Posts for category ‘washington bullets’

Over on Bullets Forever, the summer project is to recount past franchise curiosities. Robert Pack, Jim McIlvaine, LeDell Eackles, Tim Legler, and Haywoode Workman have been covered to date. There are many good players still left to remember, but there’s one particularly interesting character who we all forgot……

Going through the Bullets cards I collected as a 90s youngin’, I came across the gem(s) below. Larry Stewart, was he really a rookie sensation? Stewart wasn’t known to possess a lot of skill, rather he was a hustling, hard-working, versatile 6’8″ big man who made the most of his ability. Making it to the NBA when no one thought he would was, in fact, sensational…….but what’s happened to Larry Stewart since?

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High School in Philly
Hailing from Philadelphia, Stewart starred at the famed Dobbins Technical High School. In 1985, the duo of Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble led Dobbins Tech to the Philadelphia City Title before heading to USC together in the fall of that year (and later, Loyola Marymount in late ’86). Dobbins has also produced Doug Overton, Dawn Staley (USA Today’s female high school player of the year in 1989), Linda Page (who scored 100 points in a game in 1981), and Horace “Pappy” Owens (’79 McDonald’s All-American and current assistant at LaSalle).

Overton and Stewart were teammates at Dobbins, taking over after the Hank and Bo Show ended. They lost in the runner-up game of the ’87 Philly City Championship their senior year. In 2004, Ted Silary of the Philadelphia Daily News named his 30-Year Philly All-Star Basketball Teams; Overton made 3rd team all-public and Stewart made honorable mention all-public.

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As Wizards/Bullets fans should be well aware, the DC NBA franchise has had many connections with former UNC Tar Heels. Currently, Brendan Haywood, Antawn Jamison, and associate head coach, Mike O’Koren (who also played for the Bullets in 86-87) represent the University of North Carolina connection.

Past members of the Wiz-Heel club include (years with Wiz/Bullets in parens): Rasheed Wallace (95-96), Jerry Stackhouse (02-04), Hubert Davis (00-02), Mitch Kupchak (76-81), Dudley Bradley (84-86), Jeff McInnis (98-99), and of course, Michael Jordan (01-03).

So, when the good folks at The Fifth Corner, a UNC Tar Heel blog, asked me to answer some questions about the Wizards and the current Tar Heels with the team, I gladly obliged. My answers are below, the Pradamaster of Bullets Forever got interviewed by The Fifth Corner as well.

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Question #1: Being a Washington Wizards blogger, did you believe that the team was going to re-sign Antawn Jamison all along, or did you believe he might leave for another team?

I believed that Antwan Jamison would be back all along. First of all, Gilbert Arenas announced that the re-signing of Jamison was a prerequisite to him coming back. So, Wizards GM, Ernie Grunfeld would have been a fool to let both walk for nothing. I’m personally glad to have Jamison’s veteran presence back, I hope he retires as a Wizard.
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The Washington Wizards would like to have a small forward to backup Caron Butler. Darius Miles would like to be a member of an NBA team. Could the two be a match?

At face value, Miles would be far from the shooter the Wizards should desire for spot action. On the other hand, he is still freakishly athletic and could provide a combustible punch of energy off the bench for a team needing a push. Darius Miles could be seen as a low-risk, high-reward option, and he’s only 26.

Darius Miles the person raises several red flags. Number one is knee issues. He had microfracture surgery in November 2006 and an independent source dubbed his injury as career ending this past April, allowing the Portland Trailblazers to release him without salary cap implications. The last NBA game the guy play in was over 26 months ago. However, reports say that his knee has fully recovered, but that Miles is just not yet in ‘NBA Shape.’ Should he play again, Portland’s cap space would shrink.

Red flag #2, attitude. Most accounts don’t dub Miles as an absolute menace, rather elude to a selfish demeanor created from your run-of-the-mill pampered upbringing of a natural born basketball talent. The most famous example is a 2005 confrontation between Miles and then Portland head coach, Maurice Cheeks. It started in a film session and may or may not have included escalation into the office of then Blazers GM, and former Bullets head man, John Nash. But surely Miles has learned a humbling lesson, and perhaps coming under the wing of a veteran such as Antawn Jamison would aid his maturity.

Red flag #3, suspension. Much ado has been made Darius Miles failing a drug test and being suspended by the league for 10 games. The NBA then made all teams aware of said fact via email, this stirred a minor controversy as to if the league acted unethically in leaking medical information. True Hoop and The Sporting Blog have the issue at hand well covered. The heart of the previous debate: does D-Miles have a weed or steroid problem? The latest report from Mark Stein is that Phentermine (an appetite suppressant which is considered a controlled substance because of a similarity to amphetamines) is actually responsible for the failed test. Not exactly a reason for NBA teams to be concerned. Although, I am curious as to why he was taking weight loss pills; being off that knee probably fattened him up.

Overall, these issues are not insurmountable for a team to deny consideration. The Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets each have worked out Miles. But would he be right for the Wizards? Well, money is the main issue and with $1.5 million left until luxury tax land, options are limited for the Wizards. If Jim Bowden (Mr. Second Chance) was the Wizards GM, instead of the Nats, Miles would have been signed long ago.

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Normally, Gilbert Arenas might be the last, but not the least, Washington Wizard to be evaluated. But that’s not the case this year…..Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison formed an alpha dog duo this past season. My thoughts on Agent Zero are below, head over to Bullets Forever (coming soon) to check out what the Pradamaster and Jake The Snake have to say.

Previous Entries:
Etan Thomas | Oleksiy Pecherov | Dominic McGuire | Nick Young | Andray Blatche | Roger Mason |
Darius Songaila | Antonio Daniels | DeShawn Stevenson | Brendan Haywood

This past season provided me, along with others, a lion’s share of negative thoughts about Gilbert Arenas. Unfortunately, many of those others allowed such ideas to consume the previous good will built by Agent Zero to the point where they no longer wanted Gilbert on their team. I will not allow myself to forget what I’ve learned from the past.

For one, I’m a believer in Gilbert Arenas. He came from humble beginnings and has successfully overcome every real and perceived slight handed down upon him. I remember seeing Gilbert Arenas play live in college from the opponent’s end of the court way back in December of 2000. That day, Mississippi State defeated 10th-ranked Arizona, in Tuscon, in ‘Zona’s own Fiesta Bowl Basketball Classic tournament, for the first time in its 16 year history. That Wildcat team featured the likes of Arenas, Richard Jefferson, Jason Gardner, Loren Woods, Luke Walton, Eugene “High Socks & ‘Fro” Edgerson, and team leading scorer, Michael Wright. Gilbert dropped 14 points, but I barely remember him being on the court……he surely didn’t live up to scouting report expectations. Gilbert Arenas? Who’s that dude? Lo and behold…..almost seven years later…….I’m writing blog letters to the guy.

Even back in December of ’07, when the Wizards were 8-5 and I was imploring for Gilbert to learn from his striving teammates, negativity filled the air, especially on the Washington Post’s Wizards Insider. The Wizards are no doubt better without Gilbert Arenas and Ernie Grunfeld should immediately get rid of the bum for a bag of nickels and a pouch of Big League Chew……I’m paraphrasing what “they” were saying. The argument continued until the end of the 07-08 season and beyond. Should I get into it now? Nope, not gonna do it.

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After a brief hiatus, it’s time to get back to Washington Wizards 2007-2008 player evaluations…..only four players left: Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, and today, Brendan Todd Haywood. My thoughts are below, head over to Bullets Forever and check out what the Pradamaster and Jake The Snake have to say about BTH.

Previous Entries:
Etan Thomas | Oleksiy Pecherov | Dominic McGuire | Nick Young | Andray Blatche | Roger Mason | Darius Songaila | Antonio Daniels | DeShawn Stevenson

Before the 2007-2008 season, I had feelings of intense frustration, and perhaps despite, towards Brendan Todd Haywood during his tenure as a Washington Wizard. I found BTH to be a bumbling, soft, waste-of-space….leading to frequent use of the effeminate moniker, Brenda. My opinion was so negative because I simply expected more use of his potential, and Haywood seemed to be a never-ending source of disappointment.

In my second game blog of 07-08, the massacre in Boston, I wrote this:

1st Quarter: Haywood dunk! Great positioning on the rebound…AND…the subsequent block! Please do this all year. If you do, I will write a personal letter to you apologizing for all the times I’ve referred to you as Brenda Haywood. You can hold me to that.

It wasn’t until game 21 versus the ‘Sota T’Wolves when I “officially” stopped calling Brendan, Brenda. Haywood was able to sustain whatever it was that got into him for the entire season and led me to turn an about face, believing the chances of him reverting back to his former self to be very slim.

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Washington Wizards Player Evaluation #9, head over to Bullets Forever to check the thoughts of the Pradamaster and JakeTheSnake on DeShawn Stevenson.

Previous Entries:
Etan Thomas | Oleksiy Pecherov | Dominic McGuire | Nick Young |
Andray Blatche | Roger Mason | Darius Songaila | Antonio Daniels|

If you were guessing which Wizard would have the best chance of surviving a season of Deadliest Catch, who would it be? Caron Butler, obviously…..especially since he grew up in the climate of Racine. But right behind Tuff Juice would be DeShawn Stevenson, this year’s recipient of the Warrior Award. He made it through watermelon knee, grandpa’s ankle, and pregnant woman’s back without missing a game…..and while turning in the best season of his career.

Stevenson also provided a king’s share of off-court fodder, while significantly boosting business for The Pride of Fredonia’s Sports Bog. DeShawn dubbed himself the Lock Smith, had trouble keeping it real, lost feeling in his face, danced at his 80s birthday party the same night he sprained his ankle and lost to the Bucks in devastating fashion, led me to realize that he had something in common with Ricky Davis, and made trash talking history. And I’m not even mentioning last summer’s gun play (which has seemingly been swept under a rug – DeShawn and Andray Blatche are the poster children for the perils of bringing hoes, and their male baggage, home), Black Card escapades, jersey tattoos and Lindsey Lohan solicitations.

I certainly appreciate some of DeShawn Stevenson’s off-court antics. He makes the team more bloggable, which garners more attention….and the end result is better for the franchise in an ‘any pub is good pub’ manner. However, many times, I found DeShawn’s on-court antics disgraceful and sophomoric. I know, I know….go easy on the guy, he’s a warrior. But being a numb-faced hype man is one thing, acting as an incendiary device for opponents is another. If only DeShawn could find the balance between maturity and motivation.

But alas, Stevenson brings too many good qualities to not want him around. He was more than adept at filling in where needed in this latest tumultuous season. Who was going to replace Gilbert Arenas’s 205 made 3-pointers from 06-07? Why, DeShawn Stevenson…in 07-08, he drained 158 trey balls, just over 24% more than his previous seven year career total. It’s really astounding how DeShawn went from hitting a trey every 157.9 minutes (an attempt every 41.4 minutes) in his first 6 seasons, to a made trey every 32.7 minutes (an attempt every 13.2 minutes) in 06-07, to a made trey every 16.2 minutes (an attempt every 6.2 minutes) in 07-08. I realize this is also indicative of offensive system, but the guy has obviously been working to improve his shot, aside from practice competitions with Gilbert Arenas.

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I was doing some cleaning around the apartment yesterday, working on a project for Father’s Day (Happy Father’s Day to my dad all the real dads out there) and came across a clipping from the Washington Times that my pops gave me just over three years ago.

“What A Long, Strange Trip It’s Been,” was Tom Knott’s proclamation of purged bad karma for DC’s pro-basketball franchise just before game one against the Chicago Bulls in the ’05 NBA playoffs. It made me think, so much of that trip was spent bonding with my dad. We probably made the trek out to Landover, MD, and then downtown to Chinatown years later, at least 175 times together, witnessing years of futility and a lone playoff game pre-2005. To pass time with my father, to follow a hometown team together, it was all worth it.

I couldn’t help but get a chuckle out of Knott’s column. The long, strange trip continues and some would argue that Wizards fans still have not been exonerated of bad karma. Is this article to remind us how appreciative we should be for a four year playoff run, or have our expectations justifiably risen to the point where wanting more supersedes being spoiled by morsels of success?

The circus acts of yore are all featured: “Nervous” Pervis Ellison, Manute Bol, Boo-nard King (is that the best picture they had?), Mel Turpin, Rex Chapman (one of my all time favorites), Rod Strickland, Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jerry Stackhouse, and finally Old Man Jordan.

Knott, in his typical pessimistic fashion (I’d be a hippocrite to blame him) recounts dysfunctional tales; head scratching gaffes from yesteryear which have become sources of present day comedy. The lead story of Pervis Ellison getting into an auto accident because of a DWIWGCF (driving while incapacitated with greasy chicken fingers) seems like the perfect jump-off point.

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Part 8 of Washington Wizards Player Evaluations, head over to Bullets Forever to check the thoughts of the Pradamaster and JakeTheSnake on Antonio Daniels.

Previous Entries:
Etan Thomas | Oleksiy Pecherov | Dominic McGuire | Nick Young |
Andray Blatche | Roger Mason | Darius Songaila|

Antonio Daniels is my Catch-22. I love his steadying veteran presence. He fills in wherever needed and does whatever is asked of him without thinking twice. Daniels has been a model of consistency during his 11 year NBA career. This past season was no exception as Antonio Daniels was asked to sub for an injured Gilbert Arenas. In doing so, AD started 63 out of 71 played games for the Wizards. In his previous 10 seasons, Antonio started a total of 149 out of 722 games.

In Daniels’ 07-08 starts, he contributed about nine points, five assists, and three rebounds in just over 30 minutes a game while only turning the ball over 86 times total (a 1.36 average). So, I’ll throw around terms such as admirable and will give AD a big ‘thank you’ because without him, I highly doubt that the Wizards would have achieved 43 wins.

However, there’s a Sir Mix-a-Lot sized ‘but’……..Antonio Daniels can neither shoot nor defend. As his career 30.9% from 3-point land would indicate, AD is not one for distance buckets. Now, he is no where near Rajon Rondo bad, but throughout the season, opponents proved more times than not that they were willing to risk leaving Daniels open to protect the paint. And AD did not disappoint by hitting only 17 of 74 attempts from beyond the arc. My expectations of Daniels in this area have always been tempered, but I still have wishes that he could keep defenses honest. But alas, it is what it is…..if Antonio hasn’t improved his shot to date, then it’s probably never going to happen. Old dogs don’t learn new tricks.

Compounding AD’s conduciveness to the constrictive nature of the opposing defenses is his inability to on-ball defend. I suppose you could dub his quickness as adequate….for a 33 year old. AD won’t get you many steals, his one per game this past season was a career high. But he has the smarts and desire to limit gambles and to try staying in front of his man. However, in many cases those attempts end up futile.

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Part 7 of Washington Wizards Player Evaluations:
Etan Thomas | Oleksiy Pecherov | Dominic McGuire | Nick Young | Andray Blatche | Roger Mason

My thoughts are below, head over to Bullets Forever to check out the thoughts of the Pradamaster and JakeTheSnake on Darius Songaila.

More than anyone else on the team, Darius Songaila had a full share of detractors this past season. Sure he took an occasional ill-advised shot. And perhaps his 6’9″ (or 8″) frame wasn’t enough to deal with the sizable tasks asked of him. But Darius was always up to the challenge, and in my opinion, the type of key role player that winners need.

The main issue with Songaila, more than shot selection, is rebounding. His rebound rate (10.2) was below that of both Dominic McGuire (11.7) and Oleksiy Pecherov (12.1). Darius still out-rebounded Caron Butler per 36 minutes (6.3, good enough for 6th on the team), but that’s not saying anything at all. Even without athleticism, you’d expect Songaila would have the tactic to do better than a couple rookies. When you think about the needs from a power forward, and the woes on the glass for the Wizards, D-Song’s board effort comes up as a disappointment. When factoring Songaila’s on-ball defense, or lack thereof, I can certainly sympathize with those who are emphatic about limiting his presence on the court.

Now consider the offense that Eddie Jordan runs, a pro-style Princeton. When operating at a higher pace, which we all know occurred less in 07-08 than in years before, Songaila has the veteran savvy to move with a purpose….whether it be posting up, or setting high ball screens in transition.

Songaila’s true bread and butter within the offense comes with his pick-and-pop-ability. He shoots with confidence, has a fairly quick release for a big man, and seems to have range that extends slightly beyond the college 3-point line. Not only can D-Song knock down the J when called upon by an opposing defense focusing on a driver, but he has the ability to see and make the next pass, perhaps adjusting to the shifting D giving someone else a better look. Songaila’s Ast-% and ‘Assists Per 36′ were both good enough for 5th on the team in 07-08.

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Roger Mason Junior, part 6 of Washington Wizards Player Evaluations:
Etan Thomas | Oleksiy Pecherov | Dominic McGuire | Nick Young | Andray Blatche

Head over the Bullets Forever to see what the Pradamaster and JakeTheSnake have to say.

Roger Mason Junior…..DC’s own….the Potomac Rainmaker. Mason Junior was the recipient of this year’s Pleasant Surprise Award. Ok, I made that up…..but the fact is that Roger Mason had a career year, averaging 9.1 ppg and almost 40% (39.8) from 3-point land. Oh yea, his PER and Usage-Rate bested that of both DeShawn Stevenson and Antonio Daniels. Mase-ON was truly an invaluable offensive spark off the bench as the Wizards dealt with an array of injuries in 07-08. Not only that, but in the nine games he was asked to start (five of which came in late December), Mason averaged 17.4 ppg, 3.4 ast, 52.6% fg, and 43.1% 3p.

But alas, it’s the opinion of most that this four-year, three-team NBA journeyman (with stops in Greece and Israel in between NBA stints) will continue his travels elsewhere. Does it have to be this way for a hometown guy who seemingly wants to play in DC and for the Wizards…..especially considering that he turned down a 3-year $3 million contract from the world champion (soon to be former) San Antonio Spurs to sign with the Wizards for one year and $895,341 this past season? Or, did Roger have that much confidence in his game that he figured he would get more run with the Wiz, and thus be able to parlay that into a larger contract?

Whatever the case, people noticed and Roger will get paid. However, Mason’s NBA future (and he does have an NBA future) is in limbo until a couple of questions are answered:

1. What is the market for an NBA journeyman who can shoot? It seems that a team in rebuilding mode would rather opt to fill a roster spot with a draft pick, although Mason will just be 27 in September. But there is probably a contender out there who will throw at least half the MLE at Roger.

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Andray Blatche is installment #5 for the 07-08 Wizards player evaluations. My thoughts are below the pic of an Andray finger roll. Be sure and head over to Bullets Forever to check out what the Pradamaster and JakeTheSnake have to say.

Previous Evaluations: Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas.

We can all agree that the game of Andray Blatche did not make as much progression in 07-08 as we had hoped. But patience is a virtue.

First, we must remember that Andray will just be 22 years young this August. NBA hopeful and NCAA Champion out of Kansas, Brandon Rush, is 22 right now. But next season will be Andray’s fourth in the NBA, so the time should be now. What should we expect from Andray next year, and how patient with him should we prepare ourselves to be?

The best comparison for Andray Blatche seems to be Jermaine O’Neal. [*Draft Express gives Chris Bosh as the best case scenario, and Clifford Robinson as the worst; NBADraft.net compared Andray to Steven Hunter....ouch.] Both J.O. and A.B. are wiry 6’11″ versatile bigs who can block shots, and knock down jumpers. Both were drafted out of high school (actually, Andray had that one year of prep school). I’d go with the O’Neal instead of Bosh because Bosh is not as much of a shot blocker.

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Round 4 of the 07-08 Wizards player evaluations……(the previous entries are: Etan Thomas, Oleksiy Pecherov & Dominic McGuire). My thoughts are below, be sure and head to Bullets Forever for complete coverage from the Pradamaster and JakeTheSnake.

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Some call Nick Young The City, but he’ll always be the Bean Burrito to me……and to him I suppose since Nick gave himself that AKA. It seems like I got on the kid like a disappointed father many times this year….but in the end, just like dad, I gotta like him.

The Good: Nick Young has that mid-range step back J that can be NBA-dangerous, and he’s very fluid in his motions. While his handles are nice, he seemed to rely on his cross-over as the first option too much. We know Young can slam it on some fools and some crybabies. (Sidebar: How about the guy saying “very athletic” at the end of the slam on LeBron YouTube? Sounds like who black comedians impersonate when they do their white guy voice.) While tied with Blatche for 8th on the team in average ppg, Nick was 4th among Wizards in points per 40 minutes. March was by far Young’s best month (10.6 ppg, 2.1 reb, 51.9 fg%, 50% 3p%), so he clearly gained offensive confidence towards the end of the season.

The Bad: Nick Young is not very strong….but what would you expect from a lengthy rookie? Still, to take advantage of his mid-range game, he’s going to have to learn to move better off the ball, and that requires strength to get separation. Nick never really showed the intensity to be a constant mover, a la Rip Hamilton. But maybe he is not that type of player (also the Reggie Miller mold)…..So, if Young’s not distracting the defense with movement, he’s got to be creating for others, right? No, not really (just check Nick Young’s assist rating (9.1), terrible [knickerblogger.net]). To be a player in this league, you can’t just score buckets. As a guard, you also need the ability to get your teammates the ball, especially in Eddie Jordan’s offense……else you’ll just be another JR Rider or Harold Miner (yes, I realize a criminal and a recluse are horrible comparisons, and I am sorry for that).

The Ugly: Defense. Now, I must admit that if there is any aspect of Nick Young’s game that noticeably improved the most towards the end of the season, it would be his intensity on defense. Still, increased intensity doesn’t make the overall defensive progression major…..the Burrito has a long, long way to go. He just fouls so damn much (not as much as Andray Blatche though)…..team fouls are +6 when Young is on the court, and opponent FT attempts are +7 [82games.com]. Maybe it’s that building strength thing, but I still anticipate future frustrations with Nick’s Lock-Smith-ability.

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Round three of the Wizards 07-08 player evaluations is on. Bullets Forever is the head honcho on this whole thing, so be sure and check out the thoughts of the Pradamaster and JakeTheSnake on Dominic McGuire (as well as my thoughts….which are also below).

Previous Entries: Etan Thomas, Oleksiy Pecherov
Up Next: Nick Young

Dominic McGuire….Code Name: The Cleaner. I really liked this kid’s energy coming off the bench. He always seemed ready to contribute with his full effort, while learning on the job. I didn’t watch all of his goof-around videos with Nick Young, but every observation of McGuire on the court led me to believe that he’s a mature, composed guy, ready to be coached.

The Cleaner earned his moniker by doing just that…..cleaning the glass for rebounds. McGuire really amazed me at times with his ability to sky for the ball in traffic….something he’ll be able to do with more authority once he adds some NBA strength. Dominic leaves a ton to be desired on offense, and his turnover rate is horrible (20.3), but his handles are adequate and hopefully hard off-season work with Dave Hopla will lead to an improved jumper….a lot of work (38.3 eFG% and 43.8 FT% in 07-08).

McGuire transferred from Cal to Fresno State after the 04-05 season. Draft Express has relayed that there were some “minor off the court rumblings” in terms of maturity level from his days in Berkley. Other reports say that it was Ben Braun’s “system” which led to D-Mac’s departure. Still, more say that with blue-chip recruit Leon Powe joining the Golden Bears, the writing in regard to McGuire’s dwindling playing time was the wall. Research on further fodder became too meticulous. Regardless, I think Ernie Grunfeld got himself a helluva steal by taking McGuire with the 47th pick.

D-Mac has been compared to several NBA players: Andrei Kirilenko (CBS Sportsline); Trevor Ariza (NBADraft.net); to Danny Granger [best case] and Rolando Balkman [worst case] (Draft Express). I once considered the possibility that D-Mac could be the next Shawn Marion…I’m not so sure now as D-Mac needs to be able to stay with small forwards/big guards on D, along with the ability to knock down the trey, to meet the Marion comparison (along with that of Danny Granger). The defensive part is attainable…..in regards to a jumper, I’d be ecstatic if Dominic McGuire could develop a similar shot to Darius Songaila. Keep an eye on The Cleaner in the summer league.

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The 2007-2008 Washington Wizards player evaluations have begun on Bullets Forever. Second up to bat, Oleksiy Pecherov. My thoughts are below…..be sure and check out those of Prada and Jake the Snake as well.

Good ol’ Oleksiy Pecherov……the fun-loving Euro cut-up whom many have compared to Stewie from Family Guy. Personally, I like to think of O-Pech as the Ukrainian Balki Bartokomous…..a much more fitting, obliviously foolish, type of character than Stewie (although O-Pech and the youngest Griffin do favor each other in looks).

I think a player with Pecherov’s skills is necessary for the Wizards offensive style. You need a big man who can spread the floor and nail the long jumper off a pick-and-pop. Songaila currently fills this need, but Pecherov has more range.

I know many have clamored for Pecherov to get more time, sacrificing Songaila’s minutes…….let’s just calm down on that thought – or as Balki would say, “Don’t be ridiculous!” I admire Oleksiy’s lack of jump shot conscience, as killer instinct is always wanted. I also have been pleased with his aggression and desire in terms of rebounding.

However, as much as people talk about those who contribute positive intangibles which do not show up in the box score, there are those who bring unseen negative intangibles to the table. Right now, Pecherov lacks the strength to secure defensive rebounds, the lateral quickness to on-ball defend his man, and the basketball IQ to limit turnovers and make intelligent contributions to the system…..among other adverse traits.

Outlook: Oleksiy Pechrov may eventually replace Darius Songaila, possibly allowing Ernie Grunfeld to unload D-Song’s contract. However, I’d say O-Pech needs another year of seasoning in the least. He appeared in 35 games last year (he was injured until mid-January), averaging 9.1 minutes per….I wouldn’t mind if Eddie Jordan found a way to up that to 60-65 and 13+ per in 08-09.

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The 2007-2008 season Washington Wizards player evaluations have begun on Bullets Forever. First up to bat, Etan Thomas. My thoughts are below…..be sure and check out those of Prada and Jake the Snake as well.


Etan Thomas’ future is about as unpredictable as tagging along with Pac Man Jones for a night out on the town. The big question mark surrounds The Poet’s heart….and in this case, no news is not necessarily good news. He tried to come back in mid-February, sported a chest protector, got hit in practice……and the next thing we know, the season is over and the word from Grunfeld is that Etan will make a full recovery by training camp. Not so says CBS Sportsline where Etan is listed as “questionable” for the 08-09 training camp (of course, that was last updated on 5/3). Basketball-Reference.com has taken the liberty of un-bolding Etan’s name (even Penny Hardaway’s name is bolded…ok, he played 14 games in Nov. and two in Dec.). What does this all mean? It means that Thomas coming back healthy is one thing, coming back as a contributor is another.

Etan Thomas does not first come to mind when you think of painted area defensive stopper, but maybe he doesn’t have to be. Memory serves me that Etan is more agile than Brendan Haywood. Thus, in the Wizards match-up zone, Thomas has the potential to better play the passing lanes and defend the pick and roll. Etan is not going to match Haywood’s output when the Wizards have the ball, as his Usage% has dropped in recent years…..(while his D-rating has increased ). If all systems are go in Europe in October , the Wizards would most importantly need Etan Thomas to be dominant on the defensive boards (which is easier to do in a match-up zone than a regular zone), contend for offensive boards, and keep track of his assignments on D.

Outlook: I’d rather Etan be the throw-in on an ingenious Ernie Grunfeld trade than depend on him to fill championship needs in 08-09.

Up Next: Oleksiy Pecherov