The 2012-13 NBA regular season ended a month and six days ago. Over the 170 days prior, starting on October 30, 2012, it was 82 games up, 82 games down for the Washington Wizards; 29 wins and 53 losses. The beauty is that we don’t have to live through it again—teams that win 35 percent of their games rarely want to—but we also don’t have to forget. Because you’d never learn, or improve, if you forgot everything and ripped the rearview mirror off the Ferrari.

Nineteen different individuals suited up for the Wizards this past season. Martell Webster led the way in action with 2,200 minutes, and Jason Collins contributed the fewest with 54 minutes. For all 82 games, the staff of Truth About It.net, amongst other game observations, rated each of the five Wizards starters plus two players off the bench on a three-star scale (inspired by the District of Columbia flag) in a series of posts called the D.C. Council. (Well, we evaluated players for all games, except one: Game 60, when Deron Williams completely demoralized the Wizards from ever competing by going 7-for-7 from the 3-point line in the first quarter.)

Sometimes three players off the bench were evaluated instead of two; a few times it was less than two. In general, the average rating of players coming off the bench was skewed a little higher for the simple fact that those playing better were more likely to get evaluated. Starters, on the other hand, got evaluated no matter what.

[***Also: remember that silly little time in December 2012 when the most positive talk that could be mustered was how the 1-13 Wizards led the NBA in bench scoring? Swell.]

The D.C. Council ratings are a statistical anti-stat. They are the combined impression of several interested members of the crowd, but in numerical form. Sometimes the ratings were contingent on winning and losing, and they were always subjective. They are simply one window of evaluation, combined with written analysis, both standard and advanced statistics, and shot charts. Below is a hyperlinked index of reviews for all 19 Wizards (plus a bonus review of Tomas Satoransky, Wizards Euro-stash), their average D.C. Council three-star rating, and the number of games over which they were evaluated.

The 2012-13 Washington Wizards season: it was all a dream, and not that great of a dream.

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[Wizards 2012-13 Player Reviews from the TAI crew are going down; let's reflect---index:
Jannero Pargo, Jason Collins, Shaun Livingston, Shelvin Mack, Cartier Martin, Earl Barron,
Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker, Garrett Temple, Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza,
Martell Webster, A.J. Price, Jordan Crawford, Kevin Seraphin, Bradley Beal, Nene, John Wall.]

Trevor Ariza

6-8 : Height
210 lbs. : Weight
27 : Age
9 : Years NBA Experience
6 : NBA Teams

Traded by the New Orleans Hornets along with Emeka Okafor to the Washington Wizards
in exchange for Rashard Lewis and a second round pick on June 20, 2012.

Time as a Wizard in 2012-13

56 : Games
15 : Starts
1,471 : Minutes

1.41 out of 3 stars

Average Truth About It.net DC Council Game Rating
{Ariza evaluated over 35 games} 

14.04 PER

NBA historical PER contribution equivalent:
maybe Doug Christie for the 2003-04 Sacramento Kings (14.0)
maybe Reggie Miller for the 1987-88 Indiana Pacers (14.0),
maybe Kevin Grevey for the 1978-79 Washington Bullets (14.0)

.102 Win Shares/48 Minutes

NBA historical WS/48 contribution equivalent:
maybe Lamar Odom for the 2006-07 Los Angeles Lakers (.102),
maybe Mike Miller for the 2001-02 Orlando Magic (.101),
maybe Shawn Marion for the 2008-09 Toronto Raptors—after being traded by the Miami Heat (.101)

With Trevor Ariza on the Court…

The Wizards offense scored 0.7 points more per 100 possessions (OffRtg)
The Wizards defense allowed 3.0 points less per 100 possessions (DefRtg)
Plus/Minus per 48 minutes: minus-1.5

Numbers : Per 36 Minutes

13.0 : Points
6.5 : Rebounds
0.5 : Blocks
1.8: Steals
2.8 : Assists
2.1 : Turnovers
1.8 : Fouls

0.93 PPP

Ariza had 563 offensive possessions with the Wizards that ended with a FGA, TO or FTs, and he scored 0.93 Points Per Possession (PPP) on those, ranked 174th in the NBA (via Synergy Sports Technology). Defensively, he allowed 0.76 PPP over 394 possessions, ranked 29th.

Shooting

41.7% Field Goals (188-451)
36.4% 3-Pointers (76-209)
82.1% Free Throws (78-95)

[stats via NBA.com/stats and Basketball-Reference.com]

#1

Trevor Ariza in 2012-13 with the Wizards:

Highs, Lows and Oh Nos!

by John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend)

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The Okafor Line >>>

Earlier this season, in detracting from his poor play, and rather large contract, the “Okafor Line” was created. Do Emeka Okafor’s points plus rebounds exceed the amount he’s getting paid in millions?

Okafor is making $13.5 million this season and is due around $14.5 million next season, as reports indicate that he will not early terminate his contract which runs through 2013-14. Shattering the Okafor Line should be a cakewalk on paper, lots and lots of green paper.

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It’s been debated to the point of irrelevancy. Most will tell you, Jay-Z over Nas, especially with the back-minded consideration that the former has Beyoncé on his arm. And Kelis probably hates Nas… So. Much. Right. Now!

It was always mostly about lyricism, amongst the variety of other factors that go into one’s musical experience. I still personally struggle with the debate. They are the two best rappers alive, and for my money, not alive, too (at risk of committing hip-hop blasphemy in not buying into the over-inflated value in the lives and skills of Tupac and Biggie after death).

If Jay-Z’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt, is a 9.8, then Nas’ debut, Illmatic, is a 9.9—I’m hesitant to give anything, even LeBron’s basketball skills, a perfect 10. Ask me in the early-to-mid-2000s (Blueprint albums to the Black Album), and I’d be more inclined to say Jay-Z. Ask me later in my timeline (Street’s Disciple/Hip Hop is Dead to Life is Good), and I’d be more inclined to say Nas (including up to this very day).

I’ll concede that some of Nas’ lows are lower than Jay-Z’s lows, and that Jay-Z’s overall career is more decorated. And I might also find some irony that Nas’ “Ether” effectively killed the mano a mano battle between the two (although Hova’s “Blueprint 2” retaliation off the Blueprint 2 album was pretty badass).

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[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 75, Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors; contributors: Kyle Weidie and John Converse Townsend via televised broadcast.]

Dueling Faces. [#WittmanFace vs. #OkaforFace]

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[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 74, Washington Wizards vs. Chicago Bulls; contributors: Dan Diamond and Adam McGinnis from the Verizon Center, and Sean Fagan up I-95 in Brooklyn, N.Y.]

One Jedi to Another Captain Kirk Kicked to the Curb Captain Kirk, tossed by referee Sean Corbin. #Bulls-#Wizards vine.co/v/bIUdLPwMTq3 — Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) April 3, 2013

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John Wall, defensive dynamo (?)

Entering Wednesday night, here are the NBA’s top five teams in defensive rating–a stat that measures opponents’ points per 100 possessions. Essentially, it’s a pure way to track which teams are best at keeping opponents’ points off the board.

1. Indiana Pacers (98.9 D-rating)
2. Memphis Grizzlies (100.9 D-rating)
3. San Antonio Spurs (101.5 D-rating)
4. Washington Wizards (102.6 D-rating)
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (102.6 D-rating)

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[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 72, Washington Wizards at Orlando Magic; contributors: Conor Dirks, John Converse Townsend and Kyle Weidie from the comfort of their abodes.]

LeWittmanFace [#WittmanFace to Kevin Seraphin, image via @Above_Legit] Love how Wittman said “HEY!” on this late #Magic FT Att. #Wizards vine.co/v/bjEwq6Q06nv — Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) March 30, 2013

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[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 71, Washington Wizards at Oklahoma City Thunder; contributors: Rashad Mobley, John Converse Townsend and Kyle Weidie from the comfort of their abodes.]

Lonesome Dove. [Why the long #WittmanFace? via @recordsANDradio] [John Wall's post-game tweet, which seems to have been deleted for some reason. Adam McGinnis was on top of the screen-grab.]

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[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 68, Washington Wizards at Los Angeles Lakers; contributors: Conor Dirks, Rashad Mobley and Kyle Weidie via television broadcast.]

A3IZA [It was a head-shaker for Kobe Bryant once Trevor Ariza started raining 3s.] [Ariza game face?] [Randy, relieved.]

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