This is ‘Hollywood’ Jordan Crawford, courtesy of the inter-webs.

The ever-turning world of the Los Angeles Lakers comes to the District tonight, fresh off an overtime loss in Detroit last night. You think Kobe and Co. will be motivated to take care of business? Otherwise, Washington’s Nick Young will be showing off in front of his hometown team, and former Maryland Terp Steve Blake will once again be returing home, in a sense. Hey, did you know that in the 2011 calendar year, the Wizards and Lakers did not play each other? That’s the first time the two teams have gone a year without a matchup since forever (dating back to when the Washington franchise was known as the Chicago Packers in ’61-62).  Note: This happened because both WAS-LAL games in the 2010-11 season came in December 2010. The last time the Wizards beat the Lakers in Washington came on December 26, 2005… that’s like 2,263 days ago. For today’s 3-on-3, we have Andy Kamenetzy from ESPN Los Angeles’ Land O’ Lakers blog (@ESPNLandOLakers), along with TAI’s Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) and John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend). Three questions, three answers starts now…

#1) The Lakers weren’t able to slow down Pistons PG Rodney Stuckey, who gashed LA’s defense for 34 points in a Detroit overtime win last night. It looks like an opportunity for John Wall to live up to his “Game Changer” moniker. What would have a bigger impact for the Wizards: 20-plus points or 10-plus assists from Wall?

ANDY KAMENETZKY: Honestly, I don’t think which stats Wall accumulates matter as much as “how” they’re accumulated. If he’s scoring or table-setting in the half court, the Lakers will take their chances and almost certainly win. If Wall is constantly in transition, he could turn deadly as a scorer or facilitator. Gun to my head, I’d rather him be a facilitator, since he’s prone to turnovers, and the dudes he’s passing to aren’t exactly world beaters. But any opportunities to showcase his speed give me the Willies.  

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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 37 contributors: Rashad Mobley (@rashad20)  and John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend) from the Verizon Center, and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) from the television screen.]

Score

Washington Wizards 100 vs Golden State Warriors 120 [box score]

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[Remember when Nyjer Morgan, former Washington National and current Milwaukee Brewer, showed up at a Wizards game, in the tickets the team provided him, while wearing Warriors gear? We do. Photo: A. McGinnis]

The Golden State Warriors come to Washington this evening. And no, Andray Blatche, Kwame Brown is not playing to soak up boos from the D.C. crowd that might be otherwise directed toward you… because he is hurt. The Warriors announced in mid-January that Brown would miss around three-months of action due to surgery needed to repiar a torn pectoral muscle. Otherwise, between John Wall, Jordan Crawford, Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, there should be plenty of action and excitement to put the “U-N” back in ”F Street,” at least for this night. For today’s 3-on-3 we have  J.M. Poulard (@ShyneIV) of ESPN TrueHoop blog WarriorsWorld.net, along with TAI’s Sam Permutt (@SammyVert) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It). Three questions, three answers starts now…

#1) The Golden State Warriors are rumored to be heavy suitors for JaVale McGee, with the San Francisco Chronicle reporting that they are more likely to pursue McGee in restricted free-agency this summer rather than through a trade this season. Golden State has David Lee tied up for 4-years, $57 million after this season; Monta Ellis for 2-years, $22 million (ETO for 2013-14); and Andris Biedrins for 2-years, $18 million (ETO for 2013-14) [salary info via Sham Sports]. Knowing they might have to give money to other young players in the near future, such as Stephen Curry, how much can the Warriors afford to offer McGee so that the Wizards don’t match?

KYLE WEIDIE: If Ted Leonsis is willing, this summer, to drastically re-think how his franchise has been developing players (and Leonsis has likely taken significant steps regarding such anyway), then McGee can’t be seen as a lost cause. He has the ability to defend the rim like no other, just imagine what he could do if beating on McGee’s rock in a Sisyphus-like manner finally cracked his hard-headed ways, opening intelligent results. That being said, the effort has its price… as in how much are the Wizards willing to pay McGee for a chance at developing him better? If we’re getting close to the $10-million per year mark, say 4-years, $40 million, then the Wizards should think long and hard about matching, but then pull the trigger. If the contact offer starts to average crazy numbers past that, figure something else out… sign-and-trade or flat-out refusal to match. It’s worth it, for Washington, to let someone else set McGee’s market and then make a decision. However, this doesn’t mean McGee is currently off the trade block.

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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 36 contributors: Adam McGinnis (@adammcginnis) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) from the Verizon Center, and Rashad Mobley (@rashad20) from the television screen.]

Score

Washington Wizards 101 vs Cleveland Cavaliers 98 [box score]

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Wizards wins are starting to feel like buying a $5 lottery scratch ticket and winning a dollar back. Hey, a dollar! I won! Yea, but I invested five. No, this feeling doesn’t involve tanking for lottery balls, as getting upset with wins that hurt chances doesn’t matter to me. Although, not relishing in the loss doesn’t necessarily mean my apathy toward the Wizards winning has nothing to do with the fact that it might help. Essentially, I want winning when it matters. This season, it doesn’t. That said, close losses due to low-IQ basketball plays or blowouts due to the absence of hustle are disturbances. Emotion is involved.

Then comes the difference between me having a rooting interest in the Washington pro basketball franchise, versus covering the team, versus the players and personnel who are stopping through at this point in time. Beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-98 on Saturday night was good for them, especially the players. Locker rooms after losses can be fractured, and it goes past what the media sees. Some of us have been apart of this on various levels. Winning unites in more unspoken words than a picture. Good-natured locker room scenes provide much needed boosts to morale, on top of being a reward for the hard basketball work.

The Washington Wizards since the All-Star break, now with one win and two losses, have put on more consistent displays of good basketball, especially the sharing part. The 26 assists against Cleveland is tied for the second most this season (21.7 assist average in the last three games, up from 17.7 before the break). Shooters are finding open shots, percentages are up (eFG% in last three games at 0.502, was 0.456 pre-All-Star break). Plus, partially thanks to Roger Mason and Mo Evans, they are making more 3-pointers — 27 team 3-pointers (12 from Mason and Evans) in the past three games represents 15.3-percent of the season’s total. The Wizards still show bad habits, drop packs of cigarettes on the floor as Randy Wittman says, and are still susceptible to being “fragile,” as Flip Saunders used to say.

Where they will go with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, at San Antonio Spurs and at Dallas Mavericks as the next five games on the schedule (followed by four more games of a six-game road trip), we will see. But at least on this Saturday night, the pendulum of locker room moods, personality, and clowning swung to the home side of the Verizon Center. The Wiz Kids felt a little better about themselves, and that’s a good thing. They needed it. Six game losing streaks get old. But the suits, they can always be new, just as long as they don’t smell like cigarette smoke.

The Wizards said WHAT? Yep, that’s what they said.

[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 35 contributors: Adam McGinnis (@adammcginnis) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) from the Verizon Center, and Rashad Mobley (@rashad20) from the television screen.]

Score

Washington Wizards 95 vs Orlando Magic 102 [box score]

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In going down 102-95 to an Orlando Magic team that appears to be suffering from mental fatigue due to uncertain cohesiveness, at least the Washington Wizards looked better at losing than they have in the past. Similar to the second half of the Milwaukee game, Randy Wittman opted to keep Nick Young and JaVale McGee benched in favor of a starting lineup of John Wall, Jordan Crawford, Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin. And while this unit struggled out of the gate, they did their jobs and stayed mostly within themselves.

Certainly there were mistakes. Furthermore, missed shots. All to be expected from young team making an earnest attempt while lacking size against a specimen like Dwight Howard and shot-makers who can be trusted to not disrupt the offense. Crawford caught fire with 14 points in the third quarter to go with four assists, giving him a hand in most of the Wizards’ 29 points scored in the period to Orlando’s 25. Once trailing by 17 points in the first half, Washington was down just 71-70 heading into the final 12 minutes. Unfortunately Crawford got cold in the fourth and went 0-for-6 from the field.

But John Wall picked up the slack. He scored 10 straight points for Washington after a timeout at the 10:27 mark of the last quarter when the Wizards were down 79-71. Wall capped his efforts with an assist to Mo Evans for a 3-pointer; it was a 13-4 run that tied the game at 83 with 6:56 left. But back-to-back threes by Orlando’s Jameer Nelson and Ryan Anderson after a Magic timeout at the 6:34 mark helped bury Washington. A long Nelson offensive rebound resulting in a Hedo Turkoglu 3-pointer that put the Magic up 100-91 with 1:32 left served as the dagger. But the point is that the Wizards fought, as a team, and with strong contributions from Booker, Singleton and a handful of others in addition to Wall and Crawford.

The Wizards SAID WHAT?

In the video, John Wall, Mo Evans, Trevor Booker, Randy Wittman, JaVale McGee, Jordan Crawford and Andray Blatche talk about a wide range of subjects, including: the understanding of Wittman benching McGee and Young, salvaging the season, going against Dwight Howard, being excited to play basketball again, and more…

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[We've posted this before, but why not again? ... Patrick Ewing enjoying a pre-game Pop Tart.]

On any given night, you can turn on SportsCenter and hear the names JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard. McGee gets mentioned for his dazzling dunks and puzzling basketball decisions, and Howard, with his looming free agency sprinkled in with 20 point/20 rebound performances, is equally good ESPN fodder. Even as the Wizards and Magic prepare to face off for the third time this season, the names McGee and Howard are very much in the NBA news cycle.  McGee was benched during the second half of last night’s game against Milwaukee, and trade rumors with Howard’s name seem to be picking up steam. To get you ready for that and much more, Eddy Rivera (@erivera7) from the Orlando Magic ESPN TrueHoop blog MagicBasketball.net, and both Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) from Truth About It, will give you three answers to three questions…

#1) Who has the tougher coaching job the second half of the season: Stan Van Gundy, who will have to endure “The Dwight Howard Situation” much like George Karl had to do with Carmelo Anthony last year? Or Randy Wittman, who is the coach of 7-27 team that has no shot of even sniffing the playoffs?

EDDY RIVERA: Wittman. Even with Dwight’s future in flux, at least Van Gundy has a roster full of players that are coachable and smart. Not to pick on the Wizards or anything, but I can’t remember the last time I’ve watched a team with so much talent waste it away because the collective basketball IQ is so low (Wall is being dragged down unfortunately).

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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 34 contributors: Adam McGinnis (@adammcginnis), Sam Permutt and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It).]

Score

Washington Wizards 118 at Milwaukee Bucks 119 [box score]

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Numbers, stats and ratings that help define the Washington Wizards season thus far… John Wall’s ability to find offense at the rim (and finish); the Wizards’ ability, as a team, to shoot and pass to each other at certain points of the game; and Truth About It.net’s on-going DC Council 3-Star player ratings for each game.

JOHN WALL at the rim.

Wall’s offense is finishing at the rim, so let’s check on how he’s doing and who he compares to.

Among all NBA players, of any height, who have played in at least 20 games this season, John Wall is tied for 12th in average attempts at the rim per game (5.9, tied with Derrick Rose and Gerald Wallace; Wall’s attempts are up from 5.3 last season). This is more than Andrew Bynum, Nene Hilario and Rajon Rondo (each averaging 5.8), but fewer than Blake Griffin and Greg Monroe (who are both tied for the league lead with 7.7 FGA at the rim per game), Tyreke Evans, David Lee, DeMarcus Cousins, Dwyane Wade, Nikola Pekovic, Dwight Howard, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and LeBron James (6.6).

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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 33 contributors: Adam McGinnis (@adammcginnis) from the Verizon Center, and Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) from the television screen.]

Score

Washington Wizards 107 vs. Sacramento Kings 115 [box score]

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The 10-22 Sacramento Kings are in town to take on the 7-25 Wizards, and believe it or not, this is the first meeting between John Calipari disciples John Wall and Tyreke Evans (Evans was out due to injury for the game in Washington, Wall out for the game in Sacramento on Dec. 8, 2010). But between a Wizards team that’s horrible on the defensive boards and a Kings team that’s good on the offensive boards, who knows where this game will go; the Wizards are favored by three points. For tonight’s 3-on-3 we have Jonathan Santiago (@itsjonsantiago) from Kings TrueHoop blog Cowbell Kingdom, along with TAI’s Rashad Mobley (@rashad20) and Kyle Weidie (@truth_about_it)… three questions, three answers starts now…

#1) Rank DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans, JaVale McGee, John Wall in the order that you would draft them… What’s the reasoning behind your order?

SANTIAGO: DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Tyreke Evans and JaVale McGee. Outside of Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum, there is no other center in the league that can dominate a game like Cousins. Both Wall and Evans play the same position, but Wall is more of a true point guard than Evans. McGee is gifted athletically and physically, but does he have the basketball IQ to put it all together?

MOBLEY: Wall is first, because of his tremendous speed, his ability to get to the line at will, and lately, he seems to understand how to play the point guard position now (his application of that knowledge is still inconsistent). Then there is Evans, who is playing much better under the Keith Smart regime and seems to thrive as a 2-guard instead of the point. I still think Wall can have more of an impact on any given night. JaVale McGee gets the number three ranking, because his positives (shot blocking, a hook shot in its embryonic stages and semi-improved court awareness) are starting to emerge victorious over his negatives (excessive dribbling, susceptibility to pump fakes and bad decision making). DeMarcus Cousins has the potential to lap this field, but he disappears at times (like he did last night against Heat with just nine points and seven rebounds), and he’s a threat to meltdown at any moment; he’s not a player you want to have to depend on nightly.

WEIDIE: If JaVale McGee or DeMarcus Cousins weren’t themselves, either could go first. But seeing as both have more knuckles than a flash mob street fight coming out of their heads, I’d have to go with Wall. Tyreke Evans obviously has less true PG skills and falls into a tweener category, which means I’d draft him fourth. McGee would go third because Cousins is simply more of a beast than he is… which is almost as rare as McGee’s athletic length these days. Cousins goes second because of mental instability (although this is a very close second in front of McGee). And Wall would be my first selection. His one-man fast-break blazing speed combined with his willingness to pass first could be scary given the right teammates.

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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 32 contributors: Markus Allen (@mayminded), Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis), and Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20).

Score

Washington Wizards 88 at Phoenix Suns 104 [box score]

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The Washington Wizards wrap up their Detroit-plus-four-Western-Conference-teams road trip in Phoenix tonight. Having a 2-2 record against the Pistons, Blazers, Clippers and Jazz thus far is a nice accomplishment for this team. Losses in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City were far from abject, but each did display the same ills that have plagued the Wizards all season. Against a 13-19 Suns squad coming off a tough win over the Lakers in Phoenix on Sunday, the 7-24 Wizards have a fair chance to prove progression. The Suns are favored by six points. Today’s 3-on-3 features Michael Schwartz (@ValleyoftheSuns) of the ESPN TrueHoop Network blog Valley of the Suns, along with TAI’s Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It). Three questions, three answers… Leggo.

#1) Is Steve Nash not asking for a trade actually a very smart move, in that he’s not hurting his value by mere words, and the Suns will ultimately deal him before the deadline? Or will he really play out his contract and then leave Phoenix (or stay)? Where does he go in either case?

ADAM McGINNIS: The Suns should trade Nash from a basketball personnel standpoint, but ownership appears set on retaining him for remainder of season. If teams are low-balling for Nash’s services, there is an argument for letting him play his contract out. Fans will come to see Nash play his last games in Phoenix and that financial gain could be worth more than taking on salary or a few second round draft picks. Even though the Free Steve Nash movement has sprouted up online, Nash has taken the classy route of not creating drama with trade demands. My prediction is he plays out his contract and then signs with a title contender like Bulls, Heat, Thunder or Lakers.

MICHAEL SCHWARTZ: Steve Nash not asking for a trade has nothing to do with leverage, he’s just legitimately a loyal guy who wants to try to build something in Phoenix even if it seems crazy to the rest of the world (and some Suns fans). I’ve always felt that if the Suns were well out of the playoff race in March that he might change his tune, but there are many complicating factors such as the fact that his contract is not extendable so he’d be a two-month rental, his age, and the lack of teams that need a starting point guard. If I had to put money on it I’d say he’s going to play out his contract and potentially even re-sign, with the presence of his kids in Phoenix and the Suns’ vaunted training staff no small issues. If he does go, Portland would be my guess since they’ve been after him for years, desperately need a point guard and have the kind of assets that could make a deal work.

KYLE WEIDIE: Part of being a nice guy is knowing that you are not helping anything by asking to be traded. And now we know the difference between Steve Nash and Dwight Howard or Carmelo Anthony. So he plays out his contract and Phoenix is content with getting it off the books, perhaps maneuvering a sign-and-trade in the summer, and say Deron Williams stays in New Jersey (assuming Lopez for Howard ultimately happens), and say New York is no longer an option via Jeremy Lin, I see it coming down to signing in Miami or Dallas. The Lakers could be next, but for some reason I don’t see Nash being as interested in their situation.

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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 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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