for Miller and Foye), the 32nd pick (Jermain Taylor – traded during the draft to Houston for $$$).

Key Additions: Mike Miller, Randy Foye, Fabricio Oberto, Flip Saunders and his coaching staff (Randy Wittman, Don Zierden and Sam Cassell).

Last Year’s Record: 19-63

CRYSTAL BALL

The consensus prediction of the TrueHoop Network bloggers … and the best hopes of Truth About It.net.

Crowd Says: 42-40
Truth About It Says: 55-27

YES WE CAN!

The sun is out. The seas have parted. The basketball gods are shining upon us!

Is it possible Gilbert Arenas comes back a better, more complete player than before? Is it possible Caron Butler solidifies himself as an All-Star, proving to be more than a second fiddle? Is it possible Antawn Jamison maintains his workman-like consistency? Is it possible Brendan Haywood shows the world he’s a top ten NBA center? Is it possible a deep and diverse supporting cast comes together under the leadership of Flip Saunders? Whether you think all of these improbabilities can magically come together with a dash of wizardry is possible or not doesn’t matter. It only matters that those in the locker room believe.

The Wizards certainly have their share of ‘in-house’ skeptics — just peruse some of the fan comments on the Washington Post’s Wizards Insider. Not as bad as perpetually irrational Redskins fans currently provoked by inept ownership, but you can clearly make the connection amongst sports fans bred in the swamp-like confines of the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia for you outsiders).

You can’t blame fans of a team that’s won eight playoff games in the last 20 years for continuing to sip from a half-empty glass. You can, however, blame these malcontents for buying into the alleged ‘Curse O’ Les Boulez.’

Sure, the franchise has dealt with injuries that have the timing of a political sex scandal unleashed weeks before election day. But who are Wizards fans to cry ‘woe is me’? It would be equally absurd to seek out reconciliatory voodoo in an attempt to reverse some perceived past transgression against fate when fate could really care less about an NBA team in the Nation’s Capital.

Keep doubting Arenas — it only fuels his fire. Say Saunders has never gotten a team “there.” That worn out cliché always runs rampant, plaguing almost every coach who hasn’t won … until they win. Red Auerbach (647), Larry Brown (1,900), and Dick Motta (738) all took their lumps before winning a championship (games coached before title season). Don’t be surprised when what you think is impossible becomes a reality.

With Saunders slated to coach his thousandth game in early December, an Arenas focused on basketball only, a driven Butler who’s lighter, more limber from yoga and with less sugary carbonation in his system, and a mix of hungry veterans and talented youth, the Wizards have their deepest team in decades. 2010 is the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Factor in Gilbert Arenas’ stomach tattoo (which, by the way, is a tiger face) and the fact that the Wizards play their home games in D.C.’s Chinatown, and all the cards are in place for the team to shush naysayers and have one of the best seasons in franchise history. Think it’s impossible now, but when the Wizards do something like make the Eastern Conference finals, just don’t call it a fluke.

NO YOU WON’T

A rousing dissent from a rival blogger(s).

The Wizards are gearing up for some offensive fireworks, adding Randy Foye and Mike Miller to Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and hopefully a healthy Gilbert Arenas. But the last time Washington had an above average defense was in 1998, and unless the team leads the league in scoring they won’t make out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

[Mike Kurylo, Knickerblogger.net]

Maybe we’ll get lucky and we’ll get to hear about how they totally would have put together a run if they hadn’t gotten injured. I can’t wait to hear that old chestnut! It’s like the Nutcracker, comes every year! True story, the biggest proponents of the public option are the Wizards.

[Matt Moore, Hardwood Paroxysm]

The return of Gilbert Arenas and his career 42 percent field goal shooting should really push them over the top. Of what I’m not sure. A cliff maybe?

[Matt McHale, By The Horns]

QUESTION MARKS

1. What Significant Moves were made during the off-season?

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?

• Offensive firepower: Four players who have averaged more than 20 ppg during a single season at some point in their career (Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and why yes, I am including Mike James’ 05-06. Got a problem with that? Figure you would), and two players over 16 ppg (Miller and Foye).
• Willingness to listen to a new coach: Not like the players were completely tuning Eddie Jordan out … but because of circumstances, there is now a heightened desire to listen.
• Depth: Players 1-14 can be expected to be called upon at any point for significant contribution (the status of current 15th man Paul Davis notwithstanding). The buzz indicates that there hasn’t been a deeper team since Phil Chenier was wearing short-shorts.
• Constancy of main guys: The Big Three (Arenas, Butler and Jamison), and the ‘Plus 1′ (Haywood) should all be very familiar with the games each other games by now … even if they haven’t had that much actual court time together.

3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?

• Defense: With really only three suitable defensive players (using “suitable” loosely) — Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson, and Dominic McGuire with Haywood being the best by far — this team needs huge commitments from its main stars on the defensive end.Even more importantly, the squad needs to learn how to play with more defensive focus/communication as a cohesive unit. With defense unquestionably being the biggest question mark surrounding this team (yes, even more than health, which is something you really can’t control anyway), the Wizards have a looooong way to go before they can prove themselves worthy.
• Frontcourt dearth: What do you do when your only reliable post scorer goes down for the first 10 games or so of the season? (Talking about Antawn Jamison, whose post game can be considered more unconventionally effective than reliable). Well, you start a 34-year old Argentine whose career high average of ‘getting buckets son’ stands at 4.8 ppg in Jamison’s place at the PF spot.Brendan Haywood is one of the top five centers in the East, but might not be as effective if you’re asking him to play more than 34 minutes per game (which would set his career high in mpg by about five minutes). Nor will the Wizards be running many offensive plays for Haywood.After the temporarily starting Oberto, you have Andray Blatche who battles with inconsistency more than Gary Busey struggles with a dog covered in nose candy, a guy who calls himself ‘Big Daddy Wookie’ aka JaVale McGee with incomprehensible athleticism, but little muscle and intuition … and that’s about it.Dominic McGuire is capable of playing the four spot, but his frame doesn’t exactly make him suitable. Because of the thin frontcourt, you could see Caron Butler or Mike Miller swing to the four when Saunders wants to go small.
• Point Guard play: Can Gilbert Arenas change his game to “run” a team? Can Randy Foye really be effective at the point despite oodles of statistical evidence that indicates he can’t? Is that Mike James … he’s still in the league? I once heard that Javaris Crittenton played high school ball with Dwight Howard, is that so?You can keep asking questions, but I really don’t have any answers as to who will efficiently and effectively implement Flip Saunders’ notoriously bulky offensive playbook … especially during the times when Arenas’ rehabilitated knee needs some rest on the bench.Point guard play is more of a question than a weakness that I could have put below at #5.
• Integration: There are three new players expected to receive significant playing time, two players who missed pretty much all of last season, several ‘youths’ who are trying to find their way in this world, and all of this under a brand spanking new coach. The Wizards will have to use some of the early season to develop as a unit. Problem being, they really can’t afford a high learning curve and a slow start.

4. What are the goals for this team?

5. The “Creative/Open Ended/Team Specific” Question:

Is this really “the” year for Andray Blatche? Who knows and we will see. Since this is the third year in a row that this question has been asked, I really don’t care to answer with anything other than a “Well, I’m going to hope for the best.”

ALL-A-TWITTER

A 140-character insight from a player.

@bigdaddywookie: bcuz if i was cursing all willy nilly the twitter bloggers would make a killing

This is JaVale McGee, aka @bigdaddywookie, responding to someone when asked why he censors the ‘s’ word. Clearly, the Wizard who tweets the most understands the implications of being front and center in the public domain. But don’t look for too much fan interaction from the second year NBAer. He follows fewer than 20 people (in contrast to over 1,700 followers), and has claimed to only follow females and family members. Most of McGee’s tweets seem to be interactions with ‘video honeys.’

ON THE RECORD

Single best quote concerning the team during the last 12 months.

“I think people shouldn’t be scared to mention championship. We’ve got a lot of pieces in place, and management did a great job this summer. Now we’ve got to put it together.
-Caron Butler [via The Washington Times, August 27, 2009]

THE 2008-09 ALMANAC

Some key stats from last season.

Offense: 26th
Defense: 29th
Pace: 17th
Team Factor Strength(s): none
Team Factor Weakness(es): Shooting Allowed (30th), Shooting (29th), Defensive Rebounding (26th)

THE PLAY

Down a single point with 9.2 seconds to play in a must-win game. What’s the play?

9.2 seconds? Everyone knows the ball will be in Gilbert Arenas’ hands. He can drive, create and is deadly from 10 feet beyond the arc. Too bad other team. You already used your foul to give, and must play it straight up. Feel the heat of the hibachi yet?

No need for the Wizards to even call a timeout. Taking the ball side-out after a timeout only gives the defense a chance to set up, and perhaps get a delay-of-game peek at the play. Nope. 9.2 seconds allows Arenas to get up the court, see the double-team coming, and jet past with already built momentum.

The remaining defense doesn’t know whether to run at Gil, or stay home on the shooters. Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller? Good luck with that decision. The opposing head coach mouths a curse word, but his throat is too dry to make a sound. Gilbert continues to the hoop, but not unimpeded. Up steps a big defender, ready to swat Arenas’ shot in the other direction. But it’s too easy for Agent Zero — he saw this scenario in his dreams. His no-look, drop-off bounce pass attaches itself to Brendan Haywood’s mitts. Dunk …. game OVER.

THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE

The fan favorite the crowd will be chanting for to see some action.

JaVale McGee will shine brightly, and he’ll have some rough outings. The inconsistent minutes he will receive will be predicated on how he performs in spot play, as he’ll probably be outside of Flip Saunders’ eight-man rotation. McGee will, however, have a good chance to earn more time in the ‘plus two’ part of the rotation that’s contingent on game-by-game factors, such as foul trouble. Many fans will cry for more Epic Vale; hopefully they’ll be drowned out by the sound of winning. Be patient folks, the kid is only a 21-year-old NBA sophomore.

IF YOU’RE WATCHING THE BOTTOM LINE, YOU’RE WATCHING THIS

The single biggest spreadsheet issue hanging over the team.

Not only did Ernie Grunfeld make the team immediately better with his summertime maneuvering, but he also left himself with the financial flexibility to make a midseason move, or to retool next summer. The Wizards have more of what Grunfeld likes to call “assets” than the average NBA team.

Many expected the $6.5 million expiring contract of Mike James to be moved this summer. Didn’t happen. James now serves among the ill-equipped backup point guards (including Javaris Crittenton and Randy Foye) currently on the roster.

After James, Mike Miller ($9.8 million), Fabricio Oberto ($1.99 million), Brendan Haywood ($6 million) are all set to come off the books. In addition, the Wizards’ hold team options on Javaris Crittenton ($2.3 million), McGee ($1.6 million), and qualifying offers on Randy Foye ($4.8 million), and Dominic McGuire (just over $1 million). Clearly most of this crop is fueled to reach its growing heights through motivation, which bodes well for the organization. With the exception of Oberto, each one on the list could easily provide a reason to be retained for 2010-11. However, some could also be traded away to a team looking to shed salary in an effort to procure a bigger star to push the Wizards over the hump.

With the Wizards currently about $8 million over the luxury tax threshold, Grunfeld will have to get creative with his assets. It’s highly unlikely that owner Abe Pollin will continue to give him free reign to spend more of his money (i.e., commit to another long term contract via a trade) without significant results.

FINAL SAY

Okay, so my prediction of 55 wins sounds a bit optimistic. But don’t say the Wizards can’t do it just because they would tie the 97-98 San Antonio Spurs for the second best turnaround in NBA history with 36 wins. That’s like walking to the roulette table and putting it all on red because black has come up the past ten times. What has happened in the past has nothing to do with the probabilities of the future. It’s not going to be easy, especially with a brutal March (11 of 16 games on the road, five back-to-back sets), but if team health remains copacetic, a 50+ win season should be within reach.

That’s All Folks!

{thanks for stopping by}

[UPDATE]

Preview blurbs and links for all NBA teams by their respective TrueHoop Network blog:

TEAM	BLOGGERS SAY	WINS*
	Bret Lagree | Hoopinion “The Hawks have not built, nor do they appear to be building, a championship contender. … Joe Johnson is poised to be a free agent in the summer of 2010. Johnson is not a franchise player, yet he’s the Hawks’ best player.”	45
	Zach Lowe | CelticsHub “It seems reasonable to say anything short of an 18th championship would be a disappointment.”	58
	Brett Hainline | Queen City Hoops “Great defense + equally bad offense = average. With an improving division around them, that equation does not get them their first playoff berth. But at least they won’t suck.”	36
	Matt McHale | By the Horns “During the offseason, the Bulls lost free agent Ben Gordon, whom many people considered the team’s best or second-best player (after Derrick Rose). Memo to Chicago fans: Don’t sweat it. Seriously. Gordon will be replaced by John Salmons, who not only gave the Bulls almost as many points per game (18.3 versus 20.7) but was slightly more efficient in how he scored them.”	43
	John Krolik | Cavs the Blog “After last season’s playoff heartbreak, Danny Ferry has changed up the equation … However, Shaq could disrupt the delicate offensive and defensive chemistry the Cavaliers rode to 66 wins and the conference finals, despite the fact he will be the best player LeBron has ever played with if he continues to play like he did last season. The big question for the Cavs this seasons whether they overreacted to two clutch 3s by Rashard Lewis, or made the risk they needed to take to finally get LeBron a ring.”	61
	Rob Mahoney | The Two Man Game “’Rebuilding’ teams seek financial flexibility and the acquisition of young, productive assets. Quality squads amass veteran talent, no matter the cost, in pursuit of a title. Defying all logic, the Mavs have simultaneously moved in both directions.”	50
	Jeremy Wagner | Roundball Mining Company “The only players still on the roster who exceeded expectations in 2008-09 were Nene and Birdman. It is reasonable to expect every member of the Nuggets, other than thirty-something Chauncey Billups, to improve.”	53
	Dan Feldman | PistonPowered “However the minutes shake out between Chris Wilcox, Kwame Brown and Ben Wallace, they won’t be as good as Rasheed Wallace. But Sheed wasn’t that great last year. He looked old and disinterested, so the drop here won’t be too steep.”	36
	Rasheed Malek |Warriors World “Under the ownership of Chris Cohan, the Warriors have made the playoffs exactly one time and have gone through numerous coaches, players and executives. Going into this season, Larry Riley is the man in charge taking over for Chris Mullin.”	28
	Anup Shah and Brody Rollins | Rockets Buzz “The speed revolution has overtaken some of basketball’s peers, most notably football … Is basketball headed in the same direction? [Aaron] Brooks provides an excellent case study. Beginning the year as the Rockets number one threat on offense with Ron Artest’s departure and injuries to Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, Brooks will have every opportunity to prove that size really doesn’t matter.”	39
	Jared Wade | Eight Points, Nine Seconds “It’s hard to believe that anything short of the postseason will remove the dark cloud over Conseco. … Ultimately, it will come down to one thing: [Mike Jr.] Dunleavy’s knee.”	32
	Kevin Arnovitz | ClipperBlog “[Blake] Griffin and [Eric] Gordon may not be saviors, but they’re something. Griffin’s skills and his tenacious work ethic (the guy runs up sand dunes in his free time) will be a boon to a team desperate for cultural overhaul. Gordon offers an enticing combination of spot-up shooting and forays into the paint. He finished third in true shooting percentage among starting off guards in his rookie campaign, something that can only help a team that ranked dead last in offensive efficiency last season.”	32
	Kurt Helin | Forum Blue and Gold “God, is it good to be hated again.”	64
	Chip Crain | 3 Shades of Blue “The 2009-10 version of the Grizzlies have put together a starting five where every player scored 30 points or more in a game last year. The oldest starter is only 28 years old (Zach Randolph) and the youngest won’t turn 22 until after the start of the season (O.J. Mayo). They are young, talented and hungry for success. So why do most people focus on the two players not on a rookie contract this season?”	20
	Matthew Bunch | Hot Hot Hoops “38.6 minutes. 30.2 points. 49.1 percent shooting. Five rebounds. 7.5 assists. 2.2 steals. 1.3 blocks. That’s what [Dwyane] Wade averaged last season. You’re going to keep that guy out of the playoffs? Good luck.”	44
	Jeremy Schmidt | Bucksketball “If the Bucks get anything out of their three small forwards, if they can keep [Andrew] Bogut and [Michael] Redd healthy and if they get a season worthy of the number ten selection out of Brandon Jennings at the point, the playoffs will be within reach. But that’s a lot of ifs.”	29
	Patrick Hodgdon | Howlin’ T-Wolf “”Ever since his arrival, David Kahn has had seemingly one mission, other than to look like the smartest guy in the room at every turn, and that is to get as much cap space for next summer as he possibly can. … The obvious question lies in whether or not the Wolves will actually be able to lure one of the better free agent players to come to Minnesota.”	23
	Mark Ginocchio and Sebastian Priuti | Nets are Scorching “Lingering doubts about Brooklyn could spoil any change the Nets have of landing a top free agent next summer.”	29
	Niall Doherty and Ryan Schwan | Hornets247 “Enter Emeka Okafor. He’s a near match to a healthy Chandler, is more durable, and doesn’t look like he’s having muscle spasms when making a post move.”	47
	Mike Kurylo | Knickerblogger “2010 could be New York’s return to winning.”	31
	Royce Young | Daily Thunder “The Thunder may not win more than half their games, but with over half the roster unable to get an alcoholic beverage still, steady improvement and progression is the name of the game.”	34
	Zach McCann | Orlando Magic Daily “Take away either Hedo Turkoglu or Courtney Lee and the Magic aren’t getting to face the Lakers in the Finals. No way. But does that mean the Magic were wrong to let them go? Were the Magic foolish to allow a borderline All-Star and a possible future All-Star leave the team when both clearly wanted to stay in Orlando? Absolutely not. I believe the Magic are an entirely better team than they were four months ago.”	59
	Carey R. Smith | Philadunkia “The travesty of a deal that Billy King gave to Samuel Dalembert remains easily one of the worst contracts in NBA history. Hopefully this season Dalembert, his inflated self-worth and his contract will be dealt for a couple of expiring contracts and some much-needed cap space.”	39
	Michael Schwartz | Valley of the Suns “Two years ago the Suns were chic championship picks. Last year, the Suns were (accurately) thought to be a fringe playoff team. This year there are almost no expectations outside of their locker room. … There will be no mistaking what the Suns are this season: a lightning-speed team that will score points in bunches and likely give them up almost as quickly while struggling badly on the boards. But they will once again be the most exciting team in basketball.”	46
	Max Handelman | Beyond Bowie “The Blazers effectively bumbled their way to a 54-win season despite a mediocre performance from Greg Oden, the loss of Martell Webster for the season, and at times starting three rookies. This team is only getting better, kids.”	53
	Zach Harper | Cowbell Kingdom “Enter Tyreke Evans — a bulldozer-sized menace who will test the strength of every team’s defense at its entry point. He immediately creates matchup problems against teams with traditional point guards and will look to have a similar impact as fellow Memphis alum, Derrick Rose.”	22
	Timothy Varner | 48 Minutes of Hell During the Celtics heyday, Red Auerbach boasted a winning percentage of .719. In the modern era, Pat Riley’s Showtime Lakers played to the tune of .733. Phil Jackson’s Jordan Bulls dominated the 90s with an otherworldly percentage of .771. Jackson’s three-peat Lakers? .735. In his 12 seasons with San Antonio, Gregg Popovich, whose cynical disdain for the regular season runs more than skin deep, has, nevertheless, posted a winning percentage of .707. That’s the company the Spurs keep. What should we expect this season? 58 wins and a run at the title. Same as every other year.”	55
	RaptorsRepublic “How is a rookie(ish) head coach going to integrate nine new players into a new system with two new assistant coaches?”	41
	Spencer Ryan Hall | Salt City Hoops “With young Wesley Matthews providing the good luck charm, Boozer in a contract year, Deron Williams with a chip on his shoulder, and a new longer-haired version of Andrei Kirilenko the Jazz have no reason to be anything other than beastly this season. And I mean that in a good way. Every prediction from the Jazz camp, however, comes with the ominous caveat ‘If we can stay healthy.’”	46
	Kyle Weidie | Truth About It “Flip Saunders has never gotten a team ‘there.’ That worn out cliché always runs rampant, plaguing almost every coach who hasn’t won … until they win. Red Auerbach (647), Larry Brown (1,900), and Dick Motta (738) all took their lumps before winning a championship (games coached before title season). Don’t be surprised when what you think is impossible becomes a reality. … 2010 is the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Factor in Gilbert Arenas’ stomach tattoo and the fact that the Wizards play their home games in D.C.’s Chinatown, and all the cards are in place.”	42
* As predicted by a consensus of all TrueHoop Network bloggers.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• January 17, 2012 -- Reportedly Reported: Wizards Shopping Blatche, Flip Saunders On Steady Diet of Subway
• September 23, 2011 -- DISCOVERY: The Beginning of the NBA Play Offs, Washington Wizards Style
• September 13, 2011 -- ShareBullets: The Andray Blatche Coloring Book Comes To Life & Summertime Hoops

Now that his play-calling duties have been taken away, I bet Jim Zorn feels just as bad as baby Falcon Heene. It’s probably only a matter of time until Zorny throws up on TV from all the nervousness caused by his pappy, Tiny Dan Snyder.

I bet if he could, Zorn would hop on a balloon and fly far into the sky, away from all his troubles.

{Jim Zorn, Balloon Boy}

And now, Wizards links …

When Gilbert Arenas was asked how he reacted to Antawn Jamison getting injured against Cleveland, he said he thought Jamison had a “cramp.” Yea, riiiiight.

Brendan Haywood had a slightly different reaction:

Shortly after Antawn Jamison scurried to the training room with a right shoulder injury in Cleveland on Wednesday night, Brendan Haywood hopped up out his chair and ran through the tunnel to see him.

“Dag on right I went to go check on him,” Haywood said. “Antawn is a big part of what we do. You look at our team, there’s probably two guys on this team that can’t afford to go down. That’s myself and Antawn because there is not a lot of depth behind us.”

[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

Who Erected Gilbert Arenas’ Platform?

Hold up. “We” erected the platform? No, actually, Gilbert Arenas erected his own platform by being so open, crazy, dramatic and whatnot. We might have dubbed him “Agent Zero,” but he was the one who dubbed his swag to be phenomenal, who nicknamed himself “hibachi,” who mocked Kobe Bryant by declaring he would shout “quality shot” after he shot. “We” may have asked him to blog for NBA.com, but it was him who decided to use it to make guarantees and talk about all-around weird stuff. I mean, other NBA players manage to blog on NBA.com without being so eccentric, surely it was possible to be funny and personable while not ruffling feathers.

[Mike Prada - Bullets Forever]

The Math Behind Caron Butler

If you have LeBron, but you take away some of his volume, you get Butler. But by removing volume, the character of the player you’re left with is completely changed. So while Butler may be something like “LeBron x 85 percent,” just by decreasing the volume you’re almost removing LeBron from the equation. It’s a null result. So let’s think of it another way: instead of Butler as 85 percent of LeBron, let’s make LeBron a “Butler x 115 percent + !!!.”

And so here, Butler becomes the archetype for the modern small forward, the mascot for the lineage through the late Aughts. Gerald Wallace’s recipe is “Butler – 10 percent + suicide bomber style.” John Salmons is “Butler – 10 percent – style + beard + indecisiveness.” Hedo Turkoglu is “Butler – 20 percent + size + the benefit of New Eastern European Romanticism.” Even Ron Artest becomes a Caron Butler mutation (“Butler + crazy pills”).

[Tom Ziller - NBA FanHouse]

Wizards Getting Serious?

It’s the middle of the preseason, and the Washington Wizards are crammed inside the tiny visitor’s locker room at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Tip-off is an hour away.

Forward Caron Butler is pacing the room and cracking jokes. Guard Mike Miller is laughing and eating a pregame meal in front of his locker. Guard DeShawn Stevenson is in the middle of the floor, dribbling a basketball between his legs and talking loudly to no one in particular.

The ball gets away from Stevenson and bounces toward a television monitor that‘s showing highlights of the Cavaliers‘ most recent game. I step in to save the day, snagging the ball with my left hand while sending a text with my right.

[Sam Amico - HoopsHype.com]

Nick Young Wants To Be Mike Miller

Nick Young started out pretty hot this preseason, scoring 20 points on 8-for-17 shooting (47 percent) the first two games. But in the past three preseason games, Young has missed 19 of his past 24 shots and scored just 15 points. Young hasn’t started since the preseason opener against Memphis and said he has struggled to find his rhythm coming off the bench. “It’s kind of hard,” Young said. “I’m trying to get it going like Mike [Miller] did. Every player goes through that. [Miller] got it going. I hope it’s my turn.”

[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

Other Links:

• LeBron James serves as the NBA’s example of a traveling violation in the league’s video rulebook [NBA.com]
• “Arenas Plans to Shut Up and Play” [Mike Wise, Washington Post]
• A great analysis and tracking of statistics for the Wizards-Cavs game [Bullets Forever]
• “For Jordan, the past is present: As 76ers coach gets set to face former team, he opens up about his time with the Wizards” [Michael Lee, Washington Post]
• “Hawks eager for first peak at new-look Wizards” [Sekou Smith, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
• Brendan Haywood tied for D.C.’s 4th longest tenured athlete, Gilbert Arenas tied at 11th [Dan Steinberg, DC Sports Bog]
• “14 players in a new system: Randy Foye” [Mike Prada - Bullets Forever]

NBA Blogger Central Division Previews

Chicago Bulls
BlogABull.com | Give Me The Rock

Cleveland Cavaliers
Fear The Sword | WaitingForNextYear | Cavalier Attitude

Detroit Pistons
Motown String Music | Empty the Bench | Pistons Nation | Need4Sheed.com

Indiana Pacers
Indy Cornrows

Milwaukee Bucks
BrewHoop

See full schedule here

And if you made it this far, you get some Kid Cudi …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qiy-yAoX0HI

Other reads from Truth About It:

• October 23, 2009 -- Wizards Practice Video, Must-Read Links and An Appearance By Sleepy Floyd
• October 3, 2009 -- Unheard and Unseen Cuts from Wizards Media Day
• April 4, 2009 -- The Wiz vs. The Griz in Pictures

Okay Mike, I get it and it’s cool with me. Although I may think what I think about LeBron James, I’ve got no beef with you.  LeBron’s shoes are your most favoritest in the whole wide world … and you are BFF with the guy who chose to have a tattoo artist ink ‘Chosen 1′ on his back.

I’m not sure who LeBron thinks actually “chose” him to be whatever it is that he thinks he is (maybe Sports Illustrated is god to him — whatever the case, it’s kind of arrogant).

On a side, but related note: It’s funny … when an athlete is good and some sort of athletic freak-of-nature, he is said to have “god-given talent” (aka chosen). But when someone is born with a disability, it’s called a “being tested.” Oh well and whatever, I’m digressing way beyond my worldly means of comprehension.

The point is, Mike, you named your son after LeBron James’ friend and now you want to keep wearing his shoes. They are light and no other shoe will ever, ever hold you with the same embrace. You say you’ll wear them until they hurt you. Basically, LeBron’s shoes are like a girl you’re seriously dating (but not necessarily one who’s achieved ‘girlfriend’ status … yet).

But here’s the problem, this girl you’re dating (or what the shoes represent: LBJ and the team he plays for, the Cleveland Cavaliers), has had “issues” … not only with at least one of your current teammates/friends, but she has left bridges burning all over the city in which you live/play.

You don’t know if you’ll be teammates with these guys or live in the city forever. But you do know that the girl treats you right and it could get serious (as ‘man-crushes’ usually are heading in that direction).

Mike, you’re caught between two rocks of uncertainly and you can’t really push on either lest they roll back and crush you. You want to get along with your new teammates; the better the team unity, the better the chance of winning. But LeBron will also be a billionaire one day. That’s his ultimate goal. So it doesn’t behoove you to disparage the guy who “sonned” you [via Free Darko].

What to do, what to do? Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson can be intimidating guys. But so can LeBron.

The simple solution? A marker and some stickers.

You can continue to express loyalty to LeBron and his comfy shoes while saving face with your teammates by letting him know who you play for.

Easy as that.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• June 2, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Next Right, NBA Draft Rumors
• June 24, 2010 -- Grunfeld, Gilbert, and the Galácticos
• June 20, 2010 -- Mike Miller Talks To LeBron About Free-Agency, Reaffirms Desire To Play For a Winner

Even though we’re in a state of “this damn economy”, we can rest comfortably that there’s always an NBA player willing to implement his own mini-stimulus package to consumerism … such as Gilbert Arenas and his need to purchase a refrigerator and microwave for one day. And this took place in Michigan, which has recently fallen on hard times … so more kudos to Gil.

How do we know about all this? Why, the Twitter account of one @bigdaddywookie aka JaVale McGee.

{via @bigdaddywookie}

Now, some were calling it ‘rookie hazing’ … but JaVale will be the first to tell you, he ain’t no rook.

But since Arenas was out pretty much all year, is JaVale a rookie to him? We’ll probably never know since Gil isn’t talking to the media.

Still, that doesn’t answer the question at hand … did JaVale end up carrying Gil’s ‘Top Chef For A Day’ accouterments?

{via @bigdaddywookie}

A follow up Twitter-query as to if Gil and JaVale both pushed the cart side-by-side went unanswered.

Still, McGee should feel lucky. In the past, the prank-playing Arenas might have rubbed Icy-Hot on the inside of McGee’s transformer helmet or de-clawed his Wolverine toy for such an instance of non-compliance.

Whatever the case may be, shopping with Gil is probably better than being lonely in Grand Rapids.

{via @bigdaddywookie}

Other reads from Truth About It:

• August 24, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Earthquake After Effects & The Detriment of Gilbert Arenas’ Twitter Account
• July 2, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Wizards Weekender of Lockout Links
• June 22, 2010 -- LINKS: It’s All About John Wall, faster than a speeding cheetah

Three minutes is all it took for the atrocious display that is the Washington Wizards to go from being down nine points to 20 points.

Actions taken by Jeff Foster, Danny Granger, and T.J. Ford were the tipping point which led me to easily conclude that not only were things falling apart, but the Washington Wizards were also rising down.

The photoshop concept, suggested by Bullets Forever user Jon L in the comments section here, derived from a Roots album…..the title of which stems from a book by this guy, similar to books being the basis for titles of previously alluded to Roots albums, Things Fall Apart and The Tipping Point, both also good candidates for some Wizards photoshopping.

Frustration is futile….might as well have some fun with this until the depression sets in.

Link: the original Roots Rising Down album cover.

Wizards-Pacers Web Hits

• After trailing by 14at halftime, Caron Butler hit a three to tie the game at 83 with 55 seconds left in the third quarter. But once the fourth quarter started, the Wizards retreated into their customary late-game backslide, which allowed the Pacers to pull away. [New Lineup, But the Same Old Outcome - Marc Craig, Washington Post]

• For the first time all season, Caron Butler was visibly frustrated during the game. After the 34 point loss to the Celtics last week, Butler was so upset after the game that he stormed out and brushed past additional reporters waiting to talk to him. Tonight, in the second half when the Wizards were struggling the most, Butler would come down and try to dribble through all five Pacers’ players to make something happen. Because Butler is talented, he was able to score or draw the foul some of the time, but other times he’d turn the ball over or leave his other four teammates open calling for the ball. During garbage time, Butler was visibly upset, and he was chewing on his ever-present straw much harder than usual. [Rashad Mobley, Hoops Addict]

• “Once again, we came back to 83, and that was digging out of a hole, then two breakaway layups by them just sort of pricked the balloon and let all the air out of the balloon. It seems like there was some fatigue, and I’m disappointed……We’ve got to break this pattern. We’ve got to find a way out.” -Ed Tapscott

• “It is really frustrating, I’ve been in this locker room for four years. In the four years, this is the worst it’s been for us. … Even though we started slow some of the seasons, we always managed to turn it around. The difference between that is we always had effort.” -Andray Blatche
• Really Andray? Effort? The same person who boxes out every third game? The same player that is about three steps above Kwame Brown in the bust department? The same person whose most famous double-double consists of nachos and hookers? Right. [Stet Sports]

• This disparity in backcourt play continues to be the main reason for the Wizards’ demise. Dixon has been playing well of late, so this was just an off game for him. Stevenson has been consistently bad all year, yet his place in the starting lineup seems secure. Even on defense, where Stevenson has made such a name for himself in prior years, there is noticeable slippage. Danny Granger and Marquise Daniels routinely went by him and scored at will. [Rashad Mobley, Hoops Addict]

• Hit by misfortune and playing poor defense, the Pacers hadn’t won a game in almost two weeks. The Washington Wizards, the worst team in the Eastern Conference, provided a nice cure Monday night at Verizon Center. [Pacers halt 6-game skid with victory over struggling Wizards - Mike Wells, Indy Star]

• So how did the Pacers suddenly stop the bleeding and seize the lead again? Easy, Jim O’Brien went with a small lineup that was giving him the best defense the team has seen in what seems like several weeks. Jack, Quisy, Granger, Rush and Foster worked like crazy at both ends of the court. Along with the defensive effort, this group had plenty of firepower left over for the offensive end. Later in the quarter, T.J. Ford came in for Rush to help close out the W. That’s just what the Pacers did, continuing to extend their effort through the final buzzer when everyone could exhale and savor a W. Finally. [Indy Cornrows]

• “Theoretically we had good stops on a number of occasions tonight, but we were unable to come up with the ball.” -Ed Tapscott