Posts for category ‘Wizards Training Camp’

I won’t be down in Richmond to cover training camp until this weekend, but there’s plenty of output from those in the mix on the campus of VCU. Here’s the run-down …

(and yes, still jealous that I’m not down there … still making “livin’ money” during the day instead)

Flip Saunders, master teacher [via WashingtonWizards.com]

Project Comeback

Gilbert Arenas hasn’t spoken yet this week, but according to Saunders and some of his teammates, he is rolling right along.

“I thought he looked good. If you look at how his team does [in scrimmages], I think that’s the most important thing,” Saunders said. “One of the main comments that came out from our meeting afterwards with the coaches was they didn’t realize how well he can really see the floor, push the ball and create. He’s gone three practices in 24 hours and Idon’t see any ill effects. He exploded when he needed to explode and got where he wanted to go. He’s trying to understand his role and what we want him to do, and trying to be that leader.”

Read more »

First up, our friend Andray Blatche. What you will see in the video embedded below:

• Andray making cupcakes at Red Velvet.
• Andray eating cupcakes and drinking a juice box with NBC 4′s Lindsay Czarniak.
• Andray’s mini-jersey chain bling.

And now LaVar Arrington posting up Gilbert Arenas … and missing the bunny.

Read more »

In case you haven’t heard, the Wizards added some more bread filler to their training camp crabcakes with the signing of Vincent Grier and Paul Davis. But these are just test crabcakes, when the season starts, they’ll be much more potent.

Vincent Grier

Grier, who spent last year playing in France and has previously made off-season appearances with the Miami Heat (2006) and Minnesota Timberwolves (2008), seems to be one of those ‘dime-a-dozen’ swingmen.

Here’s a synopsis of what I was able to gather via Grier’s Draft Express profile (written in Feb. 2005):

He’s an explosive lefty slasher who can score in bunches, take smaller guards in the post because of his size (6’5″, 200 lbs. or so), and rebounds well. However, he can be out of control on offense, his jumper is inconsistent, and his handles are shaky. He can uses his muscle to play decent defense, but doesn’t necessarily have lateral quickness.

Grier has no chance of making the team. But as goes common knowledge, his simple association with an NBA team might help with a contract down the line. If anything, Flip Saunders seems to be doing his fellow University of Minnesota alum a solid. Seeing the meager client list of Grier’s agent Mark McNeil, they could use the extra help.

Read more »

The Washington Wizards, as proven last season, can manage to survive without Gilbert Arenas. They obviously had enough talent and depth, along with a coach who is able to make the necessary adjustments, to be a playoff caliber team in the Eastern Conference.

So, when the news of losing Arenas until 2009 hit, some where frustrated, but for the most part, Wizards fans did not press the panic button. However, now that Brendan Haywood is out, the absence of Arenas is compounded and the team outlook for ’08-’09 appears very bleak.

Not all is lost for the Wizards to possibly keep their head above water and hope for a timely recovery in the health department for a playoff push. But subtracting Haywood from the remainder sans Gilbert Arenas hurts the team more than losing Arenas by himself.

As I wrote in Haywood’s evaluation, during the course of last season, BTH displayed significant and noticeable improvement in the areas of maturity, hand strength, shooting ability, concentration and leadership. Aside from shooting percentage, it’s hard to measure those other intangibles. So, we much turn to stats to assist with the story of Brendan Haywood’s value to the Washington Wizards.

A new site, Basketball-Statistics.com, and blog, attempts to compile an all encompassing stat which incorporates a player’s value on offense and defense. You can read the explanation of ‘Composite Score’ here…..essentially, it combines a number of statistical measurements from other statisticians, along with various tweaks from the site’s creator, Jon Nichols. Nichols is the first to admit that Composite Score is a work in progress, as one can always find ways to tinker with a system. However, in its current version, the results pertaining to the Wizards, specifically Brendan Haywood, are interesting nonetheless.

Read more »

photo from nba.com/wizards

With the commencement of the Washington Wizards training camp this past Saturday, the questions are starting to mount, many of which won’t be answered until preseason games are played and upon the Wiz Euro Trip taking place.

Dave Johnson and Steve Buckhantz have been live blogging from camp, and as the Pradamaster mentioned on Bullets Forever, their observations must be taken with a grain of salt.

Question #1: What is Flip Saunders doing at training camp?
As mentioned in the washingtonwizardsblog.com blog from training camp day 1, K.C. Jones is also at camp, but he has ties to the franchise (coached the Bullets from 1973-1976), and hasn’t been in the NBA coaching game since 1992 (Seattle Sonics). The Hall of Famer currently works for the University of Hartford Athletic Department.

Read more »