+4
Over at Bullets Forever, Mike Prada asks whether the Wizards’ oft-injured superstar should have been the court last night.
On the one hand, watching the first half, it’s clear the Wizards needed him to facilitate the good ball movement that we saw then. Arenas did have eight assists, after all, and most of those came early. As soon as he went out of the game, DeShawn Stevenson ran the point, and it wasn’t pretty. From an injury standpoint as well, while you worry that he’s playing on a bad calf, Tim Grover was there, and I imagine any decision Gil made to play was with Grover’s blessing.
On the other hand — where was Gilbert in that entire second half? Some of the turnovers he committed were just silly plays. Mishandling a pass and losing it into the backcourt. Throwing a pass seven feet over Andray Blatche’s head. Etc. The other turnovers came because it just didn’t seem like he had enough burst to get to the rim. Remember the last time these two teams played, when Arenas was driving to the hoop and drawing fouls at will? When he drove tonight, he got stripped or turned it over trying to make a pass. That’s what happens sometimes when you play hurt.
The most concerning thing for me was how Arenas looked at the end of the game. He was passing off to other players instead of trying to take over. He stood around and looked … well … slow. Could he have put too much pressure on his calf? I don’t know, we’ll see going forward. But if the answer is yes, then I question his decision to play. The Wizards were going to have trouble winning in Miami regardless, and it’s only November. As KD wrote, heroes aren’t made in November.
Is that being too results-oriented? Probably. It’s also true that the Wizards have several days off before their game against Detroit, and then another several days off after that. But with so many other guys out too, you have to keep one eye on the long haul. Hopefully, Arenas will be fine going forward.
(Sports Network) – Dwyane Wade posted 40-plus points for the second time in a week against Washington, scoring 41 to help the Miami Heat take a 90-76 decision from the Wizards.
Wade also notched five rebounds with as many assists, while Michael Beasley contributed 15 points for Miami, which improved to 6-1 — its best start to the season since 1999-2000.
On November 4 in Washington, Wade dropped 40 on the Wizards in a 93-89 victory. Miami has won six straight against Washington and is 21-5 over the previous 26 meetings between the teams.
Gilbert Arenas had 21 points and eight assists but also recorded a dozen of the Wizards’ 22 turnovers in the club’s fifth straight defeat. Caron Butler checked in with 19 points and seven boards.
Brendan Haywood posted 13 points and 11 rebounds while Andray Blatche had 13 and 10 in the loss.
After DeShawn Stevenson drained a three-pointer for a 52-41 Wizards lead a little more than a minute into the third, Wade and Beasley combined to score 21 of the Heat’s 24 points over the stanza for a 65-62 lead.
Washington scored just 27 combined points in the second half compared with Wade’s 29. Miami ran away with the game late on a 19-3 run that ended the contest.
Wade provided 14 of those points, while Mario Chalmers hit a back-breaking three-pointer with 1:47 to play for a 82-74 advantage.
The Wizards last field goal came on a Butler bucket with 6:24 to play, giving the visitors a 73-71 edge.
The Wizards led 27-21 at the close of the first quarter following a three- point play by Haywood and an Arenas three-pointer. Washington strengthened its lead to 10 early in the second before the Heat tied it on a Chalmers three- ball with 4:41 left.
The visitors, though, scored the next 11 points and headed to the locker room with a 49-41 advantage.
The Heat moved to 2-0 on a five-game homestand and will also play host to the Cavs, Nets and Thunder…Chalmers ended with 13 points and five helpers, while Carlos Arroyo scored 10 for Miami, which shot 44.6 percent from the field. Washington hit 40.3 percent of its shots…Randy Foye left the game for Washington after only 6 1/2 minutes due to an ankle sprain.
Tricky, that Gilbert Arenas. A calf injury was supposed to keep him out of tonight’s Heat game; instead, Arenas suited up after all, and is leading the Wizards with 20 points in the fourth quarter. Thanks for the heads up there, Gil.
Gilbert Arenas's triumphant return to healthy, productive NBA basketball has already been derailed. Arenas will miss tonight's game with the Miami Heat to rest a strained calf. Arenas, who spent almost all of the 2008-09 season on the sideline thanks to a knee injury, worked out before the game, but reported tightness in his calf to head coach Flip Saunders.
In the meantime, the Wizards will juggle their lineup -- Saunders said it would "test my creativity" -- and hope that Arenas' calf setback is temporary.
Report: Wizards to Add Earl Boykins For Depth At Guard
It’s probably a sign of how this year’s gone so far for Wizards fans that I consider this news to be AWESOME. Mark Stein reports:
The lack of depth at guard was made more complicated by G Randy Foye’s ankle injury last night (he’s day-to-day), but was a problem regardless of Foye. The Wizards need a steadying hand to come on in reserve, and in Boykins, that’s exactly what they’ll get. A tiny, steadying hand, attached to a 5’5 frame that even the deepest cynics among us can’t help but love.
Nov 11 3:24p by Andrew Sharp - 0 comments