SB Nation - Gilbert Arenas

Orlando Magic News for December 10th: Dwight Howard and Vince Carter Could Start in the All-Star Game

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:00:25 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

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Kobe in West, D-Wade in East take lead in All-Star voting
The NBA released the first returns in its All-Star balloting and the Orlando Magic have done well so far. Center Dwight Howard, who set a record for total votes received last year, is again in line to start this year; he leads Shaquille O'Neal, his next closest competitor, by more than 400,000 votes. Meanwhile, Vince Carter is in line to start at guard, second at the position only to the Heat's Dwyane Wade, who leads all vote-getters in the Eastern Conference. Carter leads Gilbert Arenas is big, but not insurmountable, at just under 80,000 votes.

Rashard Lewis ranks 10th among Eastern forwards. Jameer Nelson, the other Magic player on the ballot, did not appear in the early results. Naturally, none of this damages their chances of actually playing in the game...
Chat: John Hollinger
...because as John Hollinger explains, the coaches--who select the reserves--tend to reward good teams by allotting more roster spots to their players.

Likely East All-Star team is Wade, [Chris] Bosh, LeBron [James] and nine players from the Celtics, Magic and Hawks.
Denton: Lack of Respect Motivates Magic
I enjoyed J.J. Redick's perspective on the Magic's lack of respect, which has become a fairly tired subject.

"Around the league I think we’re well respected, especially among players and coaches who know the game of basketball," Magic reserve guard J.J. Redick said. "We have three legitimate superstars and four really when Jameer (Nelson) is healthy. But we’re a small market and we’re not L.A., we’re not New York and we don’t have LeBron James.

"We’re starting to get some attention, but we don’t set out for that. We just want to win," Redick continued. "I think we’d rather be called the best team in June than the best team on Dec. 9th."
#13 Orlando Magic
Forbes.com rates the Magic as the NBA's 13th-most-valuable franchise. I found this fact particularly interesting:

This [sic] Magic's run to the finals last season, where they were defeated by the Lakers, boosted their bottom line by $5 million. The extra loot from the postseason will come in handy as the team awaits its new building, the Amway Center, scheduled to open in the fall of 2010.

It's also nice to see that the franchise has increased in value each year since 2002, and in revenue since 2004.
Stephen Jackson fits in with Bobcats, Larry Brown
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated writes about Magic backup point guard Jason Williams, pushed into starting duty due to Nelson's knee injury. Williams came out of a year-long retirement to sign with Orlando in August.

"Sometimes when you have a long career you like it and you appreciate it, but I think it goes to another level when you have a year off," said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. "He really wanted to come back. The thing we liked with him, which is a lot like what we liked with Rafer [Alston] last year, is that we had a pretty good confidence level that if needed, he could play big minutes. He just always had one of those motors that he could go a long time."
Rafer Alston rips New Jersey Nets, winning streak halted at one as Golden State Warriors romp
Alston is not happy with his teammates in New Jersey, to which Orlando dealt him in a package to obtain Carter and Ryan Anderson. In short order, Alston went from starting for an NBA Finalist to backing up the worst team in the league.

After the Nets took a 105-89 pounding from the Warriors last night at the Meadowlands, Nets reserve Rafer Alston blasted his teammates for not sticking together through the tough times.

[....] But what especially rankled Alston last night was seeing teammates fail to pull for each other before an announced crowd of 10,005 at the Meadowlands.

Alston would not have been happy here backing up Nelson, but clearly he's unhappy in New Jersey as well. The middle ground would be for the Nets to trade him to a team that needs a point guard, most obviously Alston's hometown New York Knicks. But because Devin Harris and Keyon Dooling, the Nets' other point guards, have nagging injuries, the Nets will likely hang on to Alston's expiring deal.
Fun With Numbers and Venn Diagrams
UPDATE: Ryan Schwan of Hornets 247 attempts to categorize point guards using a series of Venn Diagrams. It's interesting to see where Nelson (the scorer) and Williams (the distributor) land here.

Remember This Finish Against the Wizards?

Greg Payne — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:43:54 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

Pierce sank the Wizards in Washington almost three years ago. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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In honor of playing the Washington Wizards tonight, I want to take a look back at one of the more memorable Paul Pierce buzzer beaters of his career.

The night was March 7, 2006 and the Celtics, winners of just 24 games up to that point (my how the times change) were in Washington, battling a Wizards squad that featured a healthy Gilbert Arenas, along with Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler.

Now if you'll recall, Pierce was having an abysmal night from the field. It just wasn't happening for Paul for the better part of the first four quarters. If memory serves he was 4-16 from the field through regulation. The Wizards weren't a spectacular team, but neither were we. So when we found ourselves facing a hefty deficit late in the fourth quarter with our best player having arguably his worst game of the season, you can probably guess why we were thinking this one wasn't going to end well. Heck, Orien Greene was our starting point guard, to put things in perspective.

But that team surprised itself that night, along with all of us. Young fledgling Al Jefferson along with...wait for it...wait for it...MICHAEL OLOWOKANDI (!) led a ferocious fourth quarter comeback that somehow spawned overtime. Pierce, apparently numb with shock (Michael Olowokandi?!?), forgot about his shooting woes and (if memory serves) proceeded to go 4-4 in overtime.

His two most important buckets of the night were the last two, because each gave Boston a vital lead when it absolutely needed it. The first was a three-pointer with, I want to say, 16.5 seconds left, which gave Boston a 114-113 edge after being down by two. Then, Arenas, not wanting to be outdone, buried a short pull up just outside the free throw line on the left side with less than 10 seconds to play. 115-114, Washington.

But our captain would have the last word (he tends to do that). Pierce took the ball above the three-point arc, let the clock dribble itself away, went left with four seconds left (and I'm in my basement thinking he might have waited just a second too long to make his move), got around Butler, only to have Arenas come to double, forcing Pierce to the corner and a tough fadeaway that floats...and floats...and the red light goes off...BAM! Swish. Nothing but net. Celtics win.

I was alone in my basement, just freaking out. I just lost it on this one. I'm proud to say it was one of my top-five all-time buzzer beater freak out moments. I still remember Mike Gorman's call:

"Pierce...looking to move on Butler...Arenas there to double...Pierce...difficult shot...GOT IT! AT THE BUZZER! PAUL PIERCE WINS THE GAME!" Classic Mike Gorman right there. And in case you forgot about this game, or just want to watch it again like I did, here it is:

Here's hoping for a slightly easier win this evening.

Briefing: It's Been a Cold, Cold December

JakeTheSnake — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:02:55 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

4 days ago: Washington Wizards forward Caron Butler, left, drives against Detroit Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko, of Sweden, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

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Game Hub | Boxscore | Game Flow

For whatever reason everything about the Wizards' performance was cold. The team's shooting was frigid (although their field goal percentage was higher than Detroit's). Players were freezing each other out on offense; only four players registered assists. Flip Saunders got a rather icy reception from the Detroit, where he used to coach. Then there was Gilbert Arenas, who complained about the building being cold and never seemed to thaw out on the hardwood.

As we get closer and closer to the 20-25 games that Flip Saunders predicted it would take for the team to get used to the new system, it looks like the team is closer to being stuck in a deep freeze than setting the league ablaze. Hopefully some hot cocoa and some nice, cozy sweaters are just what the Wizards need to heat things up again.

Wizards drop their second in a row as Flip makes his Auborn Hills return - William Yoder, Agent Dagger

For Jamison, it was a matter of not being able to find the bottom of the basket. The Wizards captain only shot four of 14 from the field including a measly one of five from three and an uninspired four of seven from the charity stripe. Jamison registered no assists and only two rebounds in his second worst effort since returning from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss much of the start of the season. Arenas on the other hand only took nine shots from the field, and was three of five from inside the ark, while shooting o-for-four from three. Arenas only got to the line two times on the night.

Pistons 98, Wizards 94 - Mike Jones, Outlet

Earl Boykins had eight points in the fourth quarter, but the Wizards still lacked offensive flow. As in the other three quarters, there were far too many one-on-one plays. Here's a stat for you: Arenas had nine assists. His fellow starters combined for . . . . ZERO. Butler, Jamison, Haywood and Young (who didn't play much because Flip said he wasn't where he was supposed to be on a few early plays) instead combined for eight turnovers. Butler said the lack of assists weren't because of a lack of effort. He said "guys did some wonderful things out there tonight. ... The effort was there." Um, I didn't see much wonderful out there tonight. And the effort? Well, it was in spots, but not from everyone.

Wizards sport a familiar look in loss to Pistons - Michael Lee, Washington Post

A small crowd at the arena greeted Saunders mostly with silence. But as the game carried on, one Pistons fan behind the Washington Wizards' bench started heckling him.

"Hey Flip, you grooming Sam Cassell?" the fan shouted. "Michael Curry replaced you after one year as an assistant!"

"How'd that work out?" Saunders replied.

Last Night's Action: Only This Team - Aaron Morrissey, DCist

Yesterday's game was a homecoming for coach Flip Saunders, who was let go as Pistons coach in 2008, despite winning two straight Eastern Conference championships. Suffice it to say, his charges didn't really give a the kind of effort which would have made his former employers regretful.

Wizards Lose Close One To Pistons - CSN Washington, Dave Johnson

Unlike Friday’s loss to the Raptors, energy to start the game was not the issue for the Wizards. They were active on defense early, but struggled to develop any rhythm on offense, turning to Earl Boykins midway through the first quarter in a quest for some consistency. "Right now the guy that has been the savior for us has been Earl," said Wizards head coach Flip Saunders. "He has been keeping us in games and getting us back in games." Boykins scored 10 of his 18 points in the first half. In addition, Randy Foye scored 6 of his 12 points in the second quarter to help the Wizards shave a 12-point deficit down to three with a 52-49 halftime score.

Wizards fall short in Saunders' return - Mike Jones, Washington Times

The Wizards had one more run left in them. Brendan Haywood's layup with 3:49 left pulled his team within 85-84. But from there the Wizards missed five straight shots and turned the ball over two times over the next 2 1/2 minutes. For the final gaffe, Arenas - who took only nine shots all game and finished with eight points and nine assists - drove the lane and tried to send a pass to the other side of the court. But Ben Wallace plucked the ball out of the air with both hands.

Pistons 98, Wizards 94 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

The Wizards seemed to move closer to the goal after winning four of five games. But these past two losses have proven that the Wizards just are not a good team right now. They have the talent -- or at least the names -- but they still appear to be dealing with a prolonged feeling-out process. Players don't seem to understand their roles or to be willing to accept whatever Saunders is asking of them. You have to wonder when -- or if -- it's going to click.

Recap: Pistons 98, Wizards 94 - Perry A. Farrell, Detroit Free Press

TWO CENTS WORTH: Antawn Jamison had plenty to say to the referees and Kuester early about how he was being defended by Jason Maxiell. Jamison and Kuester are North Carolina grads.

About Last Night: Quality ball movement propels Detroit Pistons to second consecutive win - Justin Rogers, Full-Court Press

It's unfortunate the odds of the Detroit Pistons meeting the Washington Wizards in the playoffs this season are astronomical. Based on the two competitive games the teams have played this season, I can't help but imagine it would be a fantasic seven-game series.

The Pistons make it two in a row against The Wizards - Natalie Sitto, Need4Sheed.com

As for Stuckey’s game against Washington, he was great. Hot early, and had in not been for early foul trouble he would have led the Pistons by more than just 25 points. Stuck went 9-for-18 with 2 assists, 4 boards a steal, 3 turnovers and some clutch shots down the wire when the Wizards were gaining ground.

Riding the (Wealthy) Bench: Pistons 98, Wizards 94 - Packey, Motown String Music

In fact, you could make a strong argument that three of the bench players (Gordon, Villanueva, and Will Bynum) should be regular starters (at least while Rip and Tayshaun are out). And so it shouldn't come as a surprise that these three, with a little help from their bench friends, combined to score more points than the starters tonight against the Wizards, 55-44. With Ben Gordon still somewhat nursing that ankle injury he suffered two weeks ago against the Cavs, someone else had to step up and fill the spotlight, though. That was the Pistons' 1st round pick, Austin Daye.

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Agent Dagger
Through the first half, Arenas has an asst/to ratio of 6-0, the rest of the #Wizards starters are at 0-5

Twitter / wizznutzz
oops, sorry. just find out that's Charlie Villaneuva RT @wzzntzz: when did Rip start suffering from alopecia???

Twitter / Mike Prada
I'm tired of fourth-quarter Boykins. Takes ball away from the good players (Gil, Caron) and doesn't let you put in another shooter.

Twitter / Michael Lee
Can this game end already. These refs a making us wait with all this confusion over Arenas's foul. Finally, it's a wrap. Wiz lose 98-94.

Twitter / Mike Jones
Flip: "We held them to a low FG% and turnovers again killed us tonight in the first half. We just aren't getting that overall consistency."

Twitter / Truth_About_It
My heart is now as dark as Dan Snyder's. The Wizards suck & I'm beginning 2 succumb 2 the fact they need 2 trade & rebuild. Major FML.

Twitter / Kevin Cheng
Still fuming over the game. Can't believe we lost. They didn't even have half their starters playing! Ugh. #wizards

Twitter / Jason
Man, what the hell. #redskins ruin my upcoming work week and now the #wizards have just blown the hell out of me.

Twitter / tPFmariah9999
What the hell are Nick Young & Blatche laughing about on the bench??? I don't find this game funny at all! #wizards #NBA

Twitter / Alex Minoff
Is this it? Is this all the #wizards are this year?

Briefing: How You Start is How You Finish

JakeTheSnake — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:14:07 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

6 days ago: Washington Wizards forward Caron Butler shoots over Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Washington Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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Game Hub | Boxscore | Game Flow

Arenas' magic fades away in overtime - Mike Jones, Washington Times

For 31 seconds, it appeared Gilbert Arenas would rescue his team in vintage fashion and redeem himself from two early overtime gaffes. Arenas -- who had a season-high 34 points -- booted the ball away early in overtime, and he later collided with teammate Earl Boykins, causing a turnover. But with Washington facing what appeared to be certain defeat, Arenas turned back the clock to his Hibachi days -- briefly. Catching a pass from Boykins on a fast break, Arenas rose up and made a 3-pointer to tie the score at 107-107 with 30.9 seconds left. With the Verizon Center fans on their feet, Arenas pounded his chest and skipped down the floor for a timeout.

Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post-Game Report - Baby Steps - Franchise, Raptors HQ

Hedo Turkoglu, the much-maligned key free-agent acquisition this past off-season, had just hit a huge jumper to give Toronto a 2 point lead. All eyes were therefore on Arenas, who earlier in the evening had hit a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime. Arenas made his move and got past his defender, Jarrett Jack, and looked to have a clear path to the basket. Amir Johnson appeared underneath the rim, but was late on the rotation and it still appeared to be clear sailing for Agent Zero. However a funny thing happened. Amir sort of started to try and cut off Arenas, but then stopped, almost akin to the body version of a ball-fake. This fake-out appeared to be enough to throw Gilbert, and that was all she wrote.

Raptors 109, Wizards 107 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Nick Young said he was hoping that Arenas would've gone for the win. "Agent Zero is going to be back. I'm waiting for the three, where he turned his back and walked to the locker room. But he missed the layup. I wanted him to [shoot the three]. I ain't never seen him do it live. He's been out for two years. He can get to the hole anytime. He was right there, he could've just laid it in." But he didn't. And the Wizards squandered another chance to dig a little further out of the hole they've built for themselves early in the season.

Raptors 109, Wizards 107: Step back time - Craig Stouffer, Washington Examiner

Flip Saunders knew the first question would be about the last shot in overtime, but he knew that the 109-107 loss came much, much earlier. How lacking was the energy? Saunders had to call on Earl Boykins at the 6:03 mark of the first quarter. How poor was the Wizards' shooting? At halftime, Brendan Haywood was 0 for 6, Antawn Jamison was 0 for 4, and Nick Young was 0 for 4.

Turkoglu's jumper ends Raptors' losing streak - Associated Press

"I’m more disappointed in this game than any game we’ve had," Washington coach Flip Saunders said. "We just buried ourselves in such a hole." The Wizards did build a six-point lead with 5 1/2 minutes to go in the fourth quarter and appeared to be on the verge of pulling away, but the Raptors fought back.

Wizards fall following poor start, finish - Mike Jones, Washington Times

Hedo Turkoglu, who has struggled since joining the Raptors, was the hero for Toronto. Coming out of the timeout, the Raptors put the ball in Turkoglu's hands, and he made a tough turnaround jumper over Caron Butler with 8.1 seconds left for a 109-107 lead. "Turkish Jordan," Butler said with a grin, referring to Turkoglu's nickname when he came into the league nine seasons ago. "It was a tough shot. I tried to make him take a difficult shot, and that's exactly what happened. ... That's all you can try to do, and have an opportunity down the stretch with your franchise guy driving to the basket and having a great look. That's how the ball rolls sometimes."

Raptors 109, Wizards 107 - Mike Jones, Outlet

There's no way a playoff team -- not a playoff berth winner, a playoff contender -- comes out raining down 3's when they're not a 3-point shooting team, and when they keep missing them, they keep on bombing away. There's no way a playoff threat goes on a 10-0 run at the end of the third quarter/early fourth quarter, and then lets off the gas and allows the visiting team to come back, take the lead and eventually win. There's no way a playoff team forgets that it has a third All-Star, and Caron Butler goes without a shot in the fourth quarter. meanwhile, Antawn Jamison was 0-for-3 (including 0-for-2 from the arc) and Gilbert had seven points.

That's better, boys - Mike Ganter, Toronto Sun

Head coach Jay Triano chose not to alter his starting five last night and was rewarded with a 20-5 lead eight minutes into the game. That lead lasted until the fourth quarter when the Wizards started to pull way. They got a lead as big as seven at one point but the Raptors wouldn't let them get too far ahead. "The entire game I thought we were all in tune," Jack said of a defensive effort that included a season-low 17 first-quarter points by an opponent. "Any time there was a breakdown or any situation where we needed help, I thought we were there to cover for each other. That's how you play basketball. Today we established what Toronto Raptors basketball is and should be. We need to take it from here and build on it (today) in Chicago."

Raptors Rapid Recap - Raptors HQ, Franchise

The team played its best defense in weeks holding Washington to 37% shooting while holding their own on the glass despite playing one of the best rebounding teams in the league. There were still some issues of course, especially with turnovers early, but considering the "team talk" and recent play, this psychologically is huge.

Raptors Roll Call – Dec 4 vs Wizards – AltRaps, Raptors Republic\

Bosh – rarely do you see someone live up to the billing of the term "a man possessed", but that was Bosh in the 4th. Hell, he started the game with 4 points, a block and 2 boards in the first 2 minutes, helping the Raps to a 10-0 outburst. In the 4th, he grabbed offensive boards like they were apples falling from a tree and he was using a dump truck to catch them. His final line? 31pts, 16 rebounds, 9 of which were offensive. He took heat for not talking during the meeting, but he did it on the court.

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Mike Jones
Wizards have started announcing Caron Butler as a guard during pre-game introductions.

Twitter / Chase Hughes
Just saw a replay, Hedo Turkoglu did the Javale salute after hitting a 3 in first half.

Twitter / Truth_About_It
The Wizards attempted 29 threes, Flip called it undisciplined, hero basketball.

Twitter / Mike Prada
I did not just see Earl Boykins and Gilbert Arenas run into each other, did I? So much for that good Golden State chemistry.

Twitter / 106.7 The Fan
Flip Saunders after the game: "Looked like a game of two non-playoff teams."

Twitter / wizznutzz
mr @chrisbosh, UR tha velociRAPTOR & the PREDATOR & the JARJAR all wrapped up in a machosensual body of wire. WE SALUTE U!!!!!

Postgame notes and quotes: Wizards over Bucks

Mike Prada — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:15:43 -0000

More photos » by Ned Dishman - NBAE/Getty Images

8 days ago: WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 2: Brendan Haywood #33, Caron Butler #3 and Gilbert Arenas #0 of the Washington Wizards celebrate after a made basket against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Verizon Center on December 2, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Some interesting stuff that people on the Wizards said before and after the game. Stats will be up later.

Boykins love

Earl Boykins wasn't originally going to talk to the media. He had somewhere to be and left before everyone got there, and the Wizards' PR people apologized to everyone on his behalf. But he eventually came back and chatted for a bit, though he's not the most talkative guy in the league.

One thing he was asked was about playing in Italy last year, which yielded an interesting answer.

"It was easy for me [to go to Europe], because when most guys go, they go because they're forced to. I chose to go. That's the big difference. When you choose to do something, it's easier to handle being away from home."

It's nice that he tells himself that, and clearly it's allowed him to persevere. But let's be honest, he kind of was forced to go to Europe. The money dried up in the 2008 offseason and nobody was willing to offer him good money, so he went to the only place that paid him. Nothing wrong with that, just saying his explanation doesn't seem right to me.

That was probably the only thing that I can find fault with Boykins for on this night. Many other guys talked about him, particularly his former teammates, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison.

Jamison said he couldn't believe that Boykins hasn't been able to stick anywhere.

It kind of amazes me that it's hard for this guy to stay stable in the league and stay on a team," he said, latter adding that "The only thing that amazes me [about Boykins] is that this guy was at home relaxing, and all of a sudden, he's acting like he hasn't missed any time."

Arenas was also asked why Boykins hasn't been able to stick, and said he thinks a lot of it has to do with the stigma that's resulted from his height. Arenas said people look at him and make assumptions that there are better guys out there because of how small he is. He also seemed totally comfortable with Boykins taking the last few shots, which is either a sign of selflessness or being overly passive, depending on your perspective.

"Coach yelled at us like four games ago, saying 'Why don't you run the goddamn floor?' I was like, 'Well, me and Earl got this thing going for the last couple years.' Earl goes and attacks, and if he doesn't have anything, he passes it back to me and I go. He knows that when he gets stuck, I'm behind him. That's just how we play."

There were people chanting "MVP! MVP!" when Boykins went to the free throw line. Jamison laughed about it and said he didn't hear until someone told him after the game, while Boykins said he also didn't hear it (which I don't believe).

Flip Saunders said the final play was indeed run for Boykins, and not Arenas, in case you guys were wondering. He considered playing Nick Young down the stretch instead of Boykins, but decided to stick with Boykins and it worked out.

(Below the jump: Caron Butler's aggressiveness, Gilbert Arenas' mid-range shooting, Arenas' beef with the refs, Brendan Haywood breaking down the defensive strategy on Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings and more)

Caron Butler's aggression had to do with his health

Comcast SportsNet's Chris Miller said it best tonight - Caron Butler had "that look." Before the game, he was out on the main court shooting game-speed jumpers - spot-up shots, one-dribble, etc. As he stepped onto the court, he took the ball from the ref, bounced it around, all while strutting from one side of the court to the other.

His numbers weren't incredible - 15 points on 10 shots - but he got to the line 10 times, attacked the rim and had a nasty throwdown on Bogut tonight. It was a Butler who wasn't settling for jumpers, instead choosing to attack sensibly. It was a Butler we hadn't seen all season.

After the game, I asked Butler what caused his renewed aggression. He said a lot of it had to do with his ankle feeling better. Remember, he missed the Philadelphia game and was nagged during the San Antonio game with that ankle.

My ankle is feeling better, and I'm able to maneuver. At the time I wasn't feeling so well, I was settling for jumpers and stuff because I couldn't explode to the basket and do some of the things I can do.

Then, as if catching himself mid-thought, he somewhat changed his tune so that it didn't seem like he was excusing his poor performance.

But I'm not going to make no excuses. I'm just going to go out there and play and don't point no fingers. I just try to do what I can. Sometimes, maybe for a guy like myself, 60 percent is better than somebody healthy, so I'm just trying to do the best I can. But now I'm definitely feeling much better and adding another dimension to this ballclub.

The explanation still makes some sense, though. We all know how Butler plays through pain often, so it's very possible that ankle injury was worse than he let on. Ankle injuries can nag you for a long time too - Derrick Rose, for example, is struggling in large part due to his slow recovery from a preseason ankle injury.

Butler didn't say whether Saunders told him to be more aggressive, saying instead that "it's common sense" to drive to the rim more, especially when a smaller player is defending him. However, Saunders said he did in fact talk to Butler and encouraged him to drive to the basket more often.

"I told [Caron], he's got to be more aggressive. He's one of the one guys that we have that can put it on the floor and beat people off the bounce. When he does that, it sucks the defense in a lot and it opens things up for everyone else."

Either way, I hope this keeps up. I also hope we see more of Caron posting up. I'll save this for a future video segment (if I can get source video), but I really liked how he was deployed tonight.

Butler also was very happy about his jam on Bogut, bragging that it was the second time he got Bogut in his career ("He's on my wall twice!"). I asked him when that other dunk happened (I didn't remember), and he said it happened last year. Anyone remember?

Gilbert Arenas angry at the referees

What started as an innocent question to Gilbert Arenas by Kyle from Truth About It turned into an all-our rant against the referees. Arenas accused the referees of "profiling" him and can't understand why he was called for two straight offensive fouls when he tried to drive to the rim.

Read more about it on Truth About It, where Kyle has the transcript of the exchange. It'll be interesting to see if Arenas gets fined at all for his comments.

This version of the "more aggressive Gilbert Arenas" means...

Arenas eventually calmed down, as he always does, and opened us up his mind, heart and soul about, well, everything. At one point, when asked about the bench, he praised DeShawn Stevenson's ability to play his role by saying he job previously was basically to make some shots and "irritate" the other team like Dennis Rodman used to do. I guess that's a compliment...

I eventually asked him about his mid-range jumper, which he seems to be knocking down far more proficiently than he did earlier in the season. Why is he stroking that shot now when he wasn't before?

"Now, I'm concentrating on shooting. Before, it was like 'Shit, I'm open, let me just shoot it before coach yells at me for not shooting it.' At the beginning, Twan was out, and I was scoring. Then, there was this little part about 6, 7 games ago where if I saw an open shot, I was taking it, but I wasn't in rhythm. I wasn't thinking about shooting. Now, I'm thinking about shooting again. When I come off the pick, I'm shooting instead of just thinking about passing."

I also asked him about Antawn Jamison's comments from last week and what it meant to hear him and Flip Saunders imploring him to be more aggressive. He said it helped a lot to hear those comments from them.

"I was afraid what those guys were going to think. I've been gone for two years. You come back, and they're holding up the ship. If you're coming back and you're coming back shooting, you don't want them to look at you sideways."

Brendan Haywood reads the scouting reports

Talk to Gilbert Arenas, and he'll break down offensive schemes and stuff like that in a very detailed manner. Brendan Haywood is the same way, except defensively.

I asked Haywood what the team strategy was on Andrew Bogut, who was held to just eight points on 4-14 shooting. Haywood had a major hand in that, of course, but Andray Blatche did a good job on Bogut as well. That's really key, because Bogut does so many things for the Bucks.

"Our strategy wasn't to double Bogut at all. We really just kind of wanted to stay at home. You don't want to make anyone comfortable, so you want to sometimes, when he starts dribbling, fake at him a little bit, make him think he might be being doubled when he's really not. But our whole thing was, listen, let's not let this guy get to his left. Even though he's right-handed, he really likes to use his left hand. Let's keep him off his left hand and take away his space for his jump shot."

Now THAT'S a detailed breakdown. It shows Haywood does his homework on players to make sure they won't get in their comfort zone. That's a huge part of being a good defensive player, and Haywood seems to have mastered it.

I also asked Haywood about the team's strategy on Brandon Jennings, who had 17 points, but needed 21 shots to get there.

"We really tried to converge at [Jennings] at the rim. We realized early on that he drives to score more than he drives to pass, so we really tried to step up, take away his scoring angles and make him shoot jump shots. That's just the name of the game. You make guys take contested jump shots, you're going to play good defense."

This is an interesting observation by Haywood. I have noticed a couple times that Jennings tends to shoot those little floaters once he gets into the lane instead of focusing on driving and dishing. He passes really well off the pick and roll on the perimeter, but not as well when he gets to the rim. Again, Haywood did his homework tonight and does it all season. That's the sign of a defensive leader.

Other stuff

Flip Saunders on Andray Blatche:

"Andray's in a tough situation. Right now, our two most consistent people have really been Antawn and Brendan. At times, it's tough to take those guys out. Sometimes, when Antawn gets on a roll, he's one of those guys where he gets on a roll, you want to keep him playing because he doesn't seem to get tired. He gets better as he keeps on going. But to Andray's credit, he's kept a positive attitude these past few games, and even though he played 19 minutes, he had a solid 19 minutes."

Antawn Jamison on beating two very different teams (Toronto and Milwaukee) in back-to-back nights.

"Knowing that the style of play [between TOR and MIL] is very different, for you to be able to adjust to that really speaks volumes. That's the type of team that we have to be. We can be a team that can run up and down the court with you, or we can be a team that can play physical and rebound and just grind it out."

Gilbert Arenas on the last play:

"On the last play, they were so worried about me, and I was like 'You're about get a rude awakening, because this is Earl's show.'"

Briefing: The World's Most Interesting Man Delivers Down the Stretch

JakeTheSnake — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:51:27 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

8 days ago: Washington Wizards guard Earl Boykins, left, is fouled by Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings with seconds left in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009. Boykins made his two free throws and the Wizards won 104-102. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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Washington hasn't seen someone as small as Earl Boykins have an impact this big since James Madison was in office.

Earl Boykins plays a big part in Wizards' 104-102 win over Milwaukee - Michael Lee, Washington Post

Boykins spent last season in Italy -- where his performance in a matchup with Jennings left an indelible mark on President Ernie Grunfeld -- and the Wizards signed him on Nov. 11 only after Javaris Crittenton, Mike James and Randy Foye came down with injuries, leaving the team with one point guard in Arenas. But Boykins has quickly provided some fourth quarter stability for the Wizards, leading the team to victories against Cleveland, Miami, Toronto and now Milwaukee, one of his eight former teams. He was especially clutch on the foul line, where he made his final four shots after missing three of his first six. "I was awful from the foul line, but it's different when the game is on the line. It's actually easier to play when the game is on the line," Boykins said. "Tonight, I was able to get it done for us."

Instant Analysis: Bucks-Wizards - Brian Jackson, CSN Washington

It’s been Earl Boykins not Gilbert Arenas who has led the Wizards down the stretch, to a couple of close wins. Boykins scored 11 of his 13 points in the final 10 minutes, causing the fans in the Verizon Center to chant "MVP! MVP! MVP! At this point in the season he’s been the Wizards fourth quarter MVP if nothing else. Not that Arenas isn’t doing his part --finished with a game high 22 points and 9 assist-- but with the game on the line Flip Saunders put the ball in the hands of his 5’5’’ spark plug. "If you look at the games that we have won, (Earl) he has finished games for us. He has the ability to make plays and make free throws. The first game was a great example, we lost but he finished strong and he is a unique player with the ability that he has to do. "

Wizards 104, Bucks 102: the Big Three and a little one that was even bigger - Craig Stouffer, Washington Examiner

Earl Boykins, who wasn’t even on an NBA roster at the beginning of the season, scored 10 of the Wizards' last 14 points, including two free throws with one second remaining, to give Washington a 104-102 win over Milwaukee. It wasn’t just that Boykins (13 points – 11 in the 4th quarter – and four assists) played the role of closer – again – instead of any number of players that the Wizards are built around, but the way he did it. With the Bucks leading, 99-96, Boykins played the pick and roll, and smoothly stepped back for 14-foot fadeaway jumper of 7-foot Andrew Bogut. On the next trip down the floor, Bogut wasn’t going to let Boykins do the same thing, and stepped out even further, only to see Boykins feed Brendan Haywood (8 points, 14 rebounds) for an uncontested throw-down.

Boykins Comes Up Big For Wizards - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington

In the game’s final 1:39 Boykins made four free throws, hit a 14 foot fade a way jumper and put the Wizards ahead for a good with an assist on a Brendan Haywood dunk to make it 100-99 with: 59 seconds left. Boykins used his 5'5" size as an advantage as he weaved around the top of the key and then in need of assistance called for a screen to be set by Haywood. With the screen set, Boykins drew all the attention at the right elbow and then shoveled a pass to a cutting Haywood for the dunk. "[Andrew] Bogut hadn’t stepped up on a shot for a guard all night long so we chose to attack him down the stretch and see what he was going to do and he finally stepped up. Earl dropped a pass and I was able to get an easy dunk," Haywood said.

Wizards 104, Bucks 102 [UPDATED] - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Funny how Boykins was working out in Denver last month when the Wizards called him out of desperation because of their depleted backcourt. Three weeks later, he's on the floor with three all-stars in Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, and he's making plays in the end. Boykins has now closed out wins against Cleveland, Miami, Toronto and Milwaukee. He has done this in previous stops, so this isn't a surprise for Arenas or Jamison, who watched him do the same thing with the Golden State Warriors. "To you guys it's a surprise, but that's what Earl does. He was a great scorer at Eastern Michigan, he's been in the league 11 years because of it. He makes plays," said Arenas, who scored four points in the final period. "I was with him at Golden States and the same results. We played in the fourth quarter together and that's how we did it. Coach yelled at us four games ago...and said 'Why don't you run the [darn] floor?' and I was like 'Well, see me and Earl have this thing from the last couple years. He attacks and if nothing's there, he kicks it back to me. And then I drive and attack.' So, that's just how we play."

Wizards 104, Bucks 102 - Mike Jones, Outlet

Seriously. I mean, I know it may drop off at any moment, but for now, Earl Boykins is hot at the right time for the Wizards. Gilbert Arenas still is working his way back, and although he's getting better as is evidence of the last two days. But without Earl Boykins and his late-game charges of energy, the Wizards very well could be looking at 3-14 instead of 7-10. This little dude has now had four games in which his fourth-quarter heroics have led the Wizards to victory.

Last Night's Action: The Tiny Man In The Middle - Aaron Morrissey, DCist

In a league populated with giants, it's easy to forget about Earl Boykins. Standing at five-foot-five and tipping the scales at 133 pounds, he is, quite literally, a David amongst the Goliaths of the National Basketball Association. But when Boykins picks up his figuartive slingshot, he suddenly becomes a lot harder to miss. The Lilliputian one scored 11 points in the last ten minutes, including hitting two free throws with one second left to lead the Wizards to yet another win last night -- their fourth in their last five games.

The little man steps up big for the Wizards - William Yoder, Agent Dagger

Gilbert Arenas had his second good game in a row. The point gaurd added a team high 22 points and nine assists on the night. While it seems he has finally found his confidence to attack the basket, he is still struggling to find his shooting stroke. Arenas was 1-6 from three tonight, and only 10-24 overall. On the season he is shooting a career low 39 per cent from the field.

Wizards hold on to defeat Bucks - Matt Kremnitzer, Krem's Sports Blog

I'm impressed with Young. He turned the ball over five times last night, which is too much, but he shot well from the field and seems to play well with the other starters. I wasn't sure if he'd be able to bounce back from not playing much to start the season, but he worked hard and is certainly contributing right now. I'm not sure if Randy Foye is completely healthy or not, but Young's recent play and the presence of Earl Boykins have really cut into Foye's minutes. Last night, Foye played only five minutes and didn't score a point.

Game Notes: Milwaukee vs. Washington - Rashad Mobley, Hoops Addict

In the second quarter, Gilbert Arenas came down on three consecutive possessions, drove the ball, was seemingly fouled, but nothing was called. After each call, he went and pleaded his case to the referees. This happened just one night after he earned a technical foul against Toronto for doing the same thing. In the third quarter, Arenas again complained about the officiating, and this time that complaining led to him being relaxed on defense and Brandon Jennings went by him and scored. Flip Saunders promptly called a timeout and yelled something to Arenas as he ran off the floor. After the game, Arenas explained his behavior, "I used to average 11 or 12 free throws a game, and now I can’t even get a call. I feel like they’re profiling me as a player," Arenas said while he stood in front of his locker. "They say I’m creating all the contact, and I’m saying that’s what a scorer is supposed to do, there’re supposed to create the contact when they get in the lane. If they [the defensive players] are outside the lane its a charge…now if they’re inside the lane and I run into them, its a no-call. I’m asking [the refs] where do I win that? Last night I got frustrated I got a technical."

Gilbert Arenas Feels Profiled By The Refs - Kyle Weidie, Truth About It

From where I sit, Arenas needs to stop worrying about the refs (at least not more than the standard in-game politicking). Warranted or not, he can’t use a lack of calls as a lingering reason in the back of his head to why some things might not be working. Keep attacking the basket, but do it with scoring in mind, not trying to draw a foul while throwing up whatever attempt that can be mustered. Arenas is still trying to get a feel for his own game, his new coach, and his teammates … much less a feel for how he will be addressed by referees on aggressive moves to the hoop. Allowing frustration to mount won’t help his play or standing with the whistle-blowers. But just like anything else, and to quote a favorite term of Ernie Grunfeld and Flip Saunders, Arenas achieving an offensive comfort zone is a "process." Only time will tell if this process will result in success for Agent Zero his team.

Wizards 104, Bucks 102 - Alex Boeder, Brew Hoop

The Wizards shot 54.3 % from the field despite none of the big three really feeling it tonight: Arenas (10-24), Jamison (5-8), Butler (4-10). Post-game, Skiles had nothing good to say about the defensive performance, and I must say that I can't recall many big stops on that side of the ball.

Defense remains in absentia: Wizards 104 - Bucks 102

Bogut STRUGGLED. I was worried Brendan Haywood’s length and strength would give Bogut problems and they certainly did. He was getting very few clean looks and his touch didn’t seem to be there even when he did get some looks. On the plus side he was able to dish out five assists, a sign that he recognized it was not a favorable match-up for him.

Boykins comes up big for Wizards - Associated Press

It was Saunders' 1,000th career game as a head coach. He has a 594-406 record. ... Before the game, Saunders said he's adjusting to the number of fans arriving after tipoff at Washington games. "It's something we've got to try to change," he said. "As the team becomes better ... they'll want to come out and hopefully get out here sooner."

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Mike Jones
Wizards fans only get out of their seats for food. People screaming themselves red in the face over some free donuts.

Twitter / Michael Lee
Poor Andrew Bogut. Gilbert Arenas knocked him to the ground, he stood up, then Caron Butler dunked on him. Stay on the ground!

Twitter / wizznutzz
oh, our bad!!! you not mean massive slobbering. sorry so much!!!! RT @BulletsForever: Earl Boykins does a lot of dribbling.

Twitter / Tas Melas
The ball in Earl Boykins to win the game. Love the call Flip. Brandon fouls him. He didn't think he'd be guarding smaller players in the NBA

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Earl Boykins is the Closer. Flip has only called for Pick&Rolls b/t him & Haywood on last couple of possessions. Wiz up 100-99, 0:59 left

Twitter / The BF gang
So I was hoping for Antonio Daniels instead of Earl Boykins when they signed him. Mea culpa, everyone. Mea culpa!

Twitter / George V. Panagakos
Boykins 11 pts in 4th Q; MVP chants; the man is rolling since he's been in a Wizards uniform

Briefing: The Aggressive Gilbert is Back...For One Night At Least

JakeTheSnake — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:25:29 -0000

More photos » by CHRIS YOUNG - AP

9 days ago: Washington Wizards' Gilbert Arenas (0)jumps for the basket against Toronto Raptors' Amir Johnson, left, and Antoine Wright during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Chris Young)

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It's hard to say that anyone is back after just one performance, but Gilbert Arenas showed some nice signs last night that we may see Gilbert return to being the aggressive player we once knew. Just being aggressive won't unlock the pre-injury Gilbert Arenas, but it's an important step in the right direction. Even if his drives to the rim aren't generating points effectively (he was 7-17 from the field) his penetration, if not his passing, opens things up for everyone else. Gilbert's concerns about not freezing out his teammates are well-taken, but playing tentatively like he has does nothing to help the team or himself. Tonight we'll see if he can dial up the aggression again versus Brandon Jennings.

Jamison, Arenas lead Wizards past Raptors - Associated Press

Gilbert Arenas broke out of a scoring slump by dropping his new pass-first approach. Arenas had 22 points and nine assists, Antawn Jamison had 30 points and 12 rebounds and the Washington Wizards beat the Toronto Raptors 106-102 on Tuesday night. "We’ve got confidence in him," Jamison said of Arenas, who was limited to just 15 games the past two years because of knee problems. "We know he’s going to find a way to get out of it and make us a better team and start being his old self again, too."

Wizards 106, Raptors 102 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Saunders also has realized that he cannot keep Boykins off the floor to finish games. Three of the Wizards' past four wins have come with Boykins running the show down the stretch. This time, though, Arenas shared the floor with him. They both agreed that it was like their time together in Golden State, when they were the closers. "It relieves the pressure," Arenas said of sharing ball-handing duties with Boykins. "It gets me off the ball. It puts me back in my old mold where I was just a scorer. So every time I got it and I can go score. So I don't have to worry about anything." The Wizards are better when Arenas isn't worrying about anything.

Wizards 106, Raptors 102 - Mike Jones, Outlet

"I decided today I was going to be aggressive," Arenas said. "When you average 29 and 6 assists and you average 20 and six assists, might as well play a little bit harder and be more aggressive. That’s what I tried to do today. I hit a three and from there I just picked my spots. I tried to score, got to the free throw line. and then from there, we just hit shots. We had 34 in the fourth, it was good for us.".

Wizards Hold Off Raptors - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington

The response in the fourth quarter made up for the bad third and brought back memories of the days of the "big three". Along with Jamison and Arenas, Caron Butler was very much involved and included in his 19 points was a driving dunk on the baseline to give the Wizards much need breathing room at 99-94 with a 1:16 left. "We have had a couple of these wins," Saunders added "We just have not capitalized on them. We know the formula to win. Defend, execute offensively and control tempo of the game."

Instant Analysis: Wizards-Raptors - Brian Jackson, CSN Washington

It’s The Little Things That Count: Flip Saunders was very critical of his team’s effort following the loss to Charlotte. The energy was at an all-time high in Toronto. In the first quarter Randy Foye made a nice save while following out of bounds and that led to a lay up on the other end. Jamison, Arenas and Andray Blatche all hit the deck going after loose balls. The Wizards topped the Raptors 10-2 in the steals department and won the fast break points battle 13-4.

Wizards kick-start busy week with victory - Mike Jones, Washington Times

More impressive than his offensive output, though, was Haywood's defense on Toronto's Chris Bosh, who needed 22 shots to score 22 points. After Haywood held him scoreless in the first quarter, Bosh went off for 18 in the second. But in the third and fourth quarters, Haywood clamped down again, limiting the power forward to four points on 1-for-8 shooting. "He had a great second quarter against us, and I knew that if I didn't do something, it was going to be a long night for us," Haywood said. "A lot of it had to do with our team defensive schemes, but I was just trying to cut off his left hand. And I tried to meet him at the rim with his right."

Wizards top the Raptors 106-102 - William Yoder, Agent Dagger

Nick Young earned yet another start for the Wizards, and logged 30 minutes in a highly contested game. Young however, played a very different role Tuesday night than he has in his previous starts. In this game he played the supporting role to the big three, where in the past he had been a more of a gunner. The 24-year-old scored six points on 3-9 shooting, he also added no assists and committed no turnovers. This is a role I could get behind.

Last Night's Action: A Well Rounded Effort - Aaron Morissey, DCist

There's little more satisfying than seeing your team come out on top of a thoroughly entertaining and well-played game. It's a feeling Wizards fans haven't experienced very often of late. However, if Antawn Jamison keeps playing the way he has recently, such satisfaction might become a much more frequent occurrence: Jamison had 30 points and 12 boards as Washington outlasted a very game Toronto.

Raptors Rapid Recap: Washington 106 - Toronto 102 - Franchise, Raptors HQ

The Wizards got good offensive production from their big 3, and a bigger boost from role players like Brendan Haywood (15 points, 9 boards and 3 blocks) and Earl Boykins (8 points and 5 assists.) This was one of the key differences in the end as outside of Jarrett Jack (18 points), the rest of the Raptors' bench was very quiet offensively, and as usual, the defence didn't exactly hold up.

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Mike Jones
Earl Boykins has some company. Spud Webb in the building judging little kid slam dunk contest.

Twitter / Jack Kogod
Great to see the Wiz take a lead going into the half. The locker room fruit plate should be safe for now.

Twitter / The BF gang
Toronto goes to Hack-A-Wood?

Twitter / Agent Dagger
I think the Wizards are motivated to wrap this one up and get home to watch the Victorias Secret Fashion Show tonight at 10

Twitter / Michael Lee
Wiz lead 55-54 after Boykins J. Wiz should play at this pace more often. Guys look more comfy. Gilbert has 7 assts with 0 TOs at half.

Twitter / wizznutzz
Is Andray Blatche like Chris Bosh minus skills, desire, Jar Jar Binks costume?

Antawn Jamison emphatically tells Gilbert Arenas to "play his game"

Mike Prada — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:37:57 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

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I've probably flip-flopped more times on the value of Antawn Jamison's "leadership" than any other issue surrounding this team. Last year, I thought it was overrated, since he was throwing jabs at the young guys that I thought were undeserved. Now that I've been around the team for a while, I can see how they all value it so much.

At this very moment, I'm very happy about Jamison's leadership. Why? At practice today, I asked him what he thinks about Gilbert Arenas' on-court mentality (i.e. does he need to be more aggressive, etc.). Antawn's response? He needs to just play and stop listening to what everyone else wants him to be.

"That's the thing I tell him," Jamison said after practice today. "Don't listen to me."

"'But coach [said this]," Jamison continued, imitating Arenas, before saying in his own voice, "Don't listen. You play your game. You do what has gotten you to this point. Now, if you can't do that, you got to find a way to get close to it."

"I said to him, 'Man, don't listen to nobody. Just do what you do. Don't try to do what someone else is telling you to do."

Jamison said he cannot tell Arenas whether to be aggressive or to set people up. He said that would be like someone telling him to "cross people up like Allen Iverson." "That's going to be a turnover, we going the other way," Jamison said. "I don't do that. Two or three dribbles, and it's going up."

He added that there are too many voices in Arenas' head, saying that Arenas just needs to be patient and work his way back. He added that we shouldn't take for granted how difficult it is for Arenas to get back to where he once was after being out for most of the past two years.

"I just think – I won’t say he’s listening, but so much has been said as far as ‘We need him to be aggressive’ or ‘We need him to set people up.’ Gil knew when to be aggressive. He knew when to set people up. But like I said, the guy hasn’t played in however many so games, so he’s just going to have to get back into the thick of things. He’s going to have to understand, ‘How can I do this 15-20 games into the season?’ ‘How can I do this for four-in-five nights or four-in-six nights?’ That’s the tough thing. I’m still trying to do it, and I’ve been healthy the last two or three seasons."

Jamison's entire response took over two minutes, and I've rarely seen him more worked up than he was then. That's not to say he was angry, but clearly, he had a message he wanted to get across and he wanted it to be emphatic.

For his part, Flip Saunders said point blank that Arenas has no confidence right now and that he needs to be more aggressive and stop passing up open shots. He, of course, said it in a much more measured way than Jamison did.

As for Arenas? He wasn't there when I got there. A Wizards PR director told me Arenas was getting his passport renewed in preparation for tomorrow's trip to Toronto. I'm not sure whether he left early before the media got there or didn't practice altogether.

More later...

The bottom line with the Wizards? The stars aren't performing

Mike Prada — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:17:14 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

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Normally, I'm all for over-analysis. And I still am, even though it can be time-consuming and nerve-racking when it comes to our Wizards. Clearly, the team's 5-10 November has a lot to do with complicated explanations that have no easy answers.

But the truth is, for all of the Wizards' supposed problems, there are only two parts that really aren't working. Antawn Jamison has come back and played even better than usual in his first few games (the Charlotte game notwithstanding). When healthy, Mike Miller has been excellent. Brendan Haywood is having another outstanding year, typified by his outstanding offensive board work (he's grabbing almost 15% of all available offensive rebounds this year). Randy Foye was good early and Nick Young has been good lately. Fabricio Oberto has been himself. Andray Blatche continues to perform solidly (give him more minutes!). JaVale McGee has flashed nice upside, and Earl Boykins has been a revelation. The defense is currently 20th in the league, which isn't great, but at least is respectable.

All those parts are working fine. The problem is that the two most important parts are underperforming, significantly. Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler have each been a shell of themselves all month, and that's all you need to know about the Wizards this season. It's like saying all parts of your car are working fine ... except the engine and the brakes. If your engine and your brakes aren't working, chances are your car is screwed. If your two best players aren't performing, then you're toast as a basketball team.

The drop-off this month for Arenas and Butler has been equally steep. Arenas has gone from being a superstar to being an average player, while Butler has gone from being a secondary star to a below-average performer. Each has their excuses - Arenas is coming back from two years off and learning how to quarterback an exceedingly complicated system, while Butler is at least putting in more effort on defense - but each needs to step it up.

Just how bad has it been for each? Here are tables illustrating how far off both guys have been from their career averages in several key categories.

Stat	Arenas this year	Arenas career	Difference
Pts/36	20.2	21.9	-1.7
FG%	39.2%	42.6%	-3.4%
3PT%	33.3%	35.7%	-2.4%
FT%	73%	80.6%	-7.6%
TS%	49.2%	55.4%	-6.2%
eFG%	43.5%	48.6%	-5.1%
PER	15.6	20.6	-5
TO%	15.9%	14%	-1.9%
ORtg	98	111	-13

And as for Arenas' on/off court stats ... well, let's just say they aren't pretty and leave it at that. (Major caveat with these for both players - it's probably too early for the sample size to be significant. Just throwing them out there).

So that's not pretty. But Butler's situation isn't really much better.

Stat	Butler this season	Butler career	Difference
Pts/36	15.8	16.5	-0.7
FG%	41.2%	44.2%	-3%
3PT%	26.7%	31.4%	-4.7%
TS%	49.7%	52.5%	-2.8%
eFG%	43.3%	46.2%	-2.9%
PER	12.6	16.6	-4
AST%	5.2%	14.5%	-9.3%
TO%	14%	12.8%	-1.2%
ORtg	96	106	-10

And while Butler isn't hurting the team as badly as Arenas is according to the on/off data, he is still a major net negative. Not to mention that Butler really doesn't have as many built-in excuses as Arenas. Sure, Butler has an adjustment to the new offense, but it's nowhere near as difficult as Gilbert's. Gilbert is basically entrusted with getting everyone going at a time when he doesn't even know if he can get himself going after being hurt so much the past two years. Butler, on the other hand, is being asked to catch and shoot more. One adjustment is bigger than the other. (Of course, one guy is also getting paid more than the other, so he should have a bigger adjustment. And the wagons keep turning, and we keep arguing like kindred spirits around the virtual sports bar that we populate here).

Now, these are just stats. As we all know, stats can tell us what's happening with remarkable precision, but they can't tell us how and the why what's happening is happening. That's where the overanalysis comes in, and this is as good a spot as any for you all to chime in with your theories about these two.

All I'm trying to say, though, is that we need not spent hours trying to dissect what the problem with the Wizards is right now, because it's clearly Arenas and Butler.

Briefing: Down Goes Public Enemy No. 3

JakeTheSnake — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:12:00 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

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Game Hub | Boxscore | Game Flow

LeBron James has been the bane of the Wizards' existence in the playoffs for several years. The travels, the whining, the game-winners, the intense competition each time these two take the court; it's enough to stir some powerful emotion each time LeBron steps on the court. Although LeBron gets the last laugh each season, the Wizards play LeBron and the Cavs tight.

On the other hand, Dwyane Wade destroys everything in his path when he takes on the Wizards. Save for two losses in 2007 when he and the team limped to a 15-67 record, Wade was undefeated against Washington.

Until last night, that is.

Wade had his second-worst shooting performance (6-19 from the field) and his second-worst scoring total (18 points) this season. As was mentioned in last night's recap, Nick Young was a huge part of slowing down The Flash. But we must remember that it takes a true team effort to slow down any superstar, so kudos to the whole team for limiting someone whom they had no success slowing down in the past.

Wizards 94, Heat 84 - Mike Jones, Outlet

The first key to slowing Wade was going right at him. The Wizards figured rather than let Wade simply concentrate his efforts on the offensive end of the court, make him play some defense as well and wear him down. Another key was Nick's length. He's three inches taller than Wade, which helps, but the kid's also got a 7-foot wingspan! Those long arms made it difficult for Wade to get comfortable looks at the basket. And Young didn't even have to foul often to limit his counterpart.

Wizards get their first back-to-back victories of the season - William Yoder, Agent Dagger

Young has earned a third chance and has taken the opportunity seriously. In his last two games he has scored 20 and 22 points, and for the first time in his career, has shown a true commitment to defense. That defense was on display tonight as he put together a masterpiece against the Heat's Dwyane Wade. Wade was held to 18 points, his second lowest total on the season. Perhaps most impressive however is that Young stopped Wade from doing what he does best, getting to the line. Wade only attempted seven free throws on the game, five of them not coming until the game was well in hand in the last eight minutes of the fourth quarter.

Wizards 94, Heat 84 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

"I told him, until I get a rhythm where I can play consistent basketball, I need him to score. I need him to be aggressive. I need him Tawn and CB to be the scorers in that starting group," said Arenas, who had just nine points and five assists in 27 minutes. But he did some smart things with the ball, especially late in the third quarter, when the Heat scored nine consecutive points and got within 63-62 when Wade made two free throws. Instead of settling for some fallaway jumper, Young responded by driving to the basket and converting a nifty reverse layup.

Last Night's Action: Two In A Row - Aaron Morrissey, DCist

But while Agent Zero struggled to find his rhythm, Wade also looked flat. (Perhaps he was still fatigued after the Heat's dramatic win over Orlando on Thanksgiving eve.)

Dwyane Wade struggles again as Miami Heat falls to Wizards - Barry Jackson, Miami Herald

Wade, continuing a recent stretch of erratic shooting, finished with 18 points on 6-for-19 accuracy. Young, starting in injured Mike Miller's absence, scored 22. ``I wasn't getting calls I thought I should get,'' Wade said. ``It's schemes -- lot of double teams, lot of picks and rolls. We've got to find a better way to get me the ball in different positions.''

Jamison lights fire under Wizards - Mike Jones, Washington Times

The Wizards had blown a double-digit third-quarter lead, and the hosts needed only a 3-pointer to tie the score as the fourth quarter opened Friday night. But there was a scowling Jamison at midcourt, clapping, barking - anything he could think of to motivate his teammates. The Wizards responded with a charge and won 94-84 for their first victory against Dwyane Wade and Co. this season. "I said early in the year that that was something we missed," coach Flip Saunders said of Jamison, who missed the first nine games of the season with a partially dislocated shoulder. "Some of these games might have been a different story, not only with his leadership but also his ability to make tough shots. He's emotional, and he's going to be there when you need him."

Jamison Leads Wizards Past Heat - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington

Midway through the third quarter Jamison reached 17 points by wiggling in position to tip-in a missed jump shot by Young. With the basket the Wizards went up 61-53 and Jamison reached 16,000 career points. Jamison along with Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan, are the only active players with at least 16,000 career points and 6,000 career rebounds.

Instant Analysis: Wizards-Heat - Brian Jackson, CSN Washington

Similar to the win against Cleveland, it was Earl Boykins instead of Arenas who got the call to close out the victory for the Wizards in Miami. Boykins provided the spark for a bench that outscored that of the Heat 24-4. He finished the game with 10 points and 9 assists en route to a +17 +/- rating. In the closing minutes Boykins hit a leaning jump shot that iced the game and cued a "dagger" from Steve Buchantz.

Wizards 94, Heat 84: Two in a row, finally - Craig Stouffer, Washington Examiner

How about Earl Boykins? 10 points, 9 assists, ZERO turnovers in 21 minutes on the floor. It’s not even that Arenas had a bad game, although his numbers (9 points, 5 assists) were well short of what he’s used to. It’s just that Boykins was that much better down the stretch. Can’t wait to see how this plays out, but it seems like the way that it should is Arenas should be on the bench until his shooting percentage goes up or his turnovers go down, plain and simple.

Arenas and Wizards finally knock off the Heat - Michael Lee, Washington Post

The Wizards wore black tape on their uniforms in honor of Abe Pollin, the franchise's longtime owner who died on Tuesday at age 85 and was buried earlier Friday. Following an emotional week that included a spat between Arenas and Caron Butler, they won their first game within the Southeast Division after losing twice to Miami and once to Atlanta. They will host the Charlotte Bobcats Saturday night at Verizon Center.

Best of the Twitterverse

If you're wondering why this game's version is short, Mike Jones has the answer for you:

Twitter / Michael Lee
Flip's starting to like Tawn at the 3. He's got him in there with 7-Day Dray and the JaValevator.

Twitter / Agent Dagger
Screw Miller and Foye, Boykins is looking like the best acquisition in years

Twitter / Chase Hughes
Nick Young has tied a career high with 5 assists (3/2/08)

Twitter / George V. Panagakos
Arenas only scores 9 -- first game without double-digits scored this season for Gil

Twitter / Wizards Extreme
Wiz victorious against the D-Wade show. 2 in a row, I'll take it