With about seven minutes left in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s Wizards-Pacers game, Jan Vesely, with hyperactivity as he is wont to do, got his hand on a deflection that sparked a Washington fast break. However, as the Wizards are wont to do, the transition opportunity was mismanaged. John Wall recovered Vesely’s steal and passed the ball ahead to Jordan Crawford (Wall probably should have forced the defense to commit with a dribble). Unfortunately, Paul George, the only Pacer back, was in the right position to defend against just about anything Crawford would try to do. And what he tried to do, from my seat above section 104 at the Verizon Center, was make a lob pass (perhaps even one off the backboard) to either Wall or the trailing Vesely. George consumed whatever it was with his 6-foot-8 frame and took the ball for Indiana the other way, where eventually Danny Granger hit a jumper. The official score-keeper credited Crawford with a shot attempt; because I guess if you are going to credit George with a block instead of a steal, someone’s got to attempt a shot. Crawford didn’t quite agree. “Naw, I was passing it,” he said, “You know I shoot a lot, so they added to the field goals.”

Let’s watch the play, Jordan Crawford’s post-game response, and where, exactly, he got his Galaxy Foamposite Nike shoes.

That’s right… the reaction to the Wizards losing to the Pacers 109-96 on Wednesday night and another video rendition of “The Wizards Said WHAT?” all rolled into one. Enjoy.

M.V.P.

Danny Granger was methodical to an aesthetically pleasing degree. His best work came in the third quarter when he scored seven of his 20 points. Granger read Chris Singleton’s defense, turned down the screen from his teammate, and nailed a 3-pointer that put the Pacers up 67-63 with 7:21 left. The game never got closer than that. Going 8-for-12 on field goals with five rebounds, two assists and zero turnovers in 27 minutes, it was a rather chill night for Danny.

L.V.P.

John Wall seems like he’s doing more to help the Wizards just “play basketball” while the clock ticks, and he’s not so much taking actions that would aid efforts to win. And while we don’t relish continuing to pile on Mr. Wall’s struggles, between his seeming refusal to attempt to finish at the rim, him feverishly shaking his head in frustration going into a late third quarter timeout, and his robotic blandness in the post-game session with the media, this is not as engaging of a John Wall as we’ve seen in the past, in any manner. Then again, his Wizards aren’t competitive in too many engagements these days either. So how much do we blame the 21-year old?

X-Factor.

Darren Collison completely out-classed Wall. He finished with 17 points on 7-for-8 field goals with 11 assists and one turnover in 32 minutes. It was almost too easy for Collison; having all those scorers at his behest is also a nice setup. His pretty crossover and step-back jumper over Cartier Martin to end the first half was one of the game’s highlights. Yep, getting Collison for Troy Murphy was quite the move by that Larry Bird. Read more »

The Wizards and Pacers face off tonight in Washington for the third time in about two weeks. Indiana is coming off an emotional 112-104 comeback victory over the New York Knicks in Indiana last night, and the Wizards are coming off an emotionless effort at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. For tonight’s 3-on-3 we have Tim Donahue (@TimDonahue8p9s) from the ESPN TrueHoop Pacers blog 8 Points, 9 Seconds, along with TAI’s Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It). Let it begin…

#1) What stat and what player will most determine the outcome of this game?

DONAHUE: Oscar Wilde says, “Talent borrows, genius steals,” so I’m going to shamelessly steal from Kyle Weidie’s response to a similar question from the last Pacers-Wiz 3-on-3: Offensive Rebounding. In the first matchup, the Pacers grabbed 11 of the 19 boards off their offensive glass in the second half, when they outscored Washington 54-32. In the second one, the Wiz stayed close by grabbing 38-percent of the rebounds on their offensive end. The player most likely to influence the outcome of this game is two of them: George Hill and Leandro Barbosa. They are the barometers of the Pacer bench.

MOBLEY: It sounds simple, but its all about rebounding. The final boxscore from the last Pacers/Wizards game shows the Pacers had the advantage 40-35. But in the second half of the game (when the Pacers outscored the Wizards 54-32), Indiana had a 26-11 rebounding advantage. Roy Hibbert had nine rebounds in the second half and David West had four — three of which were kept the Wizards from taking the lead in the last minute. With Nene and Booker likely to be out again, the Wizards will need collaborative rebounding effort, while the Pacers could (and should) exploit the Wizards’ replacement frontline.

WEIDIE: Rebounding, clearly, but I’m going to go with Washington turnovers. Expect the Wizards to get cleaned on the boards — if they’re lucky, few defensive rebounds will bounce long into Indiana’s hands — but if they want to stay in the game, they’ll have to limit turnovers. The key to this stat? Well, the Wizards’ containment of carelessness starts with John Wall, but also keep an eye on the Jordan Crawford-Paul George matchup. If JC feels added urgency to shoot due to stagnant offense, and the length of George is bothering him, it could be a long night, as usual, for the Wiz kids.

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[Ernie Grunfeld hoping to get lucky. Courtesy SportsPickle.]

The Wizards stink.

And that isn’t my grumpy reaction. It’s a sad, embarrassing fact.

In today’s Washington Post, Michael Lee warned that the Wiz are on track for their worst record in franchise history. (A related WaPo graphic captures the year-over-year misery.)

I love our NBA franchise. I’ve just hated watching them suffer. Although TAI readers weren’t thrilled about my suggestion that the league contract the Wizards, to save us all the pain.

So here’s what you think we should do instead.

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[The DC Council -- After each Wizards game: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the bench, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is over the table. Click here for cumulative DC Council 3-star ratings over the course of the season. Game 53 contributors: Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) with on-hand coverage at the Verizon Center and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) from behind the television screen.]

Score

Washington Wizards 98 vs Milwaukee Bucks 112 [box score]

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The Washington Wizards lost for the 41st time in 53 attempts last night in a 112-98 contest against the Milwaukee Bucks; the result also marked the 219th loss in the last 299 attempts for the Wiz. TAI’s Rashad Mobley and Kyle Weidie are here with their reaction.

M.V.P.

-Rashad Mobley

Brandon Jennings. The Wizards (led by John Wall, who hit four free throws) began the second half on 5-0 run to pull within two points. The Bucks then went on a 12-2 run that Jennings owned with eight points and two assists. He played all 12 minutes of the third quarter, ended up with 17 points during that time (19 total on the night to go with seven assists and six rebounds), and the Bucks stretched their lead from eight to 14 points.  Meanwhile, Wall scored just one more bucket for the rest of the night after his four free-throws in the first 75 seconds of the third.

L.V.P.(s)

-Kyle Weidie

Fans during rebuilding. Can you really give any single Wizard the “LVP” tag? OK, surely some would like to designate Jordan Crawford — 23 points on 8-for-17 shooting — as such. Finding teammates for pick-and-roll dunks or drive-and-dish 3-pointers one minute (Crawford had six assists), and then taking shot jacks that only familiarize themselves with backboard glass or off-balanced attempts as if the sport was evaluated by Olympic judges looking at difficulty instead of a scoreboard the next minute, Crawford is truly a mixed bag. But don’t blame the sore thumb on a crappy team. Blame karma or whatever other unknown entity for the Wizards playing understandably unentertaining basketball featuring a bench of Cartier Martin, Roger Mason, Shelvin Mack, and Brian Cook, along with the youngest starting lineup in franchise history. This ain’t bringing a knife to a gun fight, this is bringing a wedge of cheese as protection in Kabul. Read more »

Once again the Wizards will understandably be without the services of Nene and Trevor Booker tonight against Milwaukee; the timing of their unavailability due to plantar fasciitis with the consideration of lottery balls in mind while Kentucky’s Anthony Davis squares off against Kansas’ Thomas Robinson in tonight’s men’s NCAA basketball championship game could not be more impeccable. Otherwise, the Wizards are playing for pride and the Bucks are playing for the playoffs (they are 2.5 games behind the Knicks for the eighth playoff spot in the East). For tonight’s 3-on-3 we have Jeremy Schmidt from the ESPN TrueHoop Milwaukee Bucks blog, Bucksketball, Michael Sykes from the hoops blog, What’s Left on The Floor, along with yours truly, TAI’s Kyle Weidie. Three questions, three answers starts now…

#1) Since Monta Ellis arrived in Milwaukee, the Bucks are 5-4 and averaging 105.2 points per game; before he arrived the Bucks were 19-24 and averaging 97 points per game. The Wizards, on the other end, have struggled to score as of late, especially without Nene in the lineup (they are likely to be without him again on Monday night). WIth guards like John Wall and Jordan Crawford perfectly willing, yet skillfully unable, to duel with the likes of Brandon Jennings and Ellis, how quickly could this game get out of hand for Washington?

SCHMIDT: Jennings and Ellis mean a lot less to the Bucks offense working well than guys like Ersan Ilyasova, Mike Dunleavy, Beno Udrih and Drew Gooden. Jennings and Ellis take a lot of shots and occasionally score a lot of points, but the offense works best when those other guys are leading the team and moving the ball. Ellis has cracked 20 points once since the trade. But Milwaukee has been putting the league’s bottom feeders out pretty quick lately, and they could do the same to the Wizards.

SYKES: The game could be out of Washington’s reach by the end of the first half. Ellis and Jennings are both guards who play their best when hot. If the Wizards’ backcourt tandem of Wall and Crawford allow this to happen, the game will almost certainly slip through the cracks. The Bucks are deadly in the first half, averaging 51.1 first half points throughout the season and 59.9 in their last three games according to Teamrankings.com. The Wizards must play defense without gambling to prevent open looks for Ellis and Jennings.

WEIDIE: The Bucks move the ball so well as a team, sometimes in spite of Ellis and Jennings, that I’m not sure it much matters what the hot shot duo does on the court… especially with the Wiz again starting the youngest five-man unit ever to begin a game for the franchise (Wall, Crawford, Singleton, Vesely, and Seraphin). Even if Nene was in the lineup to more intelligently anchor the defense as opposed to the inexperienced Seraphin, I don’t think Washington’s perimeter players have the moxie. or interest, in stopping dribble penetration. The Bucks tallied 26 assists against the Wiz in their first meeting this season, 30 dimes in the second. Look for Franklin D. Roosevelt coinage to keep dropping on the floor tonight against Washington’s D.

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[The DC Council -- After each Wizards game: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the bench, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is over the table. Click here for cumulative DC Council 3-star ratings over the course of the season. Game 52 contributors: Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It).]

Score

Washington Wizards 92 at Toronto Raptors 99 [box score]

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Below are my reactions to Sunday evening’s Wizards-Raptors game, as also pub’d on ESPN’s Daily Dime with a variety of other NBA-related recaps. I’ve also added the two additional sections and lineup stats for good measure.

But First, To Note…

Wizards top 5-man lineup (plus/minus of plus-5): John Wall, Roger Mason, Jordan Crawford, Chris Singleton, Jan Vesely – 6 minutes, 16 points, 5-for-8 FGs, 2-for-4 3PM, 4-for-4 FTs, 4 rebounds, 5 assists.

A close second (plus-3): John Wall, Roger Mason, Chris Singleton, Jan Vesely, Kevin Seraphin – 4 minutes, 9 points, 4-for-6 FGs, 1-for-1 3PM, 0 FTs, 2 rebounds, 2 assists.

The worst (minus-7): John Wall, Jordan Crawford, Chris Singleton, Jan Vesely, Kevin Seraphin (the starters) – 17 minutes, 32 points, 12-for-24 FGs, 3-for-5 3PM, 5-for-7 FTs, 10 rebounds, 8 assists.

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The 12-39 Washington Wizards and the 17-35 Toronto Raptors face off for the fourth time this season, the Wizards winning two on their home court, one being their first win of the season and another going to overtime in early February, and the Raptors taking a Feb. 3 matchup in Canada (three days before the Wizards’ OT win). Per Michael Lee, both Trevor Booker and Nene will be out tonight, so the Wizards will have a true test — Toronto has started Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan, Linas Kleiza, Andrea Bargnani and Aaron Gray in the past two games and beat the Denver Nuggets, lost to the Miami Heat by 12. For tonight’s 3-on-3 we have Sam Holako (@RapsFan) of the ESPN TrueHoop blog Raptors Republic, along with TAI’s Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) and Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20). The Raptors are favored by seven points; Goodbye Sunday…

#1) I’m a big-time free agent in 2012 and it’s come down to D.C. or Toronto, both franchises are offering equal money. Which team do I choose and what most influences that?

DIAMOND: Neither team is exactly poised for near-term success. A few weeks ago, ESPN’s John Hollinger and Chad Ford issued their annual “future power rankings.” According to the forecast (via ESPN Insider), the Wiz are No. 22 in the league and the Raptors are No. 26. So if I’m looking at Toronto vs. Washington, it’s not because I care about winning now — I’m drawn by peripherals. And which city offers more TV exposure? Which one has a bigger (potential) fan base? Which one has less confusing tax rules? Gotta be DC.

HOLAKO: I’d have to say Toronto. Even though both teams are on a similar trajectory in terms of talent and cap space, the Raptors have a better core of young players to build a team around. John Wall is probably the best individual player on either team, but the Raptors seem more complete as currently constructed. Also, paying Nene $13.5 million-plus for 14 points and eight rebounds isn’t a good idea; that’s just me, though.

MOBLEY: If I’m the type of free agent that Amar’e Stoudemire was in 2010, and I’m interested in going where I can be the man on the team, the man of the city, and the savior for a franchise that has fallen on hard times, I’m choosing Toronto. But if I’m the type of free agent who needs to be a part of a franchise who already has one great player, and I’m looking to be a sidekick type of player, I’m choosing the Wizards. The Wizards have the slight edge because of their chances of luring a high-profile coach.

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NBA coaches are constantly tinkering with their five-man units. Whether someone starts or not really takes a back seat to the primary concern of which players work well together, and only then, how match-ups can be exploited. In the very least, lineup data can tell us which combinations of Wizards have best played together with success (must less whom they are doing it against… high- or low-quality opponents). The lineup statistics for these 2011-12 Wizards also tell of a failed plan from the start. But if the ultimate goal was to get a top four pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, then maybe Ernie Grunfeld & Co. haven’t failed after all.

Eighteen different five-man units have played 25 or more minutes together for Washington this season. Below is the distribution of those lineups ranked by minutes played, and including the plus/minus per 48 minutes for that lineup. Yes, one lineup this season played 41 minutes together and would have been down by 38.4 points had they hypothetically played an entire game together against hypothetical competition. It’s hypothetically pretty sad. I’ve bolded the five lineups with a positive plus/minus per 48 minutes, if that helps.

OK, so what if we were to rank those 18 lineups by best to worst plus/minus per 48 minutes, but hiding all names except for those of JaVale McGee, Nick Young, Andray Blatche and Nene. What if…

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[The DC Council -- After each Wizards game: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the bench, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is over the table. Click here for cumulative DC Council 3-star ratings over the course of the season. Game 51 contributors: Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis), Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20), and Arish Narayen.]

Score

Washington Wizards 97 vs Philadelphia 76ers 76 [box score]

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Before the Wizards dismantled the Sixers 97-76 on Friday night, Doug Collins temporarily took off his head coach hat, replaced it with his analyst hat, and handicapped this current version of the Washington Wizards (Video courtesy of TAI’s Adam McGinnis):

Collins knows these Wizards are different, physical, hard-working, and the coach warned his team to be prepared for such. The Sixers responded by not showing up to play at all. Jrue Holiday took a pass from Andre Iguodala and scored on a layup to give the Sixers at 15-14 lead with 2:56 left in the first quarter, and that was the last lead Philadelphia would see. The Wizards went on a 9-0 run, led 23-15 after one quarter, 35-19 at the 8:10 mark of the second quarter, and 55-36 at halftime.

After the game, John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer asked Collins if he thought his team could turn the game around after intermission. The coach thought about it for half a second and succinctly responded with a one word:  ”No.”

Going into the game, and since Collins was named head coach prior to the 2010-11 season, the Sixers had won five of seven games against the Wizards. The Wizards won the first two in overtime, by one and two points respectively, and then Philadelphia won the next five by an average of 17 points (they also dominated Washington in two preseason games after the lockout). Their last victory over the Wizards resulted in the firing of Flip Saunders and promotion of Randy Wittman, on an interim basis. The Sixers haven’t made many roster changes since, so perhaps a bit of complacency set in, or maybe they simply underestimated how much better this Wizards team could play without Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee and Nick Young.

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The Wizards keep playing and they keep losing… Moral victories? Lottery losses? Who cares… just get the season over with already. Amirite or amirite? Sure, players are developing by playing, but who’s to say they wouldn’t benefit just as much by shutting the team down for the season and simply holding a training camp for the next couple of weeks? No, that won’t happen… but you’d be hard-pressed to convince me that anything good can come from the rest of this remaining schedule of 16 games. The Wizards are playing more like a team and now face the tough challenge of learning how to succeed in close games; but hopefully they don’t learn too much, because then it could hinder the future. How embarrassing would it be if the Wizards (11-39) put together a string of wins that pushes them away from Charlotte (7 wins) and New Orleans (13 wins) and more toward Cleveland, Sacramento, Toronto, and New Jersey (17 wins each). I’m analyzing this too much, aren’t I? Let’s just play basketball… For tonight’s 3-on-3 we have Matt Moore (@HPbasketball) of the TrueHoop blog Hardwood Paroxysm, CBS Sports and other locations on the Internet, along with TAI’s Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It). Start it up…

#1) The Wizards have looked much better since trading JaVale McGee and Nick Young and benching Andray Blatche, but they haven’t exactly been able to reward themselves with wins. They’ve been competitive against quality teams, but what must change tonight versus the Sixers?

MOBLEY: It sounds simple enough, but the key to a Wizards victory lies in good ball movement. If John Wall is passing the ball into Nene or Trevor Booker, drawing attention inside, which leaves open shots and driving lanes for Jordan Crawford or Chris Singleton, scoring gets a hell of a lot easier. Sixers guard Lou Williams may be coming thru that Verizon Center door, but not to the Wizards locker room, and their current roster does not shoot well enough to rely on jumpers and contested shots to win games.  This may need to be a high assist night for Wall.

MOORE: Just keep it close. The Sixers are horrible in close games, and the Wizards have some guys who can hit shots. Grind it out, slow it down, keep it tight, and wait for the Sixers to implode.

WEIDIE: John Wall has to get better at leading his team’s offense. Maybe that’s hard to do seeing as Randy Wittman has likely simplified things so much, and seeing that the Sixers are a squad that scouts their opponents well. Wall is shooting 43-percent from the field on the season; in the fourth quarter, that dips to 40.3-percent (his lowest FG% of any quarter). Wall’s free throw percentage also drops to 69.4-percent in the fourth (from 79.2-percent overall). His assists per 36 minutes (8.4 overall) lowers to 7.5 in the fourth — Wall’s AST/36 in other quarters: 1st – 8.6, 2nd – 8.9, and 3rd – 8.7. So when it comes down to the last 12 minutes of games, Wall passes less and shoots worse. Surely his teammates play a role in this, but still… that is soooo ‘Wizards’ of him.
[Numbers via NBA.com/Stats]

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Another game, another competitive loss for the Washington Wizards, this time at the hands of the Indiana Pacers on the road, 93-89. TAI’s Adam McGinnis and Kyle Weidie have the reaction.

L.V.P.

-Kyle Weidie

John Wall… what on earth was he doing in the end? Undoubtedly the worst decision-making ever seen from him. First, there was the charge call drawn by Paul George with 3:36 left with a chance to keep momentum and tie the game at 82; Wall just barreled into him with no choice otherwise. He then took a tired jumper on the break with 19 seconds on the shot clock that could have tied the game at 87 with 1:35 left. He didn’t wait for Nenê, who was running with him, to get set for a pick or a rebound; it was like Wall was using the late game moment to improve his own jumper rather than make the smart decision. But he was the pass-first point guard with 30 seconds left, it’s just that he should not have been. Changing speeds and jetting to the basket off the pick, Wall pulled a hesitation move and started to go up against Roy Hibbert. It looked like Wall had room to get to the rim, or at least the other side (or draw the foul), but he threw the ball back to Nenê instead. Or at least he tried to. Wall’s pass was low and off, it skidded into the backcourt. It was the turnover that led to the Wizards foul that then led to Danny Granger free-throws which gave Indiana an 89-85 lead that they didn’t look back from. Wall finished with 13 points on 4-for-9 shooting with five turnovers, two assists, two steals, and two rebounds.Game Changer, indeed.

M.V.P.

-Adam McGinnis

Nenê was questionable due to back spasms entering the game, but you would not have guessed the Brazilian big man was battling a lingering injury while watching him score 16 points and pulling down 13 boards while limiting Indiana’s All-Star center Roy Hibbert to just nine points. Nene continues to provide a legitimate low post scoring threat that Washington has sorely lacked. He was 2-3 in 4th quarter with his only miss being a no call where he was clearly slapped on the wrist by Hibbert. The Wizards struggled down the stretch by not running enough offense through him in the post or by not having him cutting toward the basket off pick-and-rolls.

Game Changing Moment.

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