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… Read more »

No, there are no magic wands in a rebuild. The impetus of the recent turnaround for the Washington Wizards doesn’t amount to any wizardry, either. Rather, it had quickly become evident – for who knows how long – that three players from the previous organizational generation were malignant tumors on the culture of the franchise. Nick Young and JaVale McGee are gone. Andray Blatche is almost gone — in the box score against the Nets he received a “NWT – Conditioning,” and looks to be “NWT (not with team) – Permanently” after the Wizards likely amnesty his contract this summer. Once Blatche’s departure becomes official, John Wall becomes your longest tenured Washington Wizard, technically, since he was drafted before both Kevin Seraphin and Trevor Booker on that fateful June 2010 night.

The sole action of slicing three players, all perhaps well enough human beings in their own right, but who formed an infectious combination on the basketball court nonetheless, is no magic bullet, either. Expect these new Wizards, now truly worthy of this year’s franchise catch-phrase “new traditions,” to continue to struggle. But it’s a beautiful struggle when you play as a team, only lacking in developed talent and cohesiveness, and not under constraints of selfishness and stupidity. Were the Wizards really that much better without Larry, Moe and Curly in their 108-89 win over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night, a win that featured 22 points and 10 rebounds from new acquisition Nene (or even in the two post-trade games before Nene joined the starting lineup)? Yes, they were.

They passed the vision test, by far. Numbers looked good, too. This season, when the Wizards’ team totals for free throws made, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks (minus turnovers) add to 83 or higher, their record is 7-4 (8-4 after the Nets win). Losses under such conditions have come against Boston, Milwaukee, Denver and Golden State; wins have come against Portland, Detroit, Charlotte, Toronto, the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City. The total of those categories against the Thunder amounted to 101, a season-high. The total against New Jersey: 88, which would rank sixth-highest.

Even former NBA coaches, and current television analysts, are on board with the quick-change Wizards. During a break in the action in Wednesday night’s Dallas Mavericks-Los Angeles Lakers game broadcast on ESPN, a promo for the “National TV Big Board” was displayed — essentially the league’s cross-network schedule of upcoming nationally-televised games. I’ll let Jeff Van Gundy take it away: Read more »

[Nene Hilario's reaction to the trade? Here's hoping. Courtesy of SI Vault.]

JaVale and Nick Young go. Nene arrives.

Economist Tyler Cowen said in five words what I’m going to say in 250.

Pareto improvement for the Wizards, espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id…

— tylercowen (@tylercowen) March 15, 2012

Indeed. This trade was good for everyone–but especially for the Wiz.

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Nene dunks on JaVale…

… And then kicks it with him.

[photos: K. Weidie, Truth About It.net]

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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 41 contributors: Markus Allen, Adam McGinnis (@Adam McGinnis) and Arish Narayen.]

Score

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SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays,
late-night on March 13, 2012:

#10… a guy on Iowa’s basketball team hitting a no-look, granny-style shot in practice from the opposite free-throw line…

#9… a hockey goal…

#8… a halfcourt alley-oop, Iowa basketball…

#7… DeMarcus Cousins spinning by David Lee and dunking…

#6… Russell Westbrook vicious dunk on the Rockets…

#5… bro in a backwards hat flicks a frisbee as someone pole-vaulting catches it… Read more »

[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 40 contributors: Markus Allen, Adam McGinnis (@Adam McGinnis) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It).]

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 39 contributors: Adam McGinnis (@Adam McGinnis) and John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend), with Rashad Mobley (@rashad20) from the television screen.]

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

Score

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Nick Young passing (a career-high six assists), Kevin Seraphin putting in disciplined big man work (a career-high 14 points, a tied career-high of nine rebounds), Trevor Booker becoming an unmasked monster (a career-high 17 rebounds, eight offensive), and the big hero, Roger “How U” Mason catching fire (4-for-7 on 3-pointers, 3-for-6 in the fourth quarter)… Just what got into these Washington Wizards on Wednesday night in their 106-101 come-from-behind victory over the Los Angeles Lakers?

The perfect union of normally fractured Wizards efforts came together as one against the super powers of the Lakers, aided by Kobe Bryant jacking shots (which you can read about in a piece by yours truly on ESPN Daily Dime). Kobe went 1-for-1o in the fourth quarter, 3-for-18 in the second half, after scoring 20 first half points (14 during a blazing first quarter start in front of what seemed to be Lakers jerseys out-numbering Wizards jerseys 10-to-1 in the Verizon Center). Any John Wall? Presumed by me to be the Wizards’ only advantage, and chance, going into the game? He finished with a mere four points on 1-for-8 shooting with nine assists and five turnovers. Instead, the Wizards got 55 points off their bench. So whatever it was, after being down 20 points with about six minutes left in the third quarter, they’ll take it.

Randy Wittman after the game: “Hopefully this can go a long way for us in terms of that mentality of staying in the game, playing as hard as you can. You never know in an NBA game what’s going to happen, doesn’t matter who you’re playing.”

A turning point for a young team? A brief glimpse of unfulfilled potential? A rare alignment of stars allowing Washington to beat stars? Only time will reveal these answers… as it always does. The Wizards said WHAT? Exactly.

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