“I’m a better player than the last time I was here, that’s for sure,” proclaimed Roger Mason Jr. on Monday night, after the fourth day of Washington Wizards training camp. Furthermore, he said, “I’m a better player than I was in San Antonio.”

At least this is what the Wizards are hoping for, but to what degree remains to be seen. Regardless of his chances to show himself as a player, Mason knows the role he signed up for in his return stint with Washington.

“My role is just to share some of the knowledge that I’ve learned,” said Mason. ”Learning from guys like Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, you know, pros… being with Amar’e Stoudemire. Those are things that I can bring to Andray Blatche, to let him know how Tim Duncan prepares for games. To let John Wall know how Tony Parker prepares for games. They won championships. So my role now is to come here and teach these guys what champions do.”

But a role as the veteran who comes off the bench in spot minutes, maybe sinks a three-pointer or two? The guy who gives an “atta-boy” as JaVale McGee comes out the game with a sour look? No. Roger Mason doesn’t want to just be that, and from what I’ve seen, he hasn’t been playing like that either.

The relevant question will continue to be Nick Young’s unresolved free agency. As a skill or functionality, however, Mason and Young might not relate to each other so much. Craig Stouffer of the Washington Examiner writes:

From the moment Mason said there was interest in him coming to Washington, I was curious whether it could be at Young’s expense. Multiple sources told me that Young (scorer) and Mason (veteran) were very different. But Mason may have more “scorer” than Young has “veteran.” Who knows.

But considering the entire Washington Wizards backcourt unit, opportunity is relevant, and Mason is currently taking Young’s. But whose fault is it? Not Nick Young’s. Not his fault that he’s a free-agent, albeit one restricted by the system.

Restricted Free Agency. You’re going to get paid no matter what. Win-win, except for the angst built from Young having to wait for several tiers of dominos to fall before he sees his cheddar. This even though former NBAer Eddie Johnson on HoopsHype.com ranks Young as his No. 1 FA shooting guard (it’s the ‘R’ in front of the FA that sometimes makes the difference). Rarther, it’s the superstars first (aka Chris Paul, a situation that Mason Jr. calls “horrible”), and then some other guys, and then perhaps Nick. In summation: the NBA is holding a lot of hostages.

Yet another angle to this is that Roger Mason could be more than just Nick Young insurance. Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports:

The Wizards have tendered a $3.7 million qualifying offer to Young that he may have to eventually settle for, if the situation drags on much longer.

The underlying fact being that Ernie Grunfeld currently has the right to negotiate a new contract with Young. Grunfeld does not have to wait for another team to make an offer. But the Wizards, being in a situation of rebuilding in a league where there is no true minor league, greatly value roster limits and the evaluation process.

[sidebar fact: The D-League, despite me liking it and it being great and all, is not a true minor league. Pro teams, for the most part, are currently better served in their development efforts by having youth under a more controlled environment at the top level. If David Stern had any sense left, he'd force each NBA team to also own and manage a D-League team.]

Meaning, team management would be just fine with seeing what Nick is made of if he’s forced to play for one season at $3.7 million to achieve unrestricted free agency. If it affects his psyche, well that’s his problem, and the Wizards might be willing to gamble Young’s unrestricted status on it. They are in no rush to lock him up long term, nor should they be.

HOWEVER… were Young to be signed to an offer sheet by another team, Grunfeld would surely evaluate all reasonable opportunities in considering Nick Young, from matching said offer sheet, to letting Young walk, to manuevering a sign-and-trade.

But it all takes time. And David Stern keeps putting his foot in the way of the dominos. Meanwhile, Roger Mason Jr. does his thing.

In The Video Below, You Will See…

• Mason getting to the middle of the paint against a zone-type  pressure defense, and a recovering Rashard Lewis, and finishing with the left hand, opposite from the help defense. Someone on the sidelines seems to call Andray Blatche’s name out regarding his own help defense, or lack thereof.
• Jordan Crawford lazily getting caught playing the play instead of the player and going under the screen as Mason steps out to hit a three. Smart player, that Mason.
• Mason not even pump-faking, but using a simple hesitation move against an anxious-to-block-a-shot JaVale McGee, and then getting the spacing to hit a jumper in spite of Blatche’s contest.
• Flip Saunders starting to comment when asked about Roger Mason, and then getting into a spiel about unselfish basketball. [MESSAGE!]
• Roger Mason talking about his role with the Wizards.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• February 5, 2011 -- So You Think You Can Rebuild A Team: The Gilbert Arenas Version
• February 5, 2012 -- The Wizards Said WHAT? Randy Wittman Is Searching Too
• February 2, 2012 -- Stickers for Selflessness: Leading the Charge Against Hero-Ball

[Roger Mason Jr. - via Flickr/Keith Allison]

It’s now being widely reported that Roger Mason Jr. — native son of D.C., attendee of Sidwell Friends/Good Counsel, UVA Cavalier — will soon sign with the Washington Wizards, making it his second stint with the team. Teams can officially sign players at 2 pm on Friday, just before training camp is scheduled to commence. The Post’s Michael Lee reports that Mason will be in Washington, ready to join the team.

How do I feel about this? Iffy, yet content. For one, the signing fits the Ernie Grunfeld mold. The Wizards team president values the presence of veterans, and even though the Wizards hopefully aren’t promising Mason too much court action, nor are overpaying him (the veteran’s minimum, they say, which is just fine), Washington likely offers Mason the most comfort and opportunity over other potential suitors. The Boston Celtics were also said to be interested in Mason; in that situation, Roger might’ve easily found himself relegated to those spillover seats behind the bench, following the inactive dress code, and wondering how and why.

Washington it will be, in an existence of factual acceptance. Speaking of facts, below are some stats regarding the player. While I’m less than enthused about a Roger Mason Jr. signing, in the end I can’t help but welcome back the hometown guy in hopes that he will revitalize the sun-setting of his career, as he turned 31 in September, and I am about 10 weeks older.

• Mason’s most productive season as a scorer is unquestionably his last with the Wizards, 2007-08. In 21.4 minutes per game (mostly off the bench as he played in 80 games, started nine), Mason achieved career highs in PER (13.8), FG% (.443) and Points/36 Minutes (15.3).
• Since leaving Washington, his FG% dropped  from .443 to .425 over 82 games his first season in San Antonio, to .389 over 79 games during his second season with the Spurs, and finally, .338 in just 26 games with the Knicks last season.
• While Mason’s 3P% increased from .398 in 2007-08 with the Wizards to .421 the next season with the Spurs, it dipped drastically to .333 with the Spurs in 2009-10, and was .364 during his brief time with the Knicks.
• More disturbing is that Mason’s eFG% has declined from .552 in D.C. to .526 to .478 to .442 in subsequent seasons.

Other Thoughts:

• Mason Jr. is not a replacement for Nick Young. Again, he is 31… veteran guard insurance.
• Sure, you may see him play the point some. He can distribute, and more importantly, take care of the ball, but don’t look for Mason to create a ton, at least not off the dribble. And he will NOT earn trips to the free-throw line.
• According to Synergy Sports Technology, in 2009-10 with the Spurs, when an offensive possession ended in a FGA, TO or FTs for Mason, he produced 1.06 Points Per Possession (PPP) in Spot-Up situations. His production diminished as the P&R Ball Hander (0.73 PPP), receiving the ball via Hand Off (0.68 PPP), in Isolation (0.64 PPP), and Off Screens (0.57 PPP). His numbers with the Knicks tell a similar story, but that’s such a small sample size.
• Put it this way, if the Wizards find Mason and Young sharing the backcourt during spells for some reason, they are likely in trouble.
• Mason can be an adequate defender, but he’s not laterally quick. He’ll need to be a smart, veteran defender.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• June 15, 2009 -- The Hype-nitis Surrounding Manu Ginobili to the Wizards and How It Could Happen
• February 2, 2012 -- Stickers for Selflessness: Leading the Charge Against Hero-Ball
• January 27, 2012 -- BOO! An Andray Blatche Confessional

Just saying.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 8, 2011 -- Roger Mason Jr. Returning To The Wizards? What Do You Think?
• December 7, 2011 -- The Wizards 2011-2012 Schedule: Guess Who Isn’t Coming To Dinner?
• March 29, 2010 -- When Quinton Ross > DeShawn Stevenson > Jay Humphries > NBA Cocaine Trafficking Ring

Ivan Carter has a good run-down of the ATL on Wizards Insider.

Back to last year’s history, the Wizards finished 2-2 against the Hawks. Here’s how it went down:

Game 6: Wizards @ Atlanta – Nov. 11, 2007
This game was played at the same time as a Redskins-Eagles matchup….so I made my friends put two TVs in their living room. The Wiz played a good game all around, moving the ball well and netting 26 assists, with 8 coming from Butler. They also worked inside-out, establishing Haywood in the paint early. BTH finished with 13 points and 12 boards. The Wiz had the game relatively in command but Atlanta made a late run and cut the lead to five with 3:40 left. However, Antawn Jamison sealed a big win with some clutch baskets. He finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Wizards 101 – Hawks 90

Game 25: Wizards vs. Hawks – Dec. 21, 2007
After starting the previous loss against the Bulls and going 1-10 from the field, Nick Young was sent back to the bench in favor of Roger Mason, Jr.. The Hawks got off to a very fast start and the Wiz were lucky to be down four after one quarter. Remember Mike Wilks? He made his Wizards debut this game, his first shot was an airball. The Wiz were up two at the half, 47-45. Both teams made some runs in the 3rd, which ended with Atlanta up one, 68-67. The fourth quarter was intense and exciting as the teams went back and forth. With a minute left, Josh Smith hit a trey to put Atlanta up three. Nick Young made a drive to earn two FTs. Josh Childress got a lucky tip after good Wizards defense. Nick Young answered with a Kobe-like double-clutch hanging shot. The Hawks made two FTs, and with 16 seconds left and down three, Nick “The City” Young could not nail a trey to tie the game. Atlanta hit a couple FTs to seal the game and win in DC for the first time since December 2003.
Hawks 97 – Wizards 92

Game 34: Wizards @ Atlanta – Jan. 11, 2008
Let’s see…Big Oily Pecherov made his NBA debut (2 points, a rebound, a foul and a turnover), but this game was the Andray Blatche show….one of the few instances he has displayed real hustle. AB finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds (6 offensive) and 5 blocks off the bench. Antawn Jamison’s 17 total rebounds weren’t too shabby either. But Atlanta hung around, scoring 35 points in the 3rd after only 33 in the first half. Atlanta was up 68-62 heading into the final period. The game would head into OT as the Big Three of Butler, Jamison and Stevenson led the way. At the very end, the Wizards had trouble getting the ball inbounds with 5.4 seconds left. After an almost steal by Atlanta, Daniels was able to receive the inbounds pass from Stevenson and make both FTs to eek out the win.
Wizards 102 – Hawks 98

Game 66: Wizards vs. Hawks – Mar. 17, 2008
Mike Bibby suited up for the Hawks in this one. At the half, Atlanta held a one point lead, 54-53, as both teams were shooting over 50%, and limiting turnovers. Biddy had 12 points, Josh Smith had 14, Roger Mason had 12 off the bench and Haywood had 14 and 7 at intermission. The 3rd quarter went back and forth, but it seemed like the Wizards were always trying to play catch-up, going into the 4th down 84-77. In the end, the Hawks athleticism, the creation of Joe Johnson (10 assists), and the inability of Jamison, Butler, and Mason to come through led to a disheartening loss for Washington.
Hawks 105 – Wizards 96

So there you have it, in 07-08, these two teams split the four game series, each winning on the other team’s home-court twice.

[photo source: flickr/Rick Austin]

Random Posts

• June 25, 2008 -- Wizards & Constancy, It Ain't So Bad
• December 10, 2007 -- Live Game 20 Blog: Washington Wizards vs. New Jersey Nets
• July 16, 2009 -- Wizards Summer League Game 2: Should Ernie Grunfeld Be Sweating?

[source: flickr/cougar-studio]

• Game 37: Wizards @ New York Knicks – Jan. 15, 2008
  Antonio Daniels had a sore knee so Roger Mason Jr. got the starting nod, and he did not disappoint, knocking down 8 of 14 shots for 20 points. But as they have the propensity to do, the Wizards got off to a bad start, down 30-14 after one quarter…..perhaps it was the empty airplane hanger-like atmosphere in the Garden. Behind a strong 2nd quarter where “I Get Buckets Son” hit three 3s, the Wiz were down 51-41 at the half. After three, the Knick lead was cut to 5. But in the end, the Wizards were out rebounded, out assisted, out shot, and looked worn down after coming off amazing back-to-back wins against the Celtics. Jamal Crawford torched the Wiz for 29 points en route to a 105-93 New York win over Washington.

• Game 38: Washington Wizards vs. Knicks – Jan. 18, 2008
  So, three days later, the Wiz got their shot at redemption in the confines of the Verizon Center. The first quarter ended with both teams scoring in bunches, and shooting over 63%; the Knicks held the lead 32-28. In the 2nd quarter, Caron Butler showed some hustle swag to put the Wiz up 61-57 at the half. Washington built their lead to 12 at the end of 3 with solid defense by DeShawn Stevenson on Jamal Crawford, and some strong contributions from Big Oily, Oleksiy Pecherov, off the bench. The Knicks cut the Wizards lead to 4 early in the 4th, but Caron Butler (22 points), Antawn Jamison (32 points), and the bench (30 points) ensured the win for the Wizards, 111-98 over the Knicks.

• Game 53: Washington Wizards vs. Knicks – Feb. 19, 2008
  I missed this game because of a trip to Argentina (thanks for my friend Chris for picking up the slack on the game blog)….evidently Art Monk was in attendance, as was Alexander Ovechkin, who at one point was shown on TV slipping the tongue to a blond chick (I’m assuming his now wife?). Antawn Jamison tried his best (20 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals), but the Wizards could not overcome the absence of Caron Butler, who was out due to injury. Jamal Crawford missed a chance to put the Knicks up one with 19 seconds left in regulation when he only made 1 of 2 free-throws. With the score tied at 90, the ball was in the hands of Antonio Daniels….not good and you can guess the result. The Knicks would outscore the Wizards 23-10 in OT for the 113-100 win.

Game Day Reads:

• The Wizards appear to be succumbing to a mental fatigue that eventually overtakes a team banished to basketball purgatory yet again by injuries. The Wizards are hurting not merely because Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood are on the shelf. The Wizards are hurting not merely because Antonio Daniels is showing his 33 years, Roger Mason Jr. has taken up with the Spurs and Andray Blatche is not in the mood to impose himself on the proceedings. They are hurting because they have been in this unsettled state since late January in the 2006-07 season.
  [Tom Knott: Clearly, losing is really painful - The Washington Times]

• “Change” is a word that has been thrown around a lot in Washington lately, and it could come soon to the Wizards if Coach Eddie Jordan doesn’t see drastic improvement from his 0-3 team.
  [Wizards' Jordan Might Make Changes - The Washington Post]

• Eddie Jordan exited the Washington Wizards’ practice court Thursday at Verizon Center drenched in sweat and visibly fatigued. He had just put his 0-3 Wizards through a brisk practice. Then the coach hit the treadmill hard. “That was my stress-buster run,” Jordan said. “Right after practice I went to it.”
  [Jordan, Wizards exercise patience - The Washington Times]

• Marbury is arguably the most talented guard on the Knicks, but the starting point guard Chris Duhon has newly elected friends in high places. Playing the Wizards might not be the only reason he makes visits to Washington.
  [The Other Side: New York Knicks - Wizards Insider]

• New starting point guard Chris Duhon, averaging just 6.8 points per game on 37.5 percent shooting, hasn’t made a fan in comedian/diehard Knick fan Chris Rock. During a halftime interview with MSG Network’s Jill Martin Wednesday after Duhon went scoreless, Rock poked fun at Duhon. A big Obama supporter, Rock was told the president-elect played 1-on-1 in Chicago with Duhon recently and that Obama was trash-talking. “Everyone trash-talks Duhon,” Rock quipped, then added “Who won that game – Duhon or Obama?”
  [Chris Rock jabs Duhon - Knicks Blog, NY Post]
• Should the Wizards Go Small? – Wizards Insider — Michael Lee talks to a veteran NBA player who has the idea of starting Jamison at center, Butler at PF, Young at SF and Stevenson and Daniels in the backcourt. While I doubt he who shall remain nameless is on drugs, I do doubt that said anonymous player will be a coach one day.

• Rumors of the Knicks tyring to acquire Al Harrington – The Knicks Fix

Random Posts

• August 11, 2010 -- Deconstructing The Washington Wizards 2010-2011 Schedule
• January 20, 2009 -- Game Photos: Wizards vs. Knicks
• December 6, 2007 -- Game 18 Live Blog: Washington Wizards vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Ok, so Jamison isn’t exactly chewing on a straw a la Tuff Juice in the photo above….it appears to be a mouth piece. But it’s safe to say, the team better be following the actions and listening to the words of the guy with a teeth-marked plastic straw in his mouth.

The Pradamaster already did a Wizards link dump over at Bullets Forever. Now, I’d like to get in on the action with some linkage diarrhea…..gotta give good content across the world wide web its proper due…..not that the below links are bad like the collywobbles, but they sure are juicy.

————————–

Speaking of Tuff Juice, Tom Knott has a column about the guy, “Wizards getting more than they bargained,” at The Washington Times.

Jordan took an immediate liking to Butler because of his fearlessness and combativeness, two qualities found lacking in the Wizards in the 2005-06 season. Jordan nicknamed Butler “Tough Juice,” and it stuck.

Many thanks to Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie for recognizing this very blog in his ‘Blog Association’ series saluting the most outstanding blogs for each NBA team:

“One of the best writers on the ‘net, one of the best Photoshoppers, it’s hard to believe a site like this can come in second. A tremendous daily read, especially during the season.”

I guess this is what Jay-Z meant when he said, “Real recognize real.” Truth About It placed second and Bullets Forever deservedly came in first.

Ivan Carter breaks down the Wizards bigs at The Washington Post, “Wizards Size Up An Oversize Roster.”

1. Brendan Haywood on JaVale McGee: “To me, he’s probably one of the top two or three centers in terms of athleticism, in the league, hands down.”
2. Eddie Jordan on JaVale McGee: “Get JaVale out of there, please…….Run the floor, JaVale!”

The Pradamaster at Bullets Forever gets curious about the possibility of Andray Blatche logging some time at the small forward position:

In the summer league, he was playing the four spot in the offense. He’s bulked up over the summer too, and now you’re going to tell him to play on the wing? That would really stunt his development, and giving Etan Thomas more playing time is not an acceptable excuse.

Highlights from a Washington Post chat session with Ivan Carter and Michael Lee:

Ivan: I’ll say this based on conversations I’ve had with scouts and gms from around the league, Eddie will have another gig almost right after he’s done with Wizards. He’s that respected around the league.

Ivan: As men, [Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas] were embarrassed by the attention given their spats and wanted to end that stuff. They’re still banging away and competing like heck out there in camp but it’s pretty clear that neither of them wants to be known for getting into juvenile fights.

Ivan: The main thing that is different this year from my last three camps covering this team is that Eddie has them doing a lot more scrimmaging. The reason is that guys are so familiar now with one another and the schemes, they can have crisp scrimmage situations without having to constantly stop and instruct. They just look smoother.

Ivan Carter at Wizards Insider wonders Who Fills (Roger) Mason’s Shoes?

Good post that essentially compares Mason and Juan Dixon on defense and offense…..I say the two-headed monster named JuanDee will be more than a suitable replacement.

Dan Steinberg at the DC Sports Bog reminds us of Dee Brown’s rap CD, and how he’s performed in Europe.

I’ve listened to Dee Brown’s entire CD, Unwritten, and learned exactly 14 things…..those things are posted at Bullets Forever.

Like fantasy basketball? I do. Check out the guys at The Fantasy Lounge for a preview of the Wizards, among other teams.

Stet Sports wonders: Where is the Wizards Bandwagon?

Ivan Carter has a piece on DerMarr Johnson on The Washington Post, “Hoping to Find a Home Where His Heart Is.”

“I never thought about playing here earlier in my career because every time my team came to town, I had to buy like 60 tickets because I have so much family and friends out here,” said Johnson, who played one season of college basketball at Cincinnati. “I was like: ‘If I played here every game, I’ll go broke just trying to get tickets.’ But now that I’m a l
ittle older in my career, I have wanted to play here. I love my city.”

[Previous Post: Washington Wizards Player Personnel: The Point Guard Factor]

Random Posts

• May 26, 2011 -- Ex-Wizards Head To NBA Finals, Some With Two Hats
• October 21, 2009 -- Wizards Survive Themselves, Beat Philly 90-89
• February 7, 2012 -- DC Council Game 25: Wizards 111 vs Raptors 108: Indefensibly Sprinting Back On Defense

I’m not sure if Ernie Grunfeld is good at chess, but when it comes to generally managing an NBA franchise, he has a knack for moving around pawns for the benefit of the program (not to trivialize the fill-in pieces which are crucial to a team’s end of the bench by calling them ‘pawns’).

A Michael Ruffin here (yea, he was the definition of a role player, but always did what was expected of him….well, except for this of course – Best game ever as a Wizard? Game 1 of the 04-05 season when Ruffin pulled down 11 boards, scored 6 points, and blocked 7 shots in a win at Memphis….to say the Wizards were short-handed that night would be an understatement: Kwame Brown, Etan Thomas, and Steve Blake were on the injured list; Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes, Brendan Haywood an Anthony Peeler were all suspended from a pre-season fight with the Chicago Bulls)….Note: The Memphis game was also Antawn Jamison’s first game as a Wizard – 45 minutes, 34 points, 8 rebounds.

A Brevin Knight there (more about getting rid of Jahidi White’s bloated body and contract)…..Knight averaged 4.3 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 steals filling in here and there, appearing in 32 games, starting 12, before being released and later picked up by the Milwaukee Bucks.

A Billy Thomas here (a CBA call-up/10-day contractor — who, in a late March 2006 game at Sacramento, with Gilbert Arenas so sick with the flu he couldn’t leave the hotel, and Caron Butler leaving the game in the 3rd quarter to get stitches in his forehead, came off the bench to score 14 points and snag three steals.

A Roger Mason, Jr. there (we already know what he can do/did)

Ok, perhaps I’m using the word ‘gem’ a little bit liberally.

In Steps Juanny Dixon

In case you didn’t know, the Wizards signed Juan Dixon to a partially guaranteed deal for the $1.03 million veterans minimum. Call him a fill-in, call him a stop-gap, just don’t call him shy when it comes to jacking shots. Dixon is clearly better than your average fill-in. He’s an NBA vet, a Wizards vet, and a proven commodity in being able to ignite the hometown crowd….let’s not underestimate that.

Will he be better than Roger Mason? The Pradamaster at Bullets Forever makes a good argument that he will not. However, Dixon was quoted in the Washington Times as saying, “Roger and I are similar players. He’s a little bigger than me, but we can do the same type of things off the bench, so I felt confident that I’d have a good chance to come back here.” In any case, Dixon is seemingly the best option available, considering the limited salary cap flexibility.

In pondering Washington Wizards role players, a big concern of mine was having a long distance scoring threat off the bench. Sure Nick Young has given us glimpses of being able to create his own shot, but he hasn’t done a lot to attract the confidence of Wizards fans. But after Young, who’s left in the backcourt? Dee Brown? He’s got scoring anemia. Also consider that Gilbert Arena’s starting replacement at the point guard, Antonio Daniels, is Brick City from the outside, and I’m not talking about Redman’s stomping grounds of Newark, New Jersey.

Some have welcomed back Dixon with memories of Terrapin glory, some wonder if Dixon’s homecoming will have enough of a significant effect on the Wizards to be on par with the excitement of DC locals.

So is Juan Dixon the answer? Not necessarily, but he’s an answer. Two things Eddie Jordan’s pro-style Princeton offense depends on is distributorship and movement. With Dixon’s previous experience as a Wizard, he can provide both. So eff the defense, let’s go score some points….assuming Juan can pull the reigns on jacking and serve the team as he claims he can, “I’m capable of initiating the offense, getting guys the ball in the right spot and taking it from there.”

Other Rough Precious Stones?

In other news, the Wizards have invited a Taj and two Johnsons to training camp. For all you need to know about MacCullough, DerMarr and Linton, Bullets Forever is your one-stop shop.

DerMarr Johnson is obviously the most intriguing prospect. The scouting report on DerMarr isn’t the biggest endorsement. But actually, Johnson might be a better, lower-risk option than the Darius Miles idea. For one, he’s better suited for work at the SF than Miles, as DerMarr has more of an outside game. [I love how Johnson's per 36 minutes numbers on Basketball-Reference indicate that in his five games with the San Antonio Spurs last year, he attempted 11.6 threes, making 3.9 of them.]

Plus, DerMarr is from DC, so he’s coming home…..he already knows all the good night spots…….wait, aww crap. Hmm….maybe this is Andray Blatche’s opportunity to take someone under his wing, kinda like that Saved By The Bell episode where they had to be parents to an egg, except this egg has an I.D. that says he’s over the age of 21.

Random Posts

• January 25, 2012 -- Trading Andray Blatche, A Hypothetical Exchange Between Team Representatives
• September 23, 2008 -- Too Many Sellout Cowboy Fans in DC
• August 7, 2009 -- Grunfeld Built It, Now Will The Fans Come?

In “Know Your Role,” John Krolik highlights five types of role players (plus Robert Horry) that every team wants. How do the Wizards stack up? Well, let’s see.

1. The Mistake-Free Backup Point
This one is easy….Antonio Daniels is even cited as an ideal example. AD is a leader who is willing to put his body on the line and the team first. In my player evaluation of Daniels, I cited negatives such as inability to shoot and defend. However, with Arenas back and Antonio going back to the bench, those inefficiencies will be somewhat masked in the bigger picture. The key theme is the steadying veteran presence Antonio provides as the point guard leader of a young second unit.

2. The Bona Fide Sniper
This is an big area of concern for me. Gilbert Arenas is the team sniper, but he’s no role player. Gone is last year’s sniper in Roger Mason, who will fill the role for the San Antonio Spurs. Sure, Nick Young will be expected to provide an offensive spark off the bench, but I’ve never been confident in his ability as a long distance threat. Are you telling me that the Wizards will look to Oleksiy Pecherov to be the unconscious jacker from deep? I sure hope not, and that’s assuming he’s not reporting for D-League duty during the upcoming season.

3. A “Three-and-D” Shooting Guard
Krolik cites DeShawn Stevenson as fitting this bill and I couldn’t agree more. This is where I really respect Stevenson for his personal player development in adding the three-point shot to his repetoire. It’s funny that at times, DeShawn seems to have a penchant to taking ill-advised shots (and perhaps this was accentuated last year with Gilbert’s offense absent), but at the same time, most of my observations tell me that DeShawn is a relatively selfless player on the offensive end and is well aware of his role on the team. Dominic McGuire, altough more of a SF and lacking trey-ball range, strikes me as a role-player-in-training in this area. Off the bench, I think McGuire will be able to defend multiple positions, and judging from his summer league progression, could bring a threatening mid-range offensive game.

4. The Energy Big
Darius Songaila immediately comes to mind. While he doesn’t provide a Red Bull fueled spark per se, his rough-and-tumble style and fearless ability to mix it up qualify him for this type of role player. What’s also key about the role of a big such as Songaila, especially in the offensive system of Eddie Jordan, is his ability to pass and make the defense pay with his concrete ball screens. The future role of Songaila with this Wizards team can be deemed questionable, but in the least, he’s a secondary role player who should see around 12-14 minutes of action a night.

5. The D-And-Dunk Center
This role fits Brendan Haywood. In 07-08, he emerged as a legit Eastern Conference defensive stopper in the paint, and his offensive game, still not something you can’t hang your hat on, proved to be an asset. While I wouldn’t call Haywood a “great” interior defender, his lateral movement is still too mechanical, his presence is more than suitable in the East.

Note: Etan Thomas has the potential to be a pseudo #4 or #5 role player in 08-09, but now is someone who I consider to be an unknown entity. I do feel that Eddie Jordan will have some options to toy with on his squad, I’ll be curious to see how it shakes out.

Random Posts

• January 16, 2012 -- DC Council Game 12: Wizards 90 vs. Sixers 103: Turnover Township
• November 19, 2010 -- Haters Hate, Trolls Troll: Remember, John Wall Is Just 20-Years Old
• October 27, 2008 -- Cumulative Washington Wizards 08-09 Preview From The World Wide Web

The Warrior Award: DeShawn Stevenson – agreed. My 2nd place would be Antawn Jamison
Most Improved: Roger Mason – agreed again. Just as Ron said, it was a difficult choice between Mase-ON and Brendan Haywood.
Mr. Dependable: Obviously Jamison.
Mr. Complete: Caron Butler
(I’m beginning to think that they selected players first, and then named awards according to their games.)
The Overachiever: Eddie Jordan – I’m caught on this award. I hate to call Eddie an “overachiever” for doing his job and being the good coach that I know he is, and whom I’ve supported, from Day 1.

Anyway, the game…

This is the Pacers ‘De La Soul’ game….you know, the Stakes Is High. If they lose, they can pretty much count on watching the playoffs from home. And that’s fine with me, I’d rather see the Atlanta Hawks step up to bat. The task won’t be easy, Danny Granger has been killing lately (much less being an upcoming Wizards Killer, a la Mo Williams) and both Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler will be resting injuries tonight.

Quarter One

10:33: Dunleavy is Mr. Go-Hard at Antawn Jamison, getting a bucket and later, a two foul shots. Bout time, for a #3 overall pick. 4-4 game.

The early game plan for Eddie Jordan seems to have Brendan Haywood go up against Troy Murphy in the paint.

9:49: AJ gets a nut-shot as he throws up one of his crazy right-handed floaters. In defending, Granger kicked his leg up (like Reggie Miller shooting a jumper) right into the Jamison family bling. Antonio Daniels graciously commits a foul to stop play and we go to an early timeout. I hate to say it, but seeing AJ go down like that, writhing in extreme pain (we’ve all been there), but then to know that it’s just a clap to the ding-dong, and not something really serious, is a relief. Mr. Dependable stays in the game of course. 8-4 Wizards.

Steve Buckhantz says that Jeff Foster was in the media room trying to scavenge for dinner before the game. That’s our Jeff Foster, straight roaching. Foster is out tonight by the way.

8:51: Hands in the face of Dunleavy for 3? Nope. 10-7 Wizards.

Code Name: The Cleaner checks in the game….AJ has two fouls. And he immediately gets a skying offensive rebound on the neck of Dunleavy. I’d like to think that D-Mac can play better D on Mike Jr. too, who has scored all Pacers points so far.

7:07: Lock Smith…..back to back treys. 16-7 Wizards.

6:46: Dunleavy cuts in the middle of the zone and no one sees him. 16-9 Wiz.

6:30: Dunleavy cuts baseline in transition against the zone…thankfully Haywood sends his shit.

6:03: Murphy transition 3….the trailer from the top of the key. You cannot forget anyone on this team around the perimeter. 18-11 Wizards.

4:56: DC’s 3rd turnover leads to Pacers points which leads to an Eddie Jordan timeout. 20-16 Wizards.

Comcast keeps putting up DeShawn Stevenson 3-point stats: He’s tied with Manu Ginobili for 7th in the NBA for the most games (16) with 4 or more made three pointers. DeShawn’s also made a great deal more 3s this year than he has in all of his previous 6 seasons combined.

Chris Miller on Eddie Jordan’s timeout: “No more lay-ups! Hit ‘em hard!” (not sure if Eddie actually yelled that or not….I doubt it)

Damn, Jermaine O’Neal has been in the league for a while now….before some 7th graders were born.

3:21: Offensive rebounds and second chance points are becoming a bit of an issue for DC. 27-21 Wizards.

1:07: Cleeean-ner! Follow up dunk son! That was quite a slam off the Roger Mason miss. Would Windex be a better nickname for D-Mac? 31-25 Wiz.

Windex…errr…The Cleaner needs to get more selfish. He picks off a Pacers half-court pass attempt with 2.8 seconds left, and after taking a couple dribble up court, tries to pass it to Andray. Not enough time, he should have shot the ball. Oh well.

The Pacers are crappy. They don’t even deserve to be in playoff contention. And they are right what the Wizards offense needs as DC scores 35 points in the 1st quarter (on 56% shooting), yet gave up 28.

Quarter Two

11:09: A three from Mase-ON sets a franchise record for 3-pointers in a season….562. And they did it thanks mostly to Jamison, Stevenson and Mason, not Gilbert. 38-28 Wizards.

9:02: Big Pech contributes to the 3 point count to give the Wizards their largest lead. Funny, it seems like the Pacers have been the better team. 45-33 DC.

7:32: Nick Young hits a mid-range fadeaway….evidently Eddie turns to the broadcast crew and says something to the effect, “That looks like Phil Chenier 70 years ago.” 50-37 Wizards.

The Wizard bench players a playing pretty well, especially the guard play of Nick Young and Roger Mason.

4:11: Andray Blatche is getting put-back dunks, 59-43.

3:46: Mason is driving and setting up Blatche for lay-ups. 61-46.

3:05: Steven Buckhantz compares the looks of Troy Murphy to Ernie Grunfeld…..Chenier says Murphy is “not quite as thick,” whatever that means.

Coming out the timeout, Steve Buck says: “Wizards lead the Pissers…..Pacers…” and then he can’t quite recover.

2:13: D-Song is getting offensive boards all over….and I’m really surprised that the game is going down like this. I expected a lot of fight from the Pacers. All they are really doing is running with reckless abandon.

Aside from not being able to play defense, the Pacers simply can’t keep the Wizards off the boards. 32-13 is the rebound count in favor of the Wizards right now.

0:42: Songaila is playing the role of paint point guard tonight with
his 4th assist. 66-51 Wizards.

0:00: I know it’s been a fast-paced game and the Pacers are going to get buckets as a result, son…but the Wizards defense has been a huge negative so far. Still, a 12 point lead at the half is good for me.

Halftime interview with Nick Young: He basically just said that he wanted to get out on the court and have fun because he hasn’t gotten a lot of minutes lately and that he wanta to get up whatever shots he can. “Great”

Half Stats:

• Wiz boards: 35 (13 offensive) – Pacers Boards :16
• The Cleaner has 6 boards in 14 minutes
• Wiz bench points: 42, starter points: 24
• As much as Indy likes to shoot 3s, they are 5-13 from deep, the Wizards are 7-15.

Quarter Three

Not sure what happened, neither are Steve and Phil, but Stevenson checks out and heads into the locker room 19 seconds into the 3rd quarter.

“They’re letting this team hang around.” says Steve Buck. 68-57 Wizards.

8:44: Roger Mason answer that with a three. 75-62 Wizards.

8:35: But the Wizards leave Troy Murphy open again for his own triple.

Luckily, the Pacers have no idea how to keep the Wizards off the boards.

7:56: But still, the Pacers score….Eddie calls a timeout because the Wiz D is terrible. Indiana is 5-6 FGs in the quarter so far…and it’s not like they are hitting tough shots, most are wide open. 77-67 Wizards.

The report coming out the timeout is that DeShawn Stevenson and his sore back will be out for the rest of this game. The Cavs are up 6 on Philly right now with about 7 minutes left in the 3rd.

7:02: Damn D-Song….he set the Pacers right up with a spin move and a 7-10 split for the lay-up. 80-67 Wizards.

6:40: The D-Song gets his 6th assist to Haywood. 82-67.

4:50: D-Mac (Windex) chases down a loose ball like a hound dawg.

3:38: Mason with the soft shooter’s roll for three….so much for the Pacers hanging around. Good timeout Eddie, the Wiz are up 21, 91-70. Mase-ON has 21 points.

Next Up: Dunleavy lay-up, Jamison 3, Granger 3, another Granger 3. 94-78 Wizards.

Lot going on, but there alway is, isn’t there….a lot going on. [One of my favorite quotes from Made by the way]

Second chance points is 21-6 in favor of the Wizards at this point.

1:49: The Cleaner hangs for a jumper….and it’s good. 98-78 Wizards.

Unfortunately, Nick Young is just doing whatever the fuck he feels like right now….dribbling around and missing fade away jumpers — dribbling around shot-clock violations. Not the type of “routine” you like to see the kid get into.

0:00: To end the quarter, Young fiddles around with the ball, gets it to D-Mac behind the 3-point line corner, but not in time to get any kind of decent shot off. The 3rd quarter ends. 98-81 Wizards.

Quarter Four

11:04: Mason Junior hits another 3, his 6th of the game (26 points)…ties Roger’s career high. 101-83 Wizards.

10:05: Dunleavy trey….this game is not really over just yet. 13 point lead (101-88)? Lotta time left.

8:29: What a surprise….Andray Blatche fouls out with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The 6th was a questionable charge call on Andray. But damn kid, how can we get you to stay on the court? Now the Wizards are down four players.

5:59: Travis Diener his at trey (first game points in 2.5 minutes). It’s an 11 point Wiz lead….but the Potomac Rainmaker answers with his career high 7th three pointer. 106-92 Wizards.

4:48: Cleaner with a tough shot….he uses his strength in the post against Dunleavy as someone from the bench tells him to “go to work” — And 1 missed, 108-94 Wizards.

Meanwhile…..the Sixers have just gone on a 17-5 run to tie the game with Cleveland at 80, 4:37 left in the 4th. I’ve actually had the Wizards game on two TVs….for what reason, not exactly sure. Well….probably because one is hooked up straight to cable and the other to a digital box, so there is a couple second delay that allows me to see some plays twice

Switching one TV over….Boobie Gibson trey. Screw Damon Jones, I’m worried about the Wizards keeping track of that guy in the post-season. Remember last year?

Pacers are within 10 with 2 minutes left.

2:51: A charge is drawn on King James, Philly ball, down 83-82 (don’t get confused, two game blogs have fused together)

1:11: Granger cans a three….7 points Wizards lead now, 112-105. Wouldn’t it be amazing if both Philly and the Pacers came back to win? Shut me up.

0:57: D-Mac does NOT clean anything by missing 2 FTs….Pacers get the rebound and call timeout.

2:11: Ilgauskas hits a couple FTs to put the Cavs up 3, 85-82. Igoudala has taken a couple bad shots on the last two Sixers possessions, but they get an offensive rebound on the 2nd miss…. and Sam Dalembert hits a bucket, And 1 – but a misses the FT. 85-84 Cleveland.

0:41: Meanwhile…Indy turnover, Dunleavy traveling. D-Mac goes 1 of 2 from the FT line this time. The Cleaner needs a lot of face time with Dave Hopla this summer. 113-105 Wiz.

1:06: T. Young hits a hook to put Philly up 86-85.

0:32: Granger drives and Harrison gets a jam. 113-107 Wizards.

0:44: LBJ gets it to Ilgauskas for the go ahead bucket….an amazing thread-the-needle, jump to pass (had to) from LeBron. 87-86 Cleveland.

0:24: Somehow, Songaila and McGuire are in charge of getting the ball up court….8 second violation, Pacers ball. REALLY?

0:17: And Marquis Daniels hits a three. 113-110 Wizards.

GET THE BALL OUT McGUIRE’s HANDS!!! He’s fouled with 16 seconds left. Ok kid….k
eep it cool. D-Mac makes the 1st….camera flashes to the Wizards bench where Haywood is playfully slapping Nick Young dead in the face.

D-Mac hits the second….thank you sir. 115-110 Wizards.

Philly scores (Sweet Lou Williams drive), Cavs score (Lebron soft touch). 89-88 Cleveland with 15 seconds left.

0:05: Wow….I just yelled out loud because the Sixers hit a shot. Igoudala lost the ball, Sweet Lou was there for the pick up and knocked down a jumper like a vet, 90-89 Philly.

Meanwhile…Roger Mason makes a couple more FTs to seal the deal and the three-point well dries up for the Pacers. Game over, Wizards 117-110. NBA.com box

The Sixers foul LeBron…they had 1 to give. 4.1 seconds left.

LeBron goes to the basket….looks like it might be a travel….looks like there could be a foul somewhere. NOPE! The Sixers win!

…..not so fast my friend. No one heard a whistle. The refs review and a foul was called with .2 seconds left. Devin Brown at the line…the Sixers players must be called out of the locker room.

Andre Miller is doing some gamesmanship by walking in a circle around Brown at the FT line. LeBron is kneeling and laughing at opposite FT line after Devin hits the first FT. LeBron puts his arms up and starts walking to the bench before the 2nd one drops. Even Comcast thought the game was over. Cleveland wins, how about that?

Even the Cleveland TV announcers (Fred McLeod I believe) start the shit talking….”Gilbert Arenas, welcome back to Cleveland.”

Well, that’s it. My initial reaction is to sit everyone against Orlando….than again, maybe the Tres Grande can get maybe 15 minutes of run together?…….then again, better to be safe than sorry.

Lotta trash talk between DC and the Mistake by the Lake is about to go down.
Don’t sing it, just bring it.

Random Posts

• October 8, 2010 -- Happy Gilbert Kicks Emo Gilbert To The Curb
• March 7, 2009 -- Wizards' Youth Is Scary
• March 14, 2009 -- Does Ed Tapscott Read Blogs?

I got a preview/run-down of all (some) things Wizards here. Laters.

Also, check out the Bullets Forever game thread for comments.

Previously on Ready to Die.

Wizards vs. Pistons Game 30: Stuck with the fat girl at the dance as DC got blown 106-93. Detroit had 33 bench points, was 11-22 from three and had 23 assists to 10 for Washington. Bad all around.

Wizards vs. Pistons Game 68: This will be known as the Gilbert Arenas hissy-fit game. The Wizards won 95-83 and made Detroit look very un-Detroit. This discovered picture of Rasheed Wallace was the most important piece of the night.

Quarter Uno

Richard Hamilton is back in the lineup for Detroit….and I’m betting that the Pistons have also heeded the warning which Dallas gave to their NBA colleagues with their 1st round playoff exit last year. Meaning Rip, having missed the last 5 games (and 8 of 9), is going to make the Lock Smith put in some work tonight because Detroit needs to be in a playoff rhythm.

11:56: AJ gets a bucket within 4 seconds off a good Brendan Haywood opening tip. The Wizards often seem to get the quick early basket.

10:30: Prince 3….Butler doesn’t recover from a screen fast enough….nagging injuries prevent nimbleness.

Arli$$…or Robert Wuhl, is in the booth at the Nationals game. Don’t worry, the volume is down. But Arli$$ the show, aside from pro athlete cameos and the relatively attractive Asian, was rather mediocre. I won’t call it flat-out terrible, but it lacked a kick.

8:47: Beautiful follow tip by Jamison is succeeded by a Rasheed Wallace trey, 9-9 game. Some slashing gets tempers flared in the Caps game as DC holds the 2-1 lead over Philly with 10 left in the 2nd — Caps get a power play out of it.

A timeout occurs at 5:53 with the Wizards up 12-9. While the offense has been far from crisp, it has been semi-effective….considering that the Wiz have the lead. The team has benefited from the activity of Jamison and Haywood, they have 5 boards together while the Pistons have 4 as a team.

Before the Wiz can come out of the timeout, the Philly Flyers knock down two very quick goals. They are up 3-2.

5:53: Gilbert makes his entrance into the game. What does this mean for tomorrow night’s match with the Sixers? Not sure….but you can read what Ivan Carter has to say about it. How ’bout I study Gilbert Arenas’ shot selection?

4:53: Gil starts out by setting up Andray blatche…who quickly forgets his two-hands on the ball lesson that Kirilenko gave him long ago. He gets blocked by Ratliff when he should have finished or at least gotten the foul.

3:37: Gil gets a double dribble called against him as Detroit has ratcheted up their D since the timeout….Rasheed gives him a thanks and a pat on the head before the Pistons continue their 9-0 run on the other end.

Uh oh…the Flyers have scored again. 4-2 with 4:38 left in the 2nd period.

2:18: Meanwhile….the Pistons are increasing their offensive ball movement. Chauncey Billups three in the corner. Evidently, I missed a Gilbert 3-point attempt (and miss) on the previous possession. His only shot so far. 23-14 Detroit.

0:00: The first ends with the Tayshaun Prince missed a three that was hotly contested by our Gilbert Arenas. 23-19 Detroit is the score. The biggest issue is: Detroit has hit 2 more 3s, 2 more FTs and has doubled the Wizards up on assists, 6-3.

Quarter Dos

The Nats and Braves are still scoreless.

11:28: Gilbert misses a jumper early in the shot clock. Let’s call that a bad attempt. He was open a step or so inside the 3-point line, but I’d rather open jumpers be taken more within the offense.

10:36: Arenas dribbles around and the Pistons kind of watch him….open layup, points scored. That’s a good shot. 25-23 Pistons.

10:01: Gil checks out and Roger Mason AKA ‘whatever‘ immediately fires and misses a trey. It’s getting testy in the Caps game again.

9:27: Roger Mason misses another three. Not exactly the time for the Wizards to neglect the paint on offense….especially when the Pistons keep getting inside dunks.

Damn, they keep taking about DeShawn’s consecutive starts at 247 (every game update from Steve Buck)…..but The Prince is clean ahead at 352.

6:00: The Pistons, or their bench, seem to want it just a little bit more…I mean, they are playing just a little harder. I’m sure the Wizards want the game. But Rodney Stuckey has provided a quick 4 off the bench while Jason Maxiell is pulling down 7 points and 3 boards. 38-28 Detroit lead.

4:16: Right now, as he nails 2 FTs, Caron Butler has 6 points on 1-4 from the field. It’s safe to say that he needs to assert himself in the offense a little more. 43-34 Detroit.

3:08: Haywood does
n’t even bother getting in the face of Antonio McDyess as he hits that baseline shot that he nails ALL THE TIME! Scouting report BTH? 45-36 Detroit.

2:30: Pistons have to take the ball out of bounds with 1 second on the shot clock….McDyess can’t get the shot off in time. A prime example of why tenths of a second are needed on the shot clock in the NBA, and college. Speaking of clocks, this is pretty damn interesting (Jason Kapono warning).

0:00: The half ends as Caron Butler limps around the court…trying to do anything and guard anyone….looks like a bum right knee. Not sure what happened, but it doesn’t look promising.

The sole bright spot: the Wiz were able to fight back into the game thanks to some defense. After getting down 13, it’s 47-42 Pistons. DC trails 19-17 in total rebounds but commands the 6-4 lead on offensive boards. Also in the 2nd, the Wizards nailed 7 FTs to only 2 for Detroit. Wizards bench? A whole 9 points (5 Andray, 2 Gil, 2 Songaila) — while the Pistons bench is contributing 22 to the cause. Jamison and a “quiet” Stevenson lead with Wiz with 11 points apiece, no one for Detroit has broken double figures (Maxiell leads with 9).

In other updates….I saw goal #3, but missed #4, both by Mike Green, to tie the Caps with the Flyers at 4-4. The Nats are down 1-0 in the top of the 8th.

Quarter Tres

Caron update…he bumped knees with a dude but is back on the court.

10:13: A couple minutes into the quarter, Phil Chenier comments that Caron seems to be favoring the right leg.

GOAL CAPS! Alex O breaks his playoff cherry with aggressive D and a steal of the puck leading to a nail in the net. 5-4 lead for the Caps…very big. How ’bout it Cristobal? Can you hold down the net?

8:08: At the first timeout, the Pistons have powered their way to a 7-0 run and a 56-44 Detroit lead. Detroit has benefited from speed up the court.

MVP chants are starting at the Verizon Center…..And the Caps are able to survive the mad dash from Philly as Ovechkin gets a couple hits in contribution (ever wonder why Alex O attends so many Wizards games? His daddy’s baby momma was a 2-time Olympic gold medal winner in basketball). A little more testiness between the two teams after the final horn but it’s all good in the District as the Caps take the 1-0 series lead. Oh yea, the 76ers lost to the Pacers tonight as well. Nice work lovin’ brothers.

6:01: Meanwhile….the Wizards are on the verge of making it ugly. Lack of proper decisiveness on offense….34% from the field doesn’t help. Nick Young checks in to join Gilbert Arenas at the guard spot. Let’s hope they can provide an offensive spark. Down 61-47, they need something.

Nats update: still down 1-0, but it’s the top of the 9th and the Braves have the bases loaded with Gilbert Arenas’ jersey number outs.

4:55: The Pistons are looking like who they are….a #2 seed and the Wizards are looking like who they are… a team which would not make the playoffs in the Western Conference. Nothing doin’ as Washington has been outscored 19-6 in the 3rd, 66-49 lead for Detroit.

4:15: It’s hard to believe that the Wizards have no one who can handle Jason Maxiell — who has 16 points off the bench by the way. (uhh…Andray Blatche anyone?) Oh yea, to go along with his 4th foul (3rd in the 3rd Q) Jamison goes to the bench with 4 3rd quarter points for a total of 15.

How can it get so ugly this quick? Nick Young is taking and missing bad shots……Caron Butler can barely jump with that knee injury. At this point, I would not be surprised if both he and Gilbert say out tomorrow against the Sixers.

3:04: Richard Hamilton easy bucket….Nick Young miss….Rip baseline jumper……Buckhantz is starting to use words like “disarray” and “nightmare” – Happy Friday everyone, 75-52 Detroit.

2:06: As I find out that Cleveland lost in addition to Philly, Tayshaun Prince puts a dunk in the can. 77-52.

Quite a fancy show going on here. Need 4 Sheed is creaming in his headband right now.

0:04: Thanks to a ‘who cares’ Nick Young three……the deficit ain’t as bad at 81-55 to end 3 quarters.

Quarter……awww efff this.

The fact that M.A.S.H. is now on DC20 means that the Nationals have lost (ends up 3-0, but I wasn’t paying attention to the end). The presence of this old-tymey show also can’t be a good sign for the Wizards.

10:42:…I’m still watching, but the drinking has increased, as has Jason Maxiell’s continuance to drain his weasel on Wizard heads. 87-63 Detroit.

Insult on top of injury…..or is it the other way around? Regardless, DeShawn Stevenson is out for the rest of the game with a bruised tail-feather. No word if he will be dancing later.

For the hell of it: 36-16 points in the paint advantage for Detroit. That’s not an advantage, that’s rape.

8:51: Are you serious? Jason Maxiell continues to hit step-back jumpers like Pro-Active on Haywood’s facial. Yup, he’s got a career high of 20 points.

Steve Buckhantz refers to an impending Wizards loss tonight as “no harm, no foul” since Philly and the Cavs lost (but Toronto won) — nice one, a-hole. Me to myself: angry much?

8:01: Andray Blatche just threw up the most lazy, uncalled for under-handed shot that I would be pissed if I saw at an 8th grade girls game. He then commits a silly foul and Jason Maxiell crams an emphatic dunk. What? There’s still 8 minutes left in this game??

Thank god the replacements are on the floor: Mason, McGuire, Blatche, Young and Pecherov.

Wizards Sideline Bench Shot: Yup, everyone looks pretty peeved….but good ol’ Gil can manage some smiles…..probably because he knows he’s on TV. Am I being unfair?

Steve Buckhantz: “Like Ben Wallace, Maxiell’s favorite hobby is building model cars.” Tonight, he built a model turd and left it under Eddie Jordan’s seat.

So the young players are in…are they working on the offense? Nope. They are working on 1-on-1 moves.

Quick Fact…..Lindsay Hunter holds an NCAA record for most 3s launched in a college game….26 against Kansas. (tha
nks to Stevie Buck).

3:50: The Wizards are resorting to playing grab-ass with Jason Maxiell in an attempt to keep him away from the basket.

Gilbert is signing autographs while sitting on the floor…not even the bench. What a guy.

0:52: The Jason Maxiell show continues…….Tomorrow, he is going to wake up and realize that this wasn’t a dream.

On a related note (to the game ending) there is torrential rainfall in DC. I can hear women and children screaming outside of my apartment on 16th Street. 102-74 Detroit Pistons.

I auspiciously hoped for something to build upon, but I ended up with the same Wizards inconsistency. Oh well (a common quote), at least they are in the playoffs. Hopefully, the disaster tonight will lead to a much better effort tomorrow night against the Philadelphia 76ers.

nba.com stuff

Random Posts

• December 22, 2008 -- Blogger Q&A: Dallas Dedicated
• March 4, 2011 -- Droughts and Runs: A Wizards Game of Inconsistency
• June 17, 2010 -- John Wall Wizards Workout Footage

Well, that answers Ivan Carter’s question, Gilbert Arenas will sit out and rest the knee tonight against the Chicago Bulls, opting out of the back-to-back. Who knows what that means….I thought it was normal rest earlier this season, then all of a sudden, he’s having another surgery. Antawn Jamison, as most know, will also be dress-code suited on the bench.

The update is that Gilbert is out as a precaution.

Quarter One

11:41: Can of Tuff Juice from long distance to start.

Even bigger sports night for DC (than on Nats opening night)….got the Caps season finale on the left feed (a win and they’re in the playoffs). The Wizards-Bulls front and center, for now UNC-Kansas on the far right.

UCLA hanging around wasn’t a surprise (Memphis has been butter on a roll, going in I thought they had too much bench and athleticism for the Bruins) yet, I was surprised that UCLA never made a significant push. Shiiiit. Collison….track stars need not apply in the Final 4 homey.

7:59: Haywood is hitting unbelievable fade-aways….did Steve Buckhantz just call Larry Hughes ‘L-Boogie’?…8-8 game.

7:32: Butler is taking heat check threes (made two already, but misses this one), offensive rebounds, Songaila is making nice drives, Haywood is following D-Song’s miss with a dunk. The Wiz aim to put Chicago to the test on offense. And tested they are as D-Song caps a 6-0 run and the Bulls call a timeout at 6:50. 12-8 Wizards

6:10: Tuff Juice J – Caron has definitely found his shooting touch these past 3 games. His playoff mind is right….hopefully his teammates will follow suit. 14-8 Wiz.

Before the game, the debate came up on who should’ve had the ball in the closing seconds of the Bucks game….the consensus among AJ and I is that it should have been Caron.

The 3rd period is starting at the Verizon Center…Caps hold a 1 goal lead in the ‘Win and You’re In’ game.

3:48: Roger Mason….he slips and goes down, the Bulls get transition points to cap an 8-0 run, they’re up 16-14.

3:21: Prada is right, Haywood should and is having a good game so far due to the thin Chicago front-court. A dunk gives BTH 6 points a block and a board.

Semin gets a goal for the Caps ……a blazer from long distance, close to the blue line.

2:44: Meanwhile….that early activity on offense has turned into a bit of carelessness for the Wiz. 12-2 Chi town run. No turnovers for Chicago….8 points for the Bulls off Wizz turnovers…20-16.

And now the Caps have a power play….some Panther has been a trippin’

2:20: RNJ knows what to do after a timeout, it’s nail a three. Reliable, 20-19 Bulls.

Kansas and UNC get kicked off……I’m a Wiz fan….but the NCAA tournament may, at times, take precedent over the volume of Wizards game — despite Billy Packer.

0:34: Caron keeps me around with a reverse slam. The Wiz finish the 1st up 3, 25-22. Caron has 10 points, 4 boards and 2 assists. With zero turnovers, Chicago only had 1 assist in the first.

Quarter Two

10:46: The Wizards aren’t getting physical enough in keeping Chicago away from the offensive boards. Of course, in the process, Blatche picks up his 3rd foul…he sure can pick up some cheap ones, can’t he?

I like the aggressiveness of D-Song….he realizes the personnel situation and adjusts his game accordingly.

Is Tyler Hansbrough a bull in a china shop? Or just an over-excited puppy? How about the Karl Malone comparisons? Both are hard workers…kinda dirty? I’m not sure about Tyler…but Malone sure knew how to use his physicality to hurt others. Kansas is playing with fury on the defensive end.

Wiz and Bulls have hit an offensive lull…the Caps are still staying strong with the 3-1 lead…..playing pretty defensively now as Ovie takes a shift rest.

Timeout and Kansas is up 23-10….UNC looks a little shook. Ty Lawson has not been able to establish the offense.

5:15: Somehow D-Song picks up a tech. I’m not sure what happened, but let me go ahead and say that I like the fire.

UNC is getting run out the gym. They can’t do anything offensively the JayHawk D is leading to easy points.

4:28: AD finally gets Washington off 31 points….he’s been holding his wrist a lot…….of course, the dirty as hell pick that Chapu put on him isn’t helping AD’s health. 35-33 Bulls.

4:00: Noah comes close to victimizing D-Song with a throw the ball in the basket dunk like Superman Caron.

3:59: D-Song takes a seat and The Poet gives him some prose….perhaps a Haiku as AJ suggests.

The Caps are 30 seconds away from the playoffs – gotta put the volume up to hear the Verizon Center goes nuts……a Wizards fan can only wish for that atmosphere.

Ovechkin….despite somehow meeting his girlfriend on the Internet, seems like a good guy. Glad the Caps have him locked up for years to come. Ted Leonsis is an example of a great owner….more wishing from a Wizards fan. Ever checked out his blog?

Meanwhile….UNC is still stuck on 10 with 9 minutes left (held scoreless for about 4.5 minutes), Kansas has 33. Nothing easy for Hansbrough…but Kansas is swarming him.

I can hear the media now…taking the POY award from Hansbrough if UNC loses. But he has 8 of the 12 Tarheel points. Lawson is starting to play panicked….and Rush hits another 3, 38-12 Kansas with 7:32 left.

Wizards and Bulls continue to slop it up. Joaki
m Noah is throwing his weight around….Caron’s friends, mom and family made the trip down to Chi-Town…if Caron doesn’t do well, she’s going to wave a bat at him.

7 ties, 13 lead changes….Bulls take a 43-42 lead into the half. It’s a relatively even game stat-wise. The glaring difference seems to be the 9 turnovers for the Wizards to 3 for the Bulls…and accordingly, the Bulls have 6 steals and the Wiz have 1.

87-88 – The last time the Caps, Wizards and Redskins all made the playoffs in the same year.

Kansas hits a shot at the buzzer to maintain a 44-27 lead….if UNC kept it at 15 or below, I would’ve given them a chance. Now? Well…… our friend Billy Packer said it was over.

The Hawks beat the 76ers tonight….Wizards need to do their job.

Quarter Three

10:20: When Deng is slashing to the basket…..good things happen for Chicago and Tyrus Thomas (with a J, 51-44 Chicago).
9:19: Haywood is taking over with o-boards and running lane hooks against all of Chi-Town…..he’s gotten good at doing it against who he’s supposed to do it against. 51-49 Bulls.

7:53: I like Haywood’s aggressiveness going inside….getting the Bull D rotating and moving, even if he is getting blocked by Noah

6:59: Stevenson hits two in a row….DC, after being down 7, has had an adequately strong 3rd. 57-54 Wiz.

5:51: It’s become a fast-paced game as the Wiz take a 61-56 lead….Boylan doesn’t like this, timeout Chicago.

Phil C says that Stevenson has become a reliable mid-range shooter..I’d say that’s a stretch.

4:28: The glue guy that is D-Song seems to get stronger every day…..just a smart, heady sign by Grunfeld.

3:10: Larry Hughes hits another long shot…if it happens again, somebody is sleeping. 66-63 Wizards.

2:19: I wish the Wiz could get more inside work than what Haywood has been doing….hot shooting like the long J D-Song just hit don’t come on offense many nights. 70-63 Wiz.

1:55: Blatche gets a follow 1 handed slam. Crash the boards every time kid…..you can see that his psyche can be very shaky as all hands are on deck to congratulate him coming out the timeout. He got that dunk right on the heads on Noah and Nocioni.

2nd chance points 16-4 DC.

Wiz have the ball for last snot…somehow it ends up as a 2 man game between Roger Mason and Dominic McGuire – no dice but the Wiz hold onto a solid 76-64 lead.

32-13 Wizards run in last 10 minutes of 3rd. As the pessimist, I’m not satisfied…the optimist says it could be a lot worse.

Quarter Four

9:22: RMJunior with a 3 and continued off the bench shine. 81-65 Wiz to a Bulls timeout.

Meanwhile….UNC just cut it to 12, 54-42….14:42 left….curious to see how Kansas will respond.

UNC within 10…my interest has been sparked. This Wizards-Bulls game is pretty boring. So much for that budding rivalry from a couple years ago.

12:20 – Down to 8 for UNC…..Kansas just turned sloppy. 10-0 UNC run in 4.5 minutes.

6:09: Haywood is dunking and talking to either Aaron Gray or the Ref….either way, he is down to business. I like his quote from the other day. “He made his grand entrance and he had his time,” center Brendan Haywood said. “Now it’s time to get back to business.” [Washington Post] 85-69 Wizards.

Psycho T is raging and scoring and getting AND1s…no FT dice. Would this be the comeback of all comebacks? In the Final 4, yes indeed.

I sure hope the Wiz can keep Roger Mason…but I don’t think he’s going to turn down another 3 year $3 million contract offer like the one Mason got from the Spurs (actually, next time, offers for Roger will be much higher).

3:59: The Bulls are just kinda gunning shots at this point while the Wiz are still taking it inside and doling out some scrap…especially Haywood with dunks putting the team up 19, 93-74.

The Bulls are not completely out of the playoffs….so that’s why I’m even more glad/impressed with the impending wizards win. A W would put Washington in the 5th seed, a game ahead of Philly and 2 ahead of the Raptors.

3:19: Mason is dribbling around silly and hitting fade aways. Roger has 14, Wiz up 20.

A running match of desire and desperation between Kansas and UNC now….5 point game with 9 minutes left. Which coach is more to blame?

2:10: The Bulls go on an 8-0 run to cut it to 97-85…not sure of the reason for careless Wizards turnovers.

Random Thought: What if the Bulls kept Tyson Chandler and didn’t sign Ben Wallace? It’s been covered in the past.

1:13: Not sure why Stevenson is still in the game, gunning with that ankle. Still 97-85.

0:45: Gordon misses a 3 and Gray gets blocked on the put-back…that will pretty much do it.

A great gutty Wizards win. Decent start….a little lull in the middle and then the Wiz just finished off a baffled Chicago Bulls team. Their future once looked so bright.

Haywood is nets a career high 25 points. 99-87 is the final. Very good win…..nba.com box score.

Off to see if Kansas can pull the game out.

3 days off (from games) – stay healthy everyone.

Random Posts

• December 7, 2009 -- Random Wizards Archives: 10 Years Ago and Tricking Rod Strickland
• May 27, 2010 -- Rooting Interests of The Washington Wizards
• July 2, 2010 -- Gilbert Arenas Chooses Jersey No. 9, But Why?

The Wizards need to rebound in more ways than one: rebound from last night’s demoralizing game (for fans) and rebound the damn ball. 55-36. That’s the rebounding total from the Wizards’ time in Oregon. Joel Pryzbilla had 17 rebounds….8 of those offensive. Tonight, I’m going to pay special attention to any offensive rebound the Wizards give up and the responsible party.

The Wizards blew the Sonics out in game 32 of the season, DC side. In that game, Seattle provided us an example of their youthful sloppiness. Tonight in Seattle, the Wizards need to provide a consistent veteran effort.

Sixers and Raptors have both already won, so the pressure is on. I love these late-night West Coast games.

Let’s start the show….

Quarter One

11:42: Sonics get the ball in the paint on the first possession of the game, but the Wizards swarm to the ball and get a steal.

11:02: A purposeful Haywood gets the first 5 Washington points. On defense, the Wizards come out with a slight pop in their step.

10:44: Sonic Offensive Rebound #1: Nick Collison – didn’t catch who he beat.

9:30: After a rhythmic Caron jumper and a slick Stevenson pass to Jamison on the inside, the Wizards get the first punch, leading to a Seattle timeout. 11-4 Washington.

7:44: Haywood makes a move which should lead to him playing more than 20 minutes tonight. 16-8 Wiz.

I gotta comment on Brandon Jennings….with 7 assist and 6 minutes left to go in the first half of the McDonald’s All-American game…..I gotta give him props for bringing back the high-top fade. Check out the pics from Simon On Sports.

6:04: Stevenson with another 3, 8 towards the 20 point prediction…..of course, that also means he might shoot a lot too. 19-14 Wiz.

5:26: Sonic Offensive Rebound #2: Haywood doesn’t put a body on Collison.

5:21: Sonic Offensive Rebound #3: French Petro gets a tip and Haywood watches Collison get the loose ball, 3 for Nick.

4:46: Sonic Offensive Rebound #4: No one puts a body on a hustling Jeff Green whose tip keeps the ball alive off a Watson miss. Green is Caron’s man, but I think the Wizards were in zone.

4:43: Sonic Offensive Rebound #5: This one is tipped up (off Green’s tip) and out by an active Petro to Durant. The team was reeling from

Antonio Daniels is also having a hard time keeping up with Watson. The Wizards desperately lack a defensive point. Gil and AD ain’t cutting it in that area.

3:00: Luke Ridnour makes a wild, hustling appearance…..Earl Watson has been hurt too, he was a game time decision and has 6 points and 3 assists.

0:18: Sonic Offensive Rebound #6: Wilkins slides in behind Caron and Mason to get the bound. No one put a body on him.

The first is over. Stat: Rebounds aren’t going well. 17-10 in Seattle’s favor, 6 offensive. Zero turnovers for Washington though.

Quarter Two

0:18: Sonic Offensive Rebound #7: Donyell Marshall gets a tip running in transition, Wilkins secures it. Very bang-bang. Sonics have a big team on the court: Wilkins, Green, Collison, Marshall, Ridnour . Wizards: AJ, Mason, D-Song, McGuire, Young.

Quick start for Seattle, 10-4 run in first 3 minutes, game tied at 33. The Sonics are pushing the ball and the Wizards aren’t adjusting well in transition defense.

8:27: Sonic Offensive Rebound #8: Songaila is not long enough for Marshall….plus he was side to side instead of boxing out with his back to his man.

It seems that Seattle is getting so many offensive rebounds that it’s hard for me to keep track. NBA.com says 9. [I missed a Collison offensive board 16 seconds after #8. Nick got a bucket off his board, Sonics take the lead at 35-33.]

You know what has also died down, besides fans against Eddie? (well, after last night…they might be calling for Jordan’s head again after all the love the other day) But I think a consensus of fan approval is building for Roger Mason Jr. I can’t yet call him a “fan favorite,” but to be a home-grown product, what more could you ask?

Watching this game, I realize that I cannot wait until Gilbert Arenas comes back. After a decent start for the Wizards, the killer instinct on offense has subsided. The Wizards have a bunch of guys who can score, but no one with a lack of consciousness to start draining buckets when a pick-me-up is needed.

5:49: BTW…Looks like our hometown boy is letting Luke Ridnour give him the business. 44-39 Sonics.

5:16: That’s what they need….Butler gets an eventual slam after TWO Wizards offensive boards on the same possession. 44-41 Sonics.

4:11: Well, after that killer instinct talk, Caron Butler hits a 3. But we know he’s still getting healthy…..hopefully. Timeout Seattle. Coincidentally, no Seattle offensive boards in last 4 minutes.

Good ol’ Xavier McDaniel.

3:54: Sonic Offensive Rebound #10: Spoke too soon, Collison gets Haywood again (and a dunk). A white big is killing Brendan on two straight nights. Would Etan let this happen?

0:1
7: Sonic Offensive Rebound #11: Another Collison rebound…it’s becoming a white haze. The first half ends….rebounds, rebounds, rebounds. 30-21, 11-6 offensive.

Half Stars: Durant has 16 points on 8-13 shooting, Caron has 11 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds.
56-50 Seattle.

Quarter Three

9:40: Sonic Offensive Rebound #12: Collison miss, Butler stays behind Durant, Jamison and Haywood linger in lane, Durant (the original passer) tips back out to Collison.

9:16: Jamison must get a “kind bounce” to go 2-10 from the field. 58-54 Sonics.

Jeff Green almost gets a follow, Jamison gets the ball, not sure if it was an offensive.

8:37: AD just got a tech…talking after he didn’t get a call…doesn’t even look like he got fouled on replay.

8:06: Durant taps the ball away from DeShawn, fast break FTs. 63-54 Sonics.

Nothing is going right for the Bullets, Jeff Green is getting the best of Caron Butler.

7:06: Sonic Offensive Rebound #13: Petro gets an offensive rebound right over Haywood’s head.

6:41: Stevenson’s long threes are hitting the shot clock.

This is ridiculous. At this point, the only difference between tonight and last night is the Wizards start to the game….the 2nd quarter wasn’t anything to write home about. This 3rd is dreadful…..and there’s still 6 minutes left!!

4:17: This is a Comedy (and tragedy) of Errors. I really can’t believe the score is 73-56…only 6 points in the 3rd for the Wizards so far. Honestly, this is getting hard to watch, much less pay attention to….I’d rather look for photos on flickr.

flickr/fortes

2:21: Of course, the Wizards go on a 10-0 run of their own to cut the lead down to 7. 73-66. Sonics squash it with a timeout.

Well, that’s the 3rd…Wizards gets some saving grace by ending on a 12-2 run. 75-68 Sonics.

Quarter Four Big

9:53: Sonic Offensive Rebound #14: No one could react to French Petro.

9:00: Mason with a nice 3….but he can’t lead a break very well after getting a steal, no PG tendencies…..but AJ gets goaltend call, Wiz all the way back within 2 points. 82-80 Seattle.

After being pretty vocal earlier, despite sparsely filled seats, the Seattle crowd is VERY quiet now.

8:25: Mason with a triple. 84-43 Seattle.

7:18: Songaila bucket…..who opened the scrapiness box for the Wizards? They have an 87-84 lead.

6:19: Mason is bananas….just confidently NAILED his 4th three on 4th attempt in the 4th. 90-84 Wizards.

5:45: Ball movement please….Mason to Butler to D-Song — Buckets Son!

5:36: Kid Fresh (or is it Delicious) keeps answering the call, a trey this time. 26 and 7 for KD. 92-89 Wiz.

4:32: Roger Mason is going off with another trey. He may not be confident with the handles, but he sure can make things happen off the bench. 95-89.

3:36: And MAKE things happen again with a driving bucket in transition. 22 points for Roger. 17 in the 4th! 97-91 Wizards.

3:01: Now he’s driving and dropping dimes to Jamison, the Seattle players are chasing ROGER MASON JR.? all over the court. Unbelievable.

All the Seattle fans care about is ‘Save Our Sonics’ chants.

2:27: Butler gets a bucket and that might seal the deal. 101-92 Washington.

And that’s the game, 104-99 Wizards….wow, bailed out by Roger Mason Jr.

Boy, after the beginning of that 3rd quarter, I was ready to get in my car, start speeding to the Tidal Basin, and well…..you know. But I was saved by a Roger Mason in shining armor.

Eddie Jordan looks happier than I’ve ever seen him look getting off the bench to congratulate the players coming off the court. Two fists pumped in the air and a YEAH!!

Jordan commended Mason and Songaila the most in his post game, with some Haywood props on the side.

• NBA.com Box. [I lost track of offensive rebounds after what I believe was #14...the Sonics ended up with 16.]

• Bullets Forever with Roger Mason dunking in Israel.
• Who is the surprise player of the year for the Wizards?

• Roger Mason did some heavy lifting tonight.
• Roger Mason Wikipedia.
• A Roger Mason Revival.
• How Roger Mason found his jumper.

flickr/@ B E L ™

flickr/jaycoxfilm

Random Posts

• April 14, 2008 -- Wizards vs. Pacers: The Quick & Easy Preview
• May 3, 2011 -- The Wizards We Knew, A Website Through The Years
• January 3, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Wizards Bursting Into A New Year

For the record:
Season Opener Live Blog @ Indy [a 119-100 Wizards loss in OT]
Game 7 Live Blog – Indy in DC [a 103-90 Wizards win]

Start the show….

1st Quarter

Honestly, I’d be a complete defeatist about our chances if J.O. was playing like the Real J.O.

9:48 – 5-2 early lead for the Wiz, Jermaine O’Neal goes to the rack, but is bothered by a long, and somewhat agile BTH.

9:09 – A Troy Murphy transition dunk gets the Pacers to 5-4. Not sure if two white boy breakaway dunks to start the game are exactly good for the Wizards. Dunleavy has the first.

Got some company for the game – my boy Chris says, “Jamison’s shot seems to be coming up short tonight…is that a good comment to put?” I don’t know Chris, we’ll just have to see.

6:06 – Roger Mason air ball – which prompts my boy AJ to say, “Man, Washington sports is really facing a lot of adversity these days.” To that, I say, “Hey, we could be living in Miami, then again, we’d be living in Miami.”

Really Comcast? Going to a commercial mid-game. Classy.

Broadcast finally comes back to Eddie Jordan talking about his 2 hour random Christmas shopping spree. Great. 5:24 left, the Wizards are up 12-11. I guess a timeout was anticipated by the TV crew.

You know, I don’t exactly mind the shots that Darius Songaila takes, I just don’t exactly like having to go to him for shots. The Wizard are trying to go post, but that results in D-Song and Brendan Haywood misses.

3:31 – Nick Young and Andray Blatche check in….we will really need some energy from these guys.

1:30 – Very lackluster 1st quarter so far, Pacers are up 16-13, now 19 after a Granger 3.

1:20 – D-Song and D-Mac get in for Haywood and Jamison.

0:15 – Dunleavy 3, Indy up 22-16 — boy that thinning dome hair is really showing on him. The quarter ends and the Wizards seem to be lacking energy as they did last night against the Hawks. Down 4, 18-22.

2nd Quarter

You can see the effort of the Wiz trying move the ball, but the flow is just not there.

A J.O. dunk puts the Pacers up 29-20. At this point, the Wiz no longer look like a decent team that is really trying hard, rather, a mediocre team that is struggling to stay afloat.

7:35 – We really need BTH to step up. He just got traveling called on him, guess he got a little too excited when he saw skinny Dunleavy guarding him. J.O. hits on the other end to put the Pacers up 10, 31-21.

Phil Chenier keeps mentioning that the Wiz are playing decent half-court D, but I’m seeing them easily lose important Pacer shooters in transition.

5:05 – Roger Mason with his second deuce in a row, cuts the once 11 point Pacer lead to 6. Even after Mason Jr. misses…in which I’m always a little more disappointed than with any other Wizard misses, not sure why…cause I really like the kid (maybe it’s because I don’t want his misses to rally the campaign of those against him)…but back to the point, he always seems to come back with the same display of confidence. I really like the consistency he is able to provide.

4:30 – Another 2 by Roger, almost a 3. The fact that EJ is calling his number via run plays shows the confidence the coaches have in him too.

The Wiz have 7 turnovers so far…that seems a little high to me.

2:50 - A Stevenson bad turnover on a careless drive….and then he very casually gets back, barely getting across half court as the Pacers hit a transition 3.

Mason has been poppin’, but the Wizards are looking to get him the ball like he’s the one and only scorer. The Pacers are starting to pick up on this fact.

1:25 – Timeout, Pacers up 9, 41-32. Neither team is shooting above 40%, but the Pacers are 5-14 on 3s, while Washington is 1-8.

1:10 – 9th turnover for the Wiz leads to another Indiana bucket.

0:50 – 9th point for Roger Mason Jr., J off the glass.

0:37 – But the Wizards can’t stop Kareem Rush who, as Steve Buck tell us, has the last TWELVE points for the Pacers? What? How do the Wiz let a guy coming off the bench do that? 45-34 Indy at intermission.

Half Stat Rap

• 8 turnovers for the Wizards in the 2nd quarter, leading to 14 Pacer points. [9 turnovers total]
• Only 7 assists for the Wizards, 15 for the Pacers — not surprising since assists come easily with all those transition buckets.
• 35% shooting for Washington, 11 points for Jamison, 9 for Roger Mason — that’s just not going to get a mark in the W column.

I’m sure with all the injuries, it can be hard to “get up” for games and get past any demoralizing feelings. But these other guys, the ones who are given a chance to get their game on with the big dogs out, they should be contributing the “I’m gonna make a name for myself to get some straight cash homey down the line” effort and energy to the team cause. I really don’
t mind poor shooting nights, those will happen. I’m even willing to concede the fact that turnovers will be inevitable, especially without Antonio Daniels. But to be getting beat by Indiana in transition like this? Unacceptable. Resolving the issue will require the type of hustle, hustle-swag if you will, which will hopefully snowball into better performance in all aspects of the game.

3rd Quarter

Haywood‘s offensive repertoire has dissolved into lazy moves these past two games. We know you have it in you BTH…just be patient and make solid attempts which may at least get you a trip to the line.

Just under 10, the Pacers effortlessly push their lead to 13, and they have the ball after a questionable charge call on Stevenson.

Steve Buck just pointed out that referee Mark Wunderlich has been frustrated with the constant complaining for the Wizards bench — an indication of a possible tech down the road. We sure could use that energy spent complaining on the court.

Haywood‘s defensive effort is still, however, present. A rebound and block contribution eventually helps the Wizards cut it to 8, down 49-41.

7:27 – A 3 pointer by DeShawn pushes the Wizards run to 10. A Granger 2 on the other end…..but Haywood is showing signs of life back down the court with an offensive rebound and put-back. Wiz down 51-48.

BTH does have 12 rebounds, 5 offensive, and 3 blocks — so maybe I was a little hard on him earlier — those non-scoring numbers go a very long way in making up for any offensive deficiencies.

Minor game delay, a fan just ran out on the court. He didn’t go after any players, Steve and Phil said that he just wanted to touch the net. Ummm okay? Security finally was able to scramble and tackle the guy. I agree with Phil C, I don’t think I ever remember seeing a fan on the field of play during a basketball game…football and baseball, yes. But basketball? You gotta be pretty into some booze or paraphernalia to get trashed enough to storm the court at a random December Pacers-Wizards NBA game. In this case, at least Comcast was able to cut to the sky cam feed to show the fan running around. Not as good as a close up, but still…better than ignoring the damn thing like they do for NFL broadcasts. I’m always completely disappointed when they don’t show fan-field action. I quasi understand their reason: they want to prevent idiots from doing it just to get on TV — but then why does it still happen? I really think some of these cats get so drunk, that it doesn’t matter if they’re on TV or not. The lesson learned, and the great preventer should be a tackle by an NFL player, a beating by security in the stadium jail, and strict prosecution. But please, show these damn clowns, it’s absolutely hilarious.

Oh, BTW….here is the video that damn clown on the court. Not sure what to make of Jeff Foster tripping him. Also, Jermaine O’Neal didn’t want to have to cold-cock another S.O.B.

4:23 – After the timeout, the Pacers easily push their lead from 4 to 8 in less than a minute.

Nick Young and Blatche in for Haywood and Deee Shawn – They join Mason, AJ and D-Mac.

My fingers are once again crossed for these guys. Andray has lost his headband. What does that mean? He immediately picks up his second foul and the turns the ball over.

Steve Buck keeps pointing this out: 18 points off 12 DC turnovers for Pacers. Zero points off 5 Indy turnovers for the Wizards. Not a sign of a team that’s playing together.

On another note – Jeff Foster is hitting open jumpers – he reminds me of somebody….some jerk. Just look at this guy, he looks like he’s raping a 15 year-old with his eyes. BTW, nice make-up job on the forehead zit, d-bag.

2:37 – Coming out the timeout, AJ makes 2 FTs, Wiz down 59-56.

Two fouls in a row, 1st AB, then D-Mac – damn, Washington can’t get past these touch fouls.

Danny Granger is a Wizards killer, he’s leading the Pacers with 16 points.

There’s the old Jermaine O’Neal. Jamison allows him to get deep, under the basket position, for the bucket and foul.

The Wizards can’t build on anything good. Got it within 1, but then hurt themselves with Jeff Foster dunks, turnovers, and JO on AB abuse in the lane. Down 8 again, quickly. End of the 3rd.

4th Quarter

11:32 – How in the hell does that happen? The Pacers win a jump ball, between Andray Blatche and Jeff Foster, on their end; it is tipped right to Troy Murphy who scores on Songaila. I ask again, how in the hell does that happen?

Songaila does make up for that gaffe by getting a bucket on the other end, then drawing a charge back down the court. 9 healthy bodies, down 5, with the ball, just over 10 minutes left in the game, Ready to Rule.

10:01 – A Nick Young miss makes him 1-7 on the night. Guess it doesn’t matter if he starts or sits, he’s still a streaky rookie who cannot move his feet on defense. Exactly who we thought he was.

9:32 – Great play out of the timeout. Princeton Perfection — D-Song dibbles toward DeShawn on the left wing, Stevenson make the back cut and receives the perfect pass from Darius for the dunk. Gotcha Marquis Daniels.
Big Shot DeShawn – ties the game on his low shot-clock trey, 8:00 left.

7:56 – Unfortunately, Darius Songaila lets Troy Murphy cut RIGHT in front of him for a hoop on the other end. D-Song can be such a back and forth contributor….but he’s always scrappy.

Wiz can’t get over the hump as Indiana pushes their lead back to 4, at 74-70, in less than 30 seconds. Check that, Danny Granger 3 puts it at 7. Frustrating beyond typing.

5:35 – Back within 3 as D-Song hits 2 FTs, he’s
24-24 for the season says Steve Buck.

You always hear about players with high basketball IQ. I’m not going to question what this means, but if you use it to specifically refer to team defense, I would say that the Wizards have a low team defense IQ — They can hustle and they can try, but losing a man on D is about 11 pars out of 18 on the course. Curious,….you’d think that in an offense based on passing and cutting, thus “losing your man”, that the Wizards would be extra aware of not going MIA.

5:28 – Case in point, Danny Granger beats Brendan Smokin’ Haywood on a jump ball. Jamaal Tinsley gets it, swings the rock to JO who hits a cutting Jeff Foster for a bucket. Too easy.

4:26 – Tech on JO, too much complaining about nuthin. Roger Mase FT and AJ bucket cuts the Pacers lead to 5 at 84-79. Can they make a push? I’m not so sure. 4 minutes left

3:42 - It’s an easy damn game. Penetration by Dunleavy, pass to Tinsley on the wing, and swing to Danny Granger for a wide open 3 at the very top of the arc.

I can sense this loss as JO hits a J to put the Pacers up 10 with 3 left. Well, I know that Eddie Jordan didn’t shoot 40% from the field and 70% from the FT line. The humps of Gilbert and Caron being out are enough to overcome, can’t afford to bring bad shooting into the equation.

The Wizards offensive attempts at the end of this game are a comedy of errors. Steve and Phil say that the real pivotal play of the game was the jump ball at the beginning of the quarter. That set the tone for the 4th and reflected the type of game that Andray Blatche displayed, yet again — 14 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 1 steal, 1 block.

Steve Smith just scored a TD for the Panthers – hey buddy, welcome to the season in Week 16 – almost time to cut the Wiz off and go root against the Cowboys. Don’t want any playoff home field advantages for those jerks.

Uh oh….and TO is heading to the locker room with 4:30 left in the1st half. Christmas coming early you say? They film all the way to the x-ray room until the Grown Baby orders the door closed.

Meanwhile, back to the Wiz game, X-mas isn’t coming at all here. They lose for the 3rd straight game, 93-85.

What’s going on with those stats?

• For the most part, the shooting percentages were a wash. The Wiz lost by 8 and the Pacers ended up hitting three more 3s.
• Roger Mason had a career high 20, and only 1 turnover. AJ came strong with 29 and 12.
• Hell, the only other stat I want to point to is that the Pacers had 20 more assists than they had turnovers. The Wizards had two less assists than turnovers.
• Enough said.
• …oh yea, Wizard Killer’s 25 points.

BTW, I forgot that Granger was from Metairie, LA, thanks to the New Mexico Lobos website — represent the dirty. [other pic from SI Kids]

Bullets Forever with the open game thread – Prada wasn’t far off with that ‘Pacers holding the Wiz to under 80′ prediction.

ESPN Story – Washington Post Story – NBA.com Box

Random Posts

• October 29, 2010 -- Cartier Martin Gets His Own Post, As Should Anyone Who Blocks Dwight Howard Like That
• November 18, 2010 -- Wizards vs. Celtics: Play Of The Night (Hint: It Was Boston)
• October 26, 2010 -- Magical Match-up Nightmares For The Wizards

Damn, it looks like the Pecan Sandies are going to win. Kids day at the Verizon Center. “Great.”

Now let’s start the show…

1st Quarter

11:40 - Sweet running hook to start by BTH – Brendan Todd Haywood…looking like a Sweaty Pat Ewing. Phil noticed that New Jers actually double teamed Brendan.

10:04 - Ball worked around well as AD – Antonio Daniels plays the baseline to Caron Butler who swings to DeShawn Stevenson for the made J.

8:28 - R Jeff – Richard Jefferson dunk…regardless of the Wizards intent to get back on D in transition. I can’t believe Jefferson is 3rd in the league in points, he’s been J-Kidded.

7:33 - BTH baseline layin after a drive by Butler. Where on earth did this dude get all this agility?

7:01 - AJ long deuce puts the Wiz up 12-9.

6:30 - Great float pass from AD to a cutting AJ for the floater. Yup, float for the floater..sounds like toilet humor. Timeout Nets. The Wizards are really moving the ball well on offense, hustling back on D when the Nets try to run, and they’re being active on defense. Up 14-9…they’ve let the Nets get a couple sneaky quick shots, but I like what I see.

5:52 - Wow…an aggressive move to the rack by DeeShawn, And1. He had the baseline open, I like to see him pick his spots. 9-0 run by the Wiz.

4:59 – Jason Kidd deuce…he’s got 6, 2-3 from the field, but both of his made Js would make the casual fan think he’s a shooter.

3:32 – AJ gets his own offensive bound and quickly flips it in, 21-13 Wiz. I think Jamison invented Hustle Swag.

0:00 – Game goes back and forth as Butler misses a 3 at the 1st qtr. buzzer, the Wizards are up 27-23. They let the Nets hit 3 trey balls that quarter, Boci Nachbar has 2 of them….not good.

2nd Quarter

Dominic McGuire gets the early call from Eddie Jordan…..he misses the first shot of the period, not bad look though.

3 pointer by R. Mason…..kid comes in just ready to ball. I’m tellin’ you Son!

Move by Kidd, no one picks up a cutting R Jeff, he gets an open dunk. Eddie Jordan tries to squash it with a timeout. 30-27 Wizards.

9:40 – Dammit…Old-Ass Darrell Armstrong sets up Vince Carter for a 3. [mug shot from crime.about.com -- this arrest of D.A. does not seem very justified -- Darrell Armstrong will always be one of my favorite non-Wizards NBA players]

And the Wizards have subsequently stopped moving the ball on offense. Caron Butler and Nick Young to the scorers table. 8:32

The ball starts to move again…steal, Young penetration, pass to Butler, swing to D-Mac, but he gets stripped going for a layup. Rookie stuff….gotta hold on to the ball.

The Nets have gotten a couple easy buckets and are now up 34-30. The 3 turnovers in 1.5 minutes (thanks Steve Buck) by the Wizards contribute to the New Jers cause.

7:08 – A bad Nick Young miss doesn’t end a 12-0 Nets run. C’mon kid, you gotta knock ‘em down when trying to fight back.

6:37 – AD finally checks back in to lend some stability. Armstrong gets a floater, shots are falling for New Jerse now. They’re up 41-32.

5:08 – Butler miss, DC can’t get anything going on offense. They just aren’t moving the rock as well now. 11-30 from the field.

4:30 – Nice!…Antawn And1 3-pointer, with the foul on his North Cacalaca boy, Viggity Carter. 4 point play.

2:33 – Okay, Nick Young gets on the board with a deuce. 43-40 Nets.

0:46 – Butler sloppy turnover leads to Nets fastbreak points. The lead is pushed back to 7. Butler has not been on his game so far. Mountain Dew anyone?

Bad offense and a Jamison miss to end the half. The New Jersey Nets are up 48-42 over the Wizards.

Half A Stat

• Wow, how are the Wiz only down 6? The Nets are shooting 20+% points more than the Wiz, 54.3 to 33.3.
• But the Nets have committed 3 more turnovers and 4 more fouls.
• Leading to…the Wizards hitting 14 of 14 FTs while the Nets are only 6-9.
• Kidd: 8 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds

3rd Quarter

10:35 – Stevenson misses a wide open 3 that he would have made last year
. DeShawn, I’m talking to you. What is it going to take to re-establish any sense of reliability, dependability on you?

9:08 – Vince Carter Ridiculous Rainbow Three, a VCRRT… as the shot clock was running down.

8:52 – Wow…Ken Griffey, Jr. is at the game, hanging out with Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals. If the Nationals were an American League team, I’d start to speculate. But since they have no DH…oh well.

8:08 – Carter shot….followed by a Wiz t.o. – Nets up by 9, Carter has 9… in the quarter.

7:24 – Money with change on top....Butler hits a baseline fadeway deuce at the shot clock buzzer. Start something good, team.

6:35 – Jamison gets Malik Allen back for hitting those shots, spin baseline jump hook dead on his grill. And 1 Sucka.

6:05 – The lady ref calls a foul on Nachbar who is trying to guard Stevenson, ol’ Boci was right near the mic, and you could hear him…”He’s holding meeeeee….he’s holding meeeeee” in a straight Ball In Europe accent. Welcome to America son. Can I get you a part-time job mopping floors at McDowell’s?

5:19 – Needed it! Running J off the glass for AD with the S-Clock running down after a Butler save.

4:51 – Stevenson is ruining my night. Make that two missed shots after a Wizards offensive rebound on the possession…luckily, a New Jers foul on the 2nd off. rebound, Caron with two FTs. Wiz down 3 now.

3:58 – Oh. My. Dear. Lord. I “kinda” take back everything I’ve just said about you DeeShawn Stevenson. You just threw it down hard as sh*t on Richard Jefferson. You did a little can’t feel me face, not like you’ve quit it or anything, and they called you for a tech.

3:16 – Here he go, here he go…. trey ball by DeeShawn, Wiz take the 67-66 lead. I can hear Tina Turner in the background. (seriously, check out this youtube video, 100% valid awesome)

1:34 – AD does another good job of getting to the line. Nice ball movement by the Wiz. Two FTs made.

Steve Buck just made me do a major double take…when Eddie Gill was checking in, Steve B accidentally said that Kendall Gill was checking in. I was like whoa, whoa, whoa…Kendall Gill, the boxer?

0:22 – Shot clock violation by the Nets. Phil C. recognizes the great D by Rog. Mase. Jr….the campaign for the kid is building.

0:02 - D-Song with a clutch bucket….Great 4th quarter run by the Wizards. They outscore New Jersey 36-24 in the quarter to take the 78-72 lead.

According the ESPN, the Nets are still shooting 53.8% and the Wiz 37.9%, but the Wizards have made 31-32 shots from the FT line. Amazing. Rebounds are tied @ 28, but the Nets have 13 turnovers to the Wiz 8. This 4th quarter will be HUGE!

4th Quarter

Damn, just looked up at TV feed #2, the Colts are already up 14-0 on B-More…we all saw this happening. Classic, “I need to beat that ass” game on Indy’s part, classic Let Down game on B-More’s part. Indy was still getting 9.5 points though. Tough bet, but I would’ve taken it.

More and more, Roger Mason is making smart decisions with the ball. His steal leads to a fast break…next play, his advancing the ball leads to a quick offensive setup and bucket by the Wizards. Timeout Nets, Wiz up 84-76.

Check that, 21-0 Colts.

Nachbar O-bound caused by Nick Young negligence. C’mon Rook…can’t have any game slippage.

When it literally rains in Baltimore….the Colts get a safety on the Ravens, Indy up 23-0.

7:16 – Quite the monster rebound by Caron Butler over Jefferson, Kidd and Collins….I believe the word would be..SNATCHED! Caron gets fouled, knocks FTs, Wiz up 90-77.

6:43 – ‘Nother O Board by Tuff Juice. Put that back! Wiz up 15.

5:40 – What hustle by Caron Butler….loose ball heading towards the back court, on the Nets possession, Nachbar saves it, but Butler is there to poke it away from Kidd, Wiz possession.

Songaila been comin’ through big time by the way. 8 points, 5 rebounds, 12 minutes.

3:43 – Butler strong drive with feed from D-Song, Wiz up 98-84.

I’m smellin’ it….the win.

2:38 – Yessur, yessur……Nets pressure, AJ gets the ball short of half court, drives for the 2 on 1 break with Songaila, pass of great timing…bucket and the foul for D-Song. Wiz up 101-86.

2:05 – R Mase Baby! Trey ball, net.

Crap. D-Song sprains his ankle. H
e’s able to walk off the court, but straight to the locker room. The last thing the Wizards need.

Wow. Abe and Irene Pollin are really stepping up. I have to give them all the credit in the world. They are giving $100 per point for every point that the top two Wizards score for home games, and I believe that’s in addition to what Gilbert gives. They have really stepped up for the schools.

0:45 – The Wizards are going to pull this one out. Put it in the books after a New Jers airball.

Hey, lookie there, Bal-more is finally on the board, they’re down 30-7.

Trip-Dub by J-Kidd too….good for him.

Very nice win by the Wizards. It was such a team effort as they had 6 in double figure scoring and Rog. Mason on the cusp with 9.

Stat Style – Caron said DeShawn dunked like that cause it was kid’s night….

• Nets 53.8 FG%, Wiz 37.9% – What makes up for that? Making 17 more FTs than your opponent shot.
• Jason Kidd had a triple double…J-Kidd also had 4 of his team’s 14 turnovers compared to the Wiz 8.
• Andray Blatche only had 8 minutes. And this is ok, of course, with everyone since the Wizards won. It just proves that Eddie can go with whomever is hot for the game. Roger Mason and Darius Songaila proved to be the ballers for this game, so they got the run.
• DeeeShawn had 12 points, albeit on 5-11 shooting, so he can’t feel Mr. Fifty‘s face. But if he can contribute and the team can keep playing well together as they did tonight….watch out.

Random Posts

• February 22, 2010 -- Chicago Bulls in D.C. and Wizards Web Links
• April 18, 2010 -- When Josh Howard Was Doing ‘Got Milk?’ Ads
• December 20, 2010 -- The Fill-In Vocal Leadership of Josh Howard