[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 31 contributors: Arish Narayen, John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend), and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It).

Score

Washington Wizards 100 at Utah Jazz 114 [box score]

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If part of the court was painted in Salt Lake City on Friday night, the Utah Jazz dominated it. Ted Leonsis’ plan is probably envious of the post toughness that populates Utah’s roster. Bigs Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, starters, along with Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter off the bench combined for 65 points and 32 rebounds, Jefferson leading with way with 34 and 12. When it was over, the Jazz had 70 points in the paint in their 114-100 win over the Wizards. Washington countered with 44.

JaVale McGee, Trevor Booker, Kevin Seraphin and Jan Vesely combined for 35 points and 18 rebounds. McGee had 15 and six with three blocks, but only really proved that his sheer athleticism is easier to contain than Jefferson’s skill. Booker was relatively invisible in 26 minutes with four points, four rebounds and two steals. Seraphin was completely lost. He checked in for McGee with 6:28 left in the second quarter, 38 seconds later Utah called timeout to insert Jefferson back in the game. Big Al scored eight points in 104 seconds against a helpless Seraphin. Vesely was Washington’s most competent big with hustle, 10 points on 5-7 FGs, five rebounds a nice assist and a steal, but he also had a couple horrible turnovers, passing to spots without teammates.

From the start, the Wizards chose to be a jump-shooting team. Only six of their 20 attempts in the first quarter came in the paint. Utah packed it in and dared Washington to shoot, and they did, going 5-14 on attempts outside of the paint. The Wizards started the night 5-5 on field-goals but finished 4-15 over the rest of the period. John Wall and Co. couldn’t get out in transition either, scoring just one fastbreak point on one attempt in the opening quarter. Utah scored 24 points on 12-17 paint attempts in the first 12 minutes. Al Jefferson had 10 points in the quarter as his Jazz jumped to a 32-20 lead. They never looked back.

The Jazz punished the Wizards in the paint further in the second quarter, outscoring them 18-10, 12 courtesy of Jefferson, who scored 16 total in the period. Jefferson tallied 26 first half points, only eight in the second half as Utah was able to spread the ball around on offense  more. By my calculations, 18 of Jefferson’s points in the game were the fault of McGee, 10 came against Seraphin, four were on Booker, and one point each was the responsibility of Singleton and Vesely.

The Wizards one day hope to have a stacked front court chock full of toughness and offensive paint presence. Until then, they’ll just have to cope with being brushed into submission by teams like Utah. The shot charts over the first three quarters tell the story.

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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 30 contributors: Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis), John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend), and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It).

Score

Washington Wizards 84 at Los Angeles Clippers 102 [box score]

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[Editor's Note: Jan Vesely/Czech Republic guru Lukas Kuba (@Luke_Mellow) provides us with (translates) more classic Jan Vesely things via the Czech media. Enjoy! -Kyle W.]

 [picture via here]

Jan Vesely Q&A

[via iDNES.cz]

Talented basketball player Jan Vesely, who was drafted 6th overall in the NBA Draft 2011, answered iDNES.cz readers’ questions.

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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 29 contributors: Markus Allen (@mayminded), Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis), and John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend).]

Score

Washington Wizards 124 at Portland Trailblazers 109 [box score]

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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 28 contributors: Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20), John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend), and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It).]

Score

Washington Wizards 98 vs Detroit Pistons 77 [box score]

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Jan Vesely didn’t score the 100th point on Sunday, Washington ended up with just 98 in their win against the Pistons (77 points), but he did end up with the play of the night. We talked about people getting down on Vesely in a recent post, and it’s those people who need to keep their eyes on sequences like in the video above. Again, Vesely is already the best Wizards big man at defending the high pick-and-roll, even more evident in him getting the steal from Detroit’s Will Bynum. But the scene of Vesely’s ability to run the floor with Wall, them sharing with each other until Jan ends up with the dunk, is a sign of things to come from the Czech rookie. No, he’s not a dazzling stud of a 6th overall pick, but he could develop into a defensive player as solid as Joakim Noah, but perhaps more athletic. Now wouldn’t that be nice to have at that draft position?

Wizards win their second road game in Detroit 98-77 and improve to 6-22 on the season. Head over to the Daily Dime Live on ESPN.com to read my rapid reaction for the game.

Jan V.

Editor’s note:

People are kind of down on Jan Vesely right now. Some say that as the sixth overall pick in 2011, he should be playing better. Really? There are high standards for the sixth pick in a weak draft? Let’s all take a step back and chill, add some lockout-shortened season/tainted locker room perspective to the mere 19 games of Vesely’s rookie season thus far. He’ll only be 22 in April; he needs more of a chance.

For starters, Vesely is part of the Wizards’ “core” of seven players. Dan Steinberg on the DC Sports Bog relays that on ESPN 980′s The Sports Reporters, Coach Randy Wittman was asked about key future pieces in the rebuild aside from John Wall. Wittman acknowledged that fans aren’t the only ones having trouble identifying impact players on the roster outside of the 2010 No. 1 pick, saying, “That’s what we’re trying to figure out ourselves.”

Now, one can certainly deduce that Wall is the one and only true piece, but I’ll argue that there is a core of seven players: Wall, Shelvin Mack, Chris Singleton, Jan Vesely, Trevor Booker, Jordan Crawford, and Kevin Seraphin. I place Crawford and Seraphin last because the team should not marry themselves to either, but both have shown enough glimpses of promise to keep looking, especially Seraphin with his massive build. Also, ESPN.com’s David Thorpe (on ESPN Insider) has noted both Crawford and Booker as NBA sophs “with starting, if not starring, potential.” JaVale McGee? I’m apathetic when it comes to his future in Washington. Maybe he stays at the right price, maybe the Wizards take drastic actions to help him grow up. McGee is a huge maybe. But that aside, this is your Wizards core. No, not dazzling. And yes, it’s legit to question who amongst this group is starter-quality material — If you ask me, Wall, Singleton (potentially a better version of Bruce Bowen), and Booker (his progression must be recognized and potential slightly adjusted), but the latter two certainly stretch the boundaries of imagination at this point.

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The Wizards and Knicks face off for the second time this season, the previous meeting coming in Washington, a 99-96 Knicks win (the Wizards have only one trip to New York on their schedule). Without much deliberation, let’s get into tonight’s 3-on-3, featuring John Kenney (@JohnBKenney) of KnickerBlogger.net, the TrueHoop Network’s Knicks blog, along with TAI’s Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) and myself, Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It). Three questions, three answers starts now…

#1) When John Wall and Jeremy Lin (as a member of the Dallas Mavericks ) faced off in the 2010 NBA Summer League, Wall had trouble defending Lin (as did Lin with Wall). John went under a lot of screens and Jeremy made him pay. The Wizards won 88-82, thanks to 23 points from Cartier Martin, but Lin did score 11 fourth quarter points. Tonight will be the first meeting between the two since. Considering the environment (especially Lin’s recent boost into the limelight as the Knicks prepare to play Washington without Carmelo Anthony (groin), Amar’e Stoudemire (death in the family) and Baron Davis (presumably a beard-related injury or ailment otherwise)), how will this Wall-Lin matchup play out?

KENNEY: While many have focused on Lin’s offensive explosion, his defense has also been pleasantly surprising. Wall’s athleticism makes him a tough matchup to defend, but if Lin’s performances against Deron Williams and Devin Harris are any indication, he’ll do a fine job. (I also wouldn’t be surprised to see 6-foot-5 Iman Shumpert defend Wall at times.) And on offense, I expect Lin to score around 20 points, while delivering a number of nice assists to Tyson Chandler. The one concern should be that Lin must avoid foul trouble. If Lin is out for extended periods of the game, that means more Toney Douglas (currently in the worst slump of his career,) which helps explain why Lin played the entire 2nd, 3rd AND 4th quarters against the Jazz. Luckily, having Tyson defending the rim is a good safety net against Wall blow-bys.

MOBLEY: Based on the results of the last two Knicks victories, Lin will have to carry the offensive burden in order for his team to win–which is the equivalent of playing with house money. He’ll play loose and carefree. Coach Randy Wittman will tell Wall to run the offense and play within himself like he did against the Raptors. But Wall will struggle to balance that with his own competitive streak, and his numbers and overall game will suffer.

WEIDIE: Jeremy Lin will get his… Why? Because he’s a smart player, has great confidence, New York will be in desperate need of scoring, and Washington’s bigs are generally inept of pick-and-roll defense (aside from rookie Jan Vesely). Screening action has proved to be Lin’s bread and butter in his two dazzling games with the Knicks. They honeymoon, however, will be over for Jeremy tonight. Not that the Wizards will intimidate a depleted Knicks squad by any means, but I think John Wall remembers that Summer League battle and his athleticism advantage will overwhelm Lin (even though Lin has legitimate 6-foot-3 height). Before the game Sam Cassell was telling Wall in the locker room that Lin will try to bait Wall into some charges, so watch out for that.

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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. Game 23 contributors: Adam McGinnis (@adammcginnis), Arish Narayen, and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It).]

Score

Washington Wizards 89 at Toronto Raptors 106 [box score]

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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. Game 21 contributors: Markus Allen (@mayminded), John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend), and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It).]

Score

Washington Wizards 88 at Chicago Bulls 98 [box score]

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Chicago Bulls in town, not the Charlotte Bobcats. Derrick Rose and Richard Hamilton? Back for Chicago. Luol Deng? Out for a bit. Andray Blatche? Questionable. President Obama? Nope. The last time people expected Washington to lose this much (aside from pretty much all the time) was the Oklahoma City Thunder game. The Wizards somehow won that one. Chicago is favored by nine points on the road this evening. Should you get any ideas? Probably not. Chicago has the second best Defensive Rating in the NBA (97.4 points allowed per 100 possessions)… the Philadelphia 76ers are best (94.6 DRtg), and we all know how games against the Sixers work out for Washington. Nonetheless, let’s do the 3-on-3 drill… featuring Beckley Mason of HoopSpeak.com along with TAI’s John Converse Townsend and Kyle Weidie. Three questions, three answers starts now…

#1) Derrick Rose will be walking into the Verizon Center with the weight of Sunday night’s loss to the Miami Heat (partly due to his missed free throws) squarely on his shoulders. Not only will John Wall have to face off against a motivated Rose, but he’ll most likely have to face off again John Lucas, who had a career game against him on January 11 (25 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds — although backup Bulls PG CJ Watson, unavailable in the previous meeting between these two teams like Rose, is also back).  Who has a better game tonight, Wall or Rose?

MASON: Rose has the better game because he’s the better player playing on the better team. Especially troubling for Wall, who struggles with turnovers in pick and roll sets, is that the Bulls play awesome, suffocating pick and roll defense. I think the only way Wall has the better game is if it becomes a real up-and-down contest.

TOWNSEND: John Wall has flirted with triple-doubles for the past month; the numbers might convince you that Wall will get lucky tonight. But then you remember that Wall’s career averages against Chicago are, well, average — 13.3 points and 4.3 turnovers. Reality sets in: It’s Derrick Rose, not Wall, with the No. 1 stitched on the back of his jersey, and it’s Rose who has learned to bend the laws of physics, and it’s Rose who wins the game.

WEIDIE: Dare I say Wall? (For dubious reasons…) Rose missed the initial meeting on Jan. 11, then came back to play against Boston and Toronto (both wins for Chicago), then missed the Bulls’ next four games. He’s played in four games, 156 total minutes, since coming back exactly one week ago, and saw 45 minutes of action against the Miami Heat on Sunday in a game where both teams were clearly tired toward the end. Even if the Bulls really need him, and I doubt that they do, I’d expect Rose’s minutes to be limited in Washington… You know, the team opponents with nagging injuries to stars are always delighted to play.

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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. Game 20 contributors: Adam McGinnis, Rashad Mobley and Kyle Weidie.]

Score

Washington Wizards 102 at Charlotte Bobcats 99 [box score]

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Wizards-Bobcats Part II within about 72 hours of each other… the two worst teams in the NBA and truly the polar opposite of a #LeaguePassAlert. Washington is not without a plethora of questions from game-to-game, as goes their perpetually inconsistent state. If wouldn’t be any fun otherwise… you know, if they were just bad and not like a bunch of breakable eggs on the court each time. In any case, let’s begin the 3-on-3 drill featuring some of the most disgruntled Wizards bloggers out there… Sean Fagan of Bullets Forever along with TAI’s Adam McGinnis and yours truly, Kyle Weidie… Let the three questions, three answers begin…

#1) Randy Wittman surprised by starting Jan Vesely over Andray Blatche in Houston. What does he do tonight against the Bobcats? Or rather, what starting lineup would you like to see?

FAGAN: Last night, we saw a type of pedal-to-the-metal play that I think the team should continue for the rest of the year, because for at least the first two quarters, the team appeared to be having fun. Against the Bobcats, I think this type of controlled disorganization has a greater chance of success than of failure. The game might resemble more of a scrum than actual basketball, but I’ll take wins over aesthetics any day of the week. A guy like Vesely, who is everywhere at once, is integral to this type of play. He isn’t AK-47, but he is whatever the slightly cheaper Czech knockoff of that weaponry might be. As such, your starting lineup should be: Wall, Young, McGee (if I had my way, Turiaf would heal overnight), Vesely, and Singleton.

McGINNIS: At 3-16, no one’s starting spot should be secure. My issue with McGee and Vesely as your front line starters is that neither are scorers. I would expect Randy to change it up again as he appears to sending some messages to players because honestly, he has nothing to lose at all. The team stinks and it’s highly unlikely the organization will fire him before end of season, so why not keep throwing different lineups out there? I would roll with Wall, Mack, Singleton, Booker, Vesely. Those five will play hard and leave it all out on the court.

WEIDIE: The Wizards really don’t have anyone who can score in the post. People say Blatche is the best at doing this, but what’s the point? Here is my ‘screw it’ lineup: Wall, Singleton, Vesely, Booker and Seraphin. OK, but somebody has to score… So, Jordan Crawford instead of Singleton at the 2-guard. I’m wearing of Crawford regressing if he’s thrown back in the starting lineup, but I think he deserves more of a chance than Nick Young, who should be preparing for a future role off the bench anyway.

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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. Game 19 contributors: Sam Permutt, John Converse Townsend and Kyle Weidie.]

Score

Washington Wizards 76 at Houston Rockets 103 [box score]

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