Pictures, bulleted links, commentary & other stuff…

What are Flip Saunders and Andray Blatche looking at?

Part of me thinks they are looking at a tiny lamb heart, sitting in the palm of Saunders’ hand, barely (magically) holding onto life, while Flip is poking it with a ball-point pin. But I’m probably wrong. They are likely looking at this baggy-clothed Chris Webber from the 90s, perhaps modelling a new concept in comfort garments that eventually led to the invention of the Snuggie or the Slanket. Either way, looks dire.

[via Up North Trips, h/t Your Man Devine]

LINKS!

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Future basketball historians may heavily sway their chronicles toward the 2009-10 Washington Wizards season. The infamy surrounding the heavily dramatized whirlwind that was Gilbert Arenas, locker room guns and court cases, and the losing that magnified it (or that it magnified) will go down in D.C. lore just as much as team media guides will gloss over the affair.

Meanwhile, Arenas continues to be in the contradictory mode of ‘they wanted me out, but I gave them plenty of reasons’ on Twitter. He is very ‘woe is me’, while claiming a lesson has been learned. If only Arenas knew how to not keep himself from proving maturity when it counts.

The abrupt end of one long-running and significant ownership era resulting from the passing of Abe Pollin will only add to the natural sensationalizing of ’09-10. But old flames — the one time poster boy and the patriarch of D.C. pro basketball — passed by new sprouts on their way out.

The 2010-11 season, on one hand, as another lottery year for the franchise, might be as forgettable as the rest. But a change in ownership is a very important event. Just think about how crucial ownership is to your opinion of the Washington Redskins.

The christening of a ‘face of the franchise’ No. 1 overall draft pick in John Wall isn’t lost either, at least in terms of the unknown future that current comfort in Wall’s rookie scale salary provides. Still… all of this at the same time? Very rare are the instances when a team makes such a drastic and quick change in leadership, which is why ’10-11 is equally as sensational as ’09-10.

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“Basketball in my country is not so popular, but after this night, I think — I hope, that the basketball will be more popular. I will do my best to help that.”
-Jan Vesely, Draft Night 2011

Jan Vesely wants to put Czech Republic basketball on the map. Good luck.

“The Czech media have been really lame covering the story,” direct-messaged Yon Pulkrabek via Twitter. I’d sent out a tweet wondering if any follower spoke Czech, and the instant world of the Internet connected us.

Pulkrabek says he’s lived in Prague permanently for the past decade, working as a translator, journalist, and editor. He grew up in upstate New York to Czech émigré parents and has been a fan of the Boston Celtics since the 1980s, keeping up with their recent success thanks to League Pass, streaming web video and his DVR. Now, Pulkrabek has taken an obvious interest in the Washington Wizards.

He writes that initial coverage of Vesely in Prague was limited to a couple stories in the paper and a report on the evening news, but otherwise, soccer and hockey get the most attention in the Czech Republic. “But they are off now,” messages Pulkrabek. “Tennis is the headliner now, followed by inline hockey and hockeyball.”

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Wizards links in bullets with general commentary on the side, and a picture…

[NYC subway transit, E line - photo: K. Weidie]

> Is the NBA destined for a lockout? Why yes, it was. But check out my pre-lockout contribution about the lockout on ESPN’s 5-on-5 anyway.
[ESPN.com]

> I know it’s very old now, but he’s what I wrote for the DCist about the draft and the kiss that saved it.
[DCist]

> If you want to feel somewhat encouraged that the NBA lockout won’t drag out too long, check out this brilliant post by TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott. Huge point No. 1 from Henry: Read more »

A D.C. basketball court picture, some words, a link, some words about links, commentary, NBADRAFTGOOGLESEO, and some more links…

[Alice Deal H.S. - Washington, D.C. - photo: K. Weidie]

At the risk of sounding expected and generic in critiquing a general sports column meant to appeal to the masses that was unexpectedly generic (at least according to what should be expected of the Washington Post), I’ll point out Jason Reid’s column in the Post last Monday about this new and innovative concept in the NBA called “defense” (sometimes spelled with a capital ‘D’), and how the Wizards should, you know, draft for it, with a very long-winded introductory sentence to this bloggy post of links.

Reid’s lede:

“While he prepares for next month’s NBA draft, Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld should consider defense.”

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A moving picture GIF for fake 3-D effect (don’t get dizzy), with links and commentary…

[Lafayette Elementary School, NW Washington, D.C. - photos: K. Weidie]

Links.

I recently took part in a ‘Word on the Street’ sports roundtable put together by Ben Standig of CSNWashington. My pick for the Preakness didn’t come through, but I still stand by the rest.
[CSNWashington]

It was spawned by Washington Capitals-related blog/media relations dealings, but Ted Leonsis has some good, well-reasoned thoughts on professional sports, his teams and surrounding media coverage. Worth the read.
[Ted's Take]

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The Washington Wizards unveiled their new look and feel on Tuesday during an event held on the team’s practice court. The feedback on the fresh gear has been universally positive and hardly anyone is showing remorse for the Wizard man logo dying a slow death. While I am more concerned about the team avoiding another bottom five NBA finish for a fourth straight season, I understand the significance of the franchise moving the brand into a modern direction with the Monumental ownership group. The red, white and blue colors will hopefully provide the tormented fan-base a much needed boost.

The following video contains footage of the debut, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis’ comments on the change, Jordan Crawford’s feelings about the uniforms, and an assessment from fans buying new merchandise at the team store on the day of the unveiling. Enjoy.

[Apologies to the fan whose name and info I was unable to gather.]

Pictures.

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First impression: I like Wizards’ the new digs duds. I really like them. They were done with a style that lends itself to merchandise that people of various demographics would be proud to sport. And isn’t that what it’s all about? Sure, it’s partially about the money, gladly advertised by the team to ‘Buy! Buy! Buy!’, but in order for that to happen, they must look good. People have to want them. I think people will want these.

I attended the unveiling and wrote an online article for the Washington City Paper. I urge you to check it out, it’s all about how the Wizard is not completely dead, not just yet. I halfway expected both home and away jerseys to say “Washington” on the front (the New York Knicks do this), but “Wizards” stays as a reminder to the home fans — that and the color replacement version of the old Wizards logo you see above on the official reproduction guideline sheet, which is just about the only place you’ll see it going forward, according to the team.

The new branding is modern, it’s retro, it provides the colors people expect. It also is a style that can happily adapt itself to further change down the road. Ted Leonsis will zip his lips and slowly back out of a room when the topic of a name change now comes up, but it almost seems inevitable with this well-built foundation of color change success. Only not back to “Bullets.” Not reasonably going to happen.

Still, for those begging for change, this should be more than enough to keep you quiet, which Leonsis and his crew would gladly have you do. Changes to the court and other areas are forthcoming, please digest this phase slowly.

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When news of the Gilbert Arenas-Rashard Lewis trade broke, it was received with a groan. The less-than-enthusiastic reception of the 31-year-old Lewis wasn’t so much a public damnation of his basketball abilities, nor an uninterested dismissal of his more intangible, clichéd qualities – veteran leadership, for instance. No, it was the result of a city, of a fanbase, coming to grips with the end of an era.

The Washington Wizards traded away their (cult) hero, and all they got in return was a “lousy” stretch four.

Just a week before Christmas, Lewis arrived in the nation’s capital with his long frame, his long contract, and his long face. Rough. Nick Young—by way of Gilbert Arenas’ interview with ESPN’s Michael Wallace—made Lewis’ first impressions public:

“He was telling me about Rashard Lewis. Nick was like, ‘I don’t know if he’s going to make it two weeks here. He feels like the world just ended.’ “

From a professional standpoint, getting traded to the Washington was one of the worst things that could have happened to Lewis. In the time it takes to pen a bit of chicken scratch on a trade agreement, he went from championship contender to NBA doormat. But for the Wizards, the acquisition of the former All-Star was the best thing that could have happened to team—luck of the lottery draw notwithstanding.

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John Wall is so fast, but he’s always waiting.

He breezes past defenders with more than quickness, aided by long strides and big steps. Still, he often waits.

In attacking the rim with an offensive mind, Wall plays the waiting game. Waiting for the defending arms to clear out of the way. Waiting, and bracing, for a potential hit… a foul call if he’s lucky. Waiting for the last possible second to release his shot, a layup attempt at his final destination. Waiting until the coast is clear. Waiting to finish with points.

Some haven’t considered the exciting, scary thought — those two emotions coming from two different angles. You didn’t see an NBA-ready John Wall this season. His rookie eating habits were horrible, but expected for a teenager. His mentality fought to adjust to League-caliber athletes, and in many instances made them adjust to him. His body was not always fully healthy, and he admittedly rushed back before fully healed (yet one day he’ll have to play hurt like Kobe Bryant). His semi-suspect Reebok shoes went through some “adjustments” to make them “firmer” after Wizards officials and training staff met with the shoe company, according to the Washington Post’s Michael Lee. If these things were holding Wall back to even the slightest degree, Wizards fans should be the excited ones, and the rest of the League should be scared.

Wall was introduced to the District with police escorts, red carpets and a section of a city unknown to him draped with marketing efforts featuring his name. He scored 1,131 points, tallied 574 assists, 317 rebounds and 121 steals in 69 games. No other NBA rookie has reached those milestones in less than 70 games; Chris Paul, Mark Jackson and Tim Hardaway are the only other rookies who have done it period, according to Basketball-Reference.com. Wall also won the NBA’s Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month Award in January, February, March and April. All of the meaningless pizazz, surface accolades and numbers are there, but the best has yet to come. Just you wait.

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Tension arises from the final Washington Wizards game of the season. Many fans were content with the loss to Cleveland. The 100-93 defeat on Wednesday means they stand-alone with the fourth-worst record in the NBA, and not tied with two other teams (New Jersey and Sacramento) for the fifth worst record, which could have had major implications on the NBA Draft Lottery. Other the other hand, they lost to Cleveland and looked pretty terrible in doing so.

Here’s where the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” conflict arises. During the game, Comcast’s television play-by-play man Steve Buckhantz mentioned multiple times how Flip Saunders instructed his players before the game that he wanted them to treat it like a playoff affair. But removing John Wall, Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee from the fourth quarter equation (when Washington went into the final period with a 74-71 lead), and then later taking out Jordan Crawford three and a half minutes into the period (the Cavaliers having taken an 81-76 lead), clearly swings the philosophy from treating it like a playoff atmosphere to tanking for the lottery. Worth mentioning that Wall “tweaked” something or another during the game (didn’t look major, better to be safe than sorry), Blatche and McGee were playing like they didn’t deserve to stay on the floor (we’ll get to them), and Crawford was 2-14 from the field (the lackadaisical demeanor assumed by some on the team clearly having an effect on the unit as a whole).

Flip Saunders told the Washington Post:

“I thought our first, main group played really well. I probably would like to see them play the whole game, the way they were playing. We were moving the ball, we were really active and pretty much dominating in many aspects. But it was a good opportunity for us to see a lot of the young guys.”

This is all fine and good … a minor blip of purposed losing on a crappy season. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, Wizards fans. It was also clear, per the Post’s Michael Lee, that many of the Wizards just didn’t give damn about the loss afterward, which also served as an indication of apathetic play during the game. Trey Kerby of the Basketball Jones so eloquently captures the scene as described by Lee.

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[The Wizards' ballsiest offensive players: Sam Cassell, JaVale McGee and Jordan Crawford]

The young Wizards made a valiant effort last night in Boston, that they did. Losing 104-88, they were within four points at 87-83 with seven minutes before the Celtics pulled away. Individual talents and potential flashed nicely, but familiar inefficiencies combined to lead the team down the path of losing. Possession-killing shots form Jordan Crawford, a crucial missed one-handed, wide-open dunk from JaVale McGee that would’ve kept the Wizards within four points with five minutes left, newcomer Larry Owens letting the 35-year old Ray Allen beat him to a transition basket, the seven turnovers of John Wall (which combined with those of McGee and Andray Blatche totaled 17) — they all were there. But nothing unexpected.

The Celtics valued most of their possessions and functioned like coordinated birds in flight on many. Rajon Rondo took ownership of the night with 14 assists. Neither John Wall nor Jordan Crawford could sufficiently keep up with him without worrying about the coordinated movement from the rest of the Celtics and whether the Wizards could depend on each other for a combined effort on defense.  Washington does not yet know how to fly together like Boston. They’ll get there as the core grows with time, but that begs the question, who’s part of the core?

Wall, Crawford and McGee? Clearly. Rashard Lewis? There’s not much choice. Andray Blatche? Signs point to yes. Nick Young? Things are more complicated with the free-agent to be. On Friday Ted Leonsis gave Young some blog love, touting him for Most Improved Player.

“He will be an integral part of our team,” Leonsis wrote, indicating that Nick can play the two or the three. And in that Leonsis is right. The shininess on Crawford’s run only means an added asset, not an internet argument on which one to keep. With Young going into end-of-rookie-contract qualifying offer free agency, Crawford is a safety to not overpay him, which could only happen if another team offers Young a contract that the Wizards will have to match or decline. Over 2,500 miles from home in Southern California, look for Young to remain in Washington for the next season of basketball that is played. Ernie Grunfeld was carefully cost efficient when negotiating contracts with DeShawn Stevenson, and he will likely do the same with Young

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Some pictures, some writing, some links…

{Jordan Crawford in pre-game warm-ups.}

{Nope, not a dunk.}

{A put-back dunk from Yi.}

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Pictures, commentary, links and the whatnot …

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1-25

Before San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich led his team against the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, and as his players were coming off an uncharacteristic loss to the Philadelphia 76ers the night before, I asked him if it was a situation where he’d rather play the very next night.

“Exactly. That’s always one of the great things we all talk about in the NBA, because another game’s coming pretty quickly. Even if it’s back-to-back, you’d rather get to the next game and play and forget the one you just were so horrible in,” the coach said.

After getting poked and prodded like worn leather by the Spurs, the Wizards found them in the same situation, on a flight to Cleveland not only with the motivation of ending a 0-25 road record on the season, but also with the bad taste of poor effort spread on their breakfast toast. The Australians call it vegemite.

Well, they did it. February 13 was long ago marked as a facetious scenario for the Wizards to get their first road win — against Antawn Jamison, in front of a Cleveland crowd previously ingrained to boo the Wiz a little more than other teams, and with a nice number like 25 straight road losses, 26 dating back to last season. With life’s little symmetry in tow, of course Washington won 115-100 on Sunday evening. Ted Leonsis should be dancing, but we’ll get him doing the “Dougie” for another reason.

The Wizards smacked a Cleveland franchise in a much worse situation than Leonsis’ bunch (thanks to the handy chart below). Although, Cleveland is currently third in the NBA in average attendance (20,383) and are ninth in percentage filled (99.1); the Wizards are 18th in average attendance (16,177) and 22nd in percentage filled (80.2) — the advantage in ‘butts in seats’ clearly filled with a lot of buyer’s remorse at their failed investment in LeBron James. Hope for Cleveland now fully lies in NBA draft lottery combinations, and not at all in the product that can be found on the court this year. Read more »