SB Nation - Dominic McGuire

Keys to the Palace: Go west, young men

JakeTheSnake — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:14:07 -0000

As the D.C. area was bombarded with snow this week, the Wizards were out enjoying sixty degree weather out on the West Coast. Unfortunately, they didn't make the most of their time inside the climate-controlled domes, going 1-3 on the week. What makes the performance this week even sadder is that all four of Washington's opponents missed the playoffs last season.

Of course, Phoenix was the victim of an extremely deep Western Conference. The Kings, Clippers, and Warriors on the other hand, would have been bottom feeders in any conference last season, just like the Wizards last season. With the exception of the Warriors, all of the teams I have mentioned, including the Wizards, have improved since last season.

While the Suns, Kings, and Clippers have developed thanks to the acquisition and development of young talent, the Wizards went the veteran route, figuring that it would take less time to integrate veteran players into the team than a raw talent. Yet as you look at the standings, the Suns are right back in the thick of the Western Conference battle, the Kings and Clippers are hovering around .500, and Washington is the one struggling to win one-third of their games. If this year has shown anything, it's that rebuilding can be faster than remodeling.

As the Palace undergoes renovations, who deserves keys inside? Follow me after the jump to see who goes in and who stays out.

Gilbert Arenas

#0 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - 16 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals in 34 minutes (+11)
@ Sacramento - 33 points 6 assists, 4 rebounds in 38 minutes (+4)
@ Golden State - 45 points, 13 assists, 3 rebounds in 43 minutes (+17)
@ Phoenix - 22 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds in 24 minutes (-21)

Gilbert bookended the week with two clunker performances. But like an Oreo, the middle of the week was sweet. We will see if the swagger Gilbert gained out West will travel with him as the team heads back to D.C. In the meantime, enjoy some highlights from Gilbert and Stephen Curry's performance on Friday.

Final Verdict

Andray Blatche

#7 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - 3 points, 3 rebounds in 13 minutes (-11)
@ Sacramento - 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks in 18 minutes (-8)
@ Golden State - 8 points, 6 rebounds in 22 minutes (-12)
@ Phoenix - 7 points, 9 rebounds in 21 minutes (-9)

The bench was a weak point all week, and Blatche was one of the big culprits. The good news is that while Blatche has slumped as of late, he isn't hitting the dizzyling lows that he reached earlier in his career.

Final Verdict

Earl Boykins

#12 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - 1 assist, 1 rebound in 13 minutes (-13)
@ Sacramento - 8 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds in 15 minutes (-11)
@ Golden State - 2 points, 1 rebound in 4 minutes (-8)
@ Phoenix - 1 point, 2 assists in 14 minutes

Earl was the other big culprit in the bench's woes this weekend. 11 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds is decent output for one game, not four.

Final Verdict

Caron Butler

#3 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - 20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals in 39 minutes (+16)
@ Sacramento - 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist in 39 minutes (+3)
@ Golden State - 28 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals in 46 minutes (+13)
@ Phoenix - 10 points, 4 rebonds, 3 assists in 28 minutes (-18)

On the whole, Caron had a solid week. His shot selection improved, but as Kyle pointed out in this excellent post, Caron still has inefficient tendencies he needs to rid himself of. He summed it up best when he said, "why must Caron always find himself facing up further away from the basket than from where he started?"

Final Verdict

Javaris Crittenton

#8 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - DNP - Injured
@ Sacramento - DNP - Injured
@ Golden State - DNP - Injured
@ Phoenix - DNP - Injured

Just when it looked like Javaris was turning the corner, it looks like his ankle has flared up again. Why can't this guy catch a break?

Final Verdict

Randy Foye

#15 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - 4 points, 1 rebound in 4 minutes (-5)
@ Sacramento - 0 points, 1 rebound in 5 minutes (-3)
@ Golden State - 2 points in 4 minutes (-5)
@ Phoenix - 13 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound in 19 minutes (-3)

Foye logged 19 minutes on Saturday, the first time he's played over 15 minutes since he November 24th against Philadelphia. His performance, albeit mostly in garbage time, might be enough to earn back some minutes that he has lost to Earl Boykins.

Final Verdict

Brendan Haywood

#33 / Center / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - 12 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks in 41 minutes (+4)
@ Sacramento - 9 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks in 35 minutes (+1)
@ Golden State - 15 points, 12 rebounds in 33 minutes (+14)
@ Phoenix - 3 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist in 27 minutes (-17)

After three strong performances this week, Brendan had his worst outing of the season against the Suns. It's one thing to have season-lows in points and rebounds, but against Channing Frye? Seriously? It's a good thing his other three games were solid as usual.

Final Verdict

Mike James

#13 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - DNP - Injured
@ Sacramento - DNP - Injured
@ Golden State - DNP - Injured
@ Phoenix - DNP - Injured

This exchange between Mike and Dan Steinberg of DC Sports Bog sums up everything.

mikejames7: Working hard. Staying on my grind. Gotta stay right even though everything around me seems wrong

dcsportsbog: Um. That doesn't sound good RT @mikejames7 Working hard. Staying on my grind. Gotta stay right even though everything around me seems wrong

mikejames7: It's the truth.

Final Verdict

Antawn Jamison

#4 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - 32 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists in 37 minutes (+5)
@ Sacramento - 30 points, 8 rebounds in 35 minutes (-2)
@ Golden State - 10 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals in 36 minutes (+20)
@ Phoenix - 15 points, 4 rebounds in 28 minutes (-23)

Antawn carried the team through the first two games of the week. He nearly helped them win two games that the Wizards had no business winning. Even after he injured himself against the Warriors, Jamison did what he could to shoulder the burden, but he just could not do so at the same rate. Still can't fault him for going out there and trying to do what he could to help the team win.

Final Verdict

JaVale McGee

#34 / Center / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - DNP - Coach's Decision
@ Sacramento - DNP - Coach's Decision
@ Golden State - DNP - Coach's Decision
@ Phoenix - 2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks in 19 minutes (-5)

After tightening up the rotation for most of this week's road trip, Flip emptied the bench against Phoenix, giving players like JaVale McGee a chance to make their case for more playing time. If JaVale's performance on Saturday was a lawyer, arguing on JaVale's behalf for more playing time, it would have been Lionel Hutz.

Final Verdict

Dominic McGuire

#5 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - 2 points, 2 rebounds in 8 minutes (-19)
@ Sacramento - 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 13 minutes (+8)
@ Golden State - 0 points, 3 rebounds in 6 minutes (-8)
@ Phoenix - 2 points, 4 rebounds in 18 minutes (-2)

Dominic parlayed a solid performances against Detroit and Indiana into more playing time this week. He's slowly, but surely starting to wiggle his way into the rotation.

Final Verdict

Mike Miller

#6 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - DNP - Injured
@ Sacramento - DNP - Injured
@ Golden State - DNP - Injured
@ Phoenix - DNP - Injured

If I give you a key, will play this week? Pretty please?

Final Verdict

Fabricio Oberto

#21 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - 0 points, rebounds, or assists in 3 minutes (-1)
@ Sacramento - DNP - Coach's Decision
@ Golden State - DNP - Coach's Decision
@ Phoenix - DNP - Coach's Decision

I guess it's a good thing that the players ahead of him have made him irrelevant, but his disappearance from the rotation has been rather surprising.s

Final Verdict

DeShawn Stevenson

#2 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist in 24 minutes (+12)
@ Sacramento - 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist in 21 minutes (-3)
@ Golden State - 1 point, 3 assists in 20 minutes (+2)
@ Phoenix - 0 points, 1 rebound in 11 minutes (-8)

DeShawn played 76 minutes and he took ten shots to score five points. What else do you need to know?

Final Verdict

Nick Young

#1 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - 4 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound in 19 minutes (-9)
@ Sacramento - 5 points, 1 rebound, 2 blocks in 12 minutes (-4)
@ Golden State - 7 points, 2 rebounds in 23 minutes (+12)
@ Phoenix - 20 points, 1 assist, 5 rebounds in 27 minutes (-15)

Like Dominic McGuire, Nick is slowly, but surely getting more minutes. He's still learning the offense and how he fits in, but his defense is keeping him in the rotation. Who would have thought we would say that at the start of the year?

Final Verdict

Flip Saunders

Washington Wizards

This Week

@ Los Angeles - Lost 97-95
@ Sacramento - Lost 112-109
@ Golden State - Won 116-108
@ Phoenix - Lost 121-95

I'm not exactly sure when it clicked, but at some point this week Flip found out that he can't teach and motivate this team the same way he motivated the Pistons. Can he figure out a way to get through to this goofy squad? I don't doubt him, but he may have to take a page out of Eddie Jordan's playbook on how to balance the team's many quirky personalities.

Final Verdict

NBA Eastern Conference: Taking Stock

tenaciousT — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:04:32 -0000

NBA –arama

After making my preseason predictions, I said I'd check how things were going from time to time. It's time. Let's take a look around the east, see what’s going on, and fess up to a few big misses. A number of predictions are on target...so far. Preseason predictions are in parentheses followed by current record

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics (63-19) - 20-4
Thought they were going gently into their assisted living facilities, eh? Tut tut, my skeptical friends. The ‘assisted living’ comes courtesy of one Rajon Rondo, point guard extraordinaire. Rondo plays one gear higher than the rest of his starting unit.

11 game win streak says they are rounding into shape after starting strong, stumbling, then slowly righting the ship. The only major surprise was/is the lack of 48 minute intensity, and rebounding woes. They still look like one of the best teams in the NBA to challenge the Lakers. Back with a vengeance? They are back. Vengeance comes later.

Toronto (35-47) - 11-17
International crisis or communication breakdown?
Some expected more, but they are about where I expected and for the same reason – defense. Bargnani is part of the dilemma. He is a skilled big, but not an interior presence. With a domestic vs. international player rift surfacing recently, the Raps played their best defensive game of the season afterwards. Hedo’s not fitting in like they hoped…yet.

Jose Calderon has disappointed so far in what was supposed to be his big year. The rebuilt roster should be better later in the season, but aren’t built for prolonged defense. They are giving up 103.5 over their last 5 games, which 5 points better than before.

New York (31-51) - 8-16
After a 3-14 start, the ‘D’Antonies’ are 5-2 in their last 7 games. Another team without interior defense. They looked under every rock for a bona fide PG but the right one – the draft. Biggest current embarrassment is choosing Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings in the draft. This was going to be a learning year anyway, right? Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Eric Maynor, Jeff Teague were also still out there. Any of those better than Chris Duhon? Maybe some are already.

D’Antoni, frankly, has disappointed as well. I’ll confess, I thought Darko Milicic was a good risk for a team starved for bigs that block shots and play defense. Go figure. Jordan Hill may end up being a good player some day, too. Winning started by benching Nate Robinson. Coincidence? Sharp shooter Gallinari continues to impress, adds some board work.

76ers (41-41) – 6-19
Okay, this is one that’s not going as I thought it would. Oye.
Injuries are only part of the problem. Is Brand a lesser player now? Or is he just on the wrong team? Maybe it’s all bad karma for Elton leaving a good situation in Clipperland. (Yes, I did just say that.) Louis Williams (injured), Marreese Speights, and Thaddeus Young give hope for the future. It’s so bad that Iverson is back. Yeah, I know.

New Jersey (26-56) – 2-24
Say no more. Accident on the Jersey Turnpike. Tie up for miles, but not for years. No, they are not this bad. Bad luck continues with Yi Jianlian getting 50 stitches (yes 50) in his mouth courtesy of a Sean Williams elbow in a recent practice. The sooner this team can exit the swamp the better. Still, Brook Lopez will become an even better player if this season doesn’t kill him first. Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts are all good young talent.

Central Division

Cleveland (58-24) – 19-7
They are much better after starting 0-2 and 3-3. Not dominating like last season, but still a force. Shaq shooting a career low 49%, though they are now winning with him. Most lopsided team scoring distribution I have ever seen for a top team. Only three players in double digits and one of them is Shaq at 10.8 per.

Second best FG% defense and 4th best points allowed means they are still dangerous and in the hunt. Though Shaq is mostly a sideways or backwards move, if they get to the finals he helps against Lakers’ frontline. Shaq can’t slow down an already very slow team…can he? I feared this team more last year. Stop LeBron and you stop the Cavs. Am I wrong?

Stat of note: Cavs lead league in points in paint defense (34.1)

Milwaukee (35-47) – 11-12
Early season surprise coming back to earth lately. Many thought I had them too high. But Skiles always seems to get players to overachieve for a few years, until his tough guy ways get tired. Brandon Jennings makes a big splash with 55 point game but is tailing off since then. Still, he is the real deal and will figure things out.

Bucks are first in shot attempts and dead last in free throw attempts, which pretty much goes hand in hand. No one on this team gets to the line, except Jennings and Hakim Warrick.

Side Note: Toronto is known as the international team. But even they can’t compete with Milwaukee. Current starters are from 5 different countries: Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Cameroon, and U.S. Positively cosmopolitan for a city Shlitz beer made famous.

Detroit (36-46) - 11-14
I guess they are a bit better than I thought. Will this last? Even with key players injured, they put together a recent 5 game winning streak. They are still working a new system with a new coach. Loss of Tayshaun Prince hurts, Gordon is playing hurt, and Rip Hamilton is still in and out.

Still, the biggest surprise is the renaissance of "I’m retiring" Ben Wallace. Back up to 30 minutes and 10 rebounds a game, he can still defend, too. Detroit is 2nd best in points in paint defense. Can he do it all year and where is his help?

Pistons have the 3rd best total rebounding and 3rd best offensive rebounding differential in the league. Rodney Stuckey’s career year (19.3 pts) is offset by lower shooting %. He should stop taking three pointers altogether (21.4%)

Indiana (30-52) – 9-14
Danny Granger’s team is without Danny Granger for a while. With mediocre stats everywhere, just what do they do better than most NBA teams? Foul. They are 3rd in league with 2.2 foul differential.

Mike Dunleavy returns to a system that uses him to his best advantage and not a minute too soon. If the Pacers win 36 games, and that’s possible, that means O’Brien would have coached three straight 36-46 records here. Hey I have to find something interesting, don’t I? T.J. Ford is underwhelming again.

How are they doing attracting more fans? The past three years they went from 30th to 28th to 27th this season in attendance. They are a team with more integrity, but a few more wins wouldn’t hurt, would it?

Chicago (41-41) - 8-15 No one expected this meltdown. The loss of Ben Gordon’s 4th quarter points, Tyrus Thomas’ injury, Kirk Hinrich playing hurt, John Salmons’ underachieving season are all contributors, but all are secondary to Derrick Rose’s lack of noticeable improvement.

The chant for Vinny Del Negro’s head grows louder and I’m not against it. But I’d ask…who hired a rookie head coach for this team in the first place? That is where the blame should lie. Del Negro did reasonably well last season, but the wheels are falling off the wagon now.

Deng is playing well and Joakim Noah is continuing his rise up the food chain, but it’s nowhere near enough. I am fast becoming a Joakim Noah fan. Plays with passion, toughness, and heart.

Southeast Division

Orlando (60-22) -19-6
Fools go where wise men fear to tread – the paint against the Magic. They are crazy deep and probably Boston’s biggest problem in the East. Jameer Nelson returns soon and that’s not good news for opponents. Right now they are better offensively (5th rated) but worse defensively (9th rated) than last season, while giving up 2.2 more points.

This is a great situation for Vince Carter, who is playing 5 minutes less, but leads the team in scoring (19), while still hoisting up 17 shots per and will be a solid 4th quarter option for the Magic.

D. Howard is getting one less block a game, but shooting a career high in FG% (63.4%) While they probably over paid a bit for Mickael Pietrus ($5.3 mil), he continues to be a valuable piece to this team. Ryan Andersen has quietly been a nice addition. Marcin Gortat – the unhappy multi-millionaire.

Atlanta (48-34) - 18-6
This team is playing even better than I thought….and I thought this would be a good team. Woodson said the next thing is to learn how to win on the road. The Hawks are 7-4 so far this season and that is a huge step forward. Three of those road wins were against very tough home teams - Dallas, Boston and Portland.

For a team that could lose their leader (Joe Johnson) and their coach next season, they are moving from pretender to contender. Their youthful exuberance could make up for whatever they are missing. Al Horford and Josh Smith are unique young players and Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson provide the veteran leadership. They are pasting the lesser teams and are 3rd in the league in average winning margin at +8.4 points. Just behind the Celtics and Lakers. Hmm…

Miami (38-44) – 12-11
Dwayne Wade is to this team what LeBron is to the Cavs. Probably more so. Jermaine O’Neal is actually playing pretty well, but is a shell of his earlier self. We knew going in that the Heat go as Wade goes. Michael Beasley is improving and Haslem is solid.

They stretched the Lakers to a (lucky) Kobe Bryant banked buzzer beating 3 pointer over Wade’s outstretched hand. That probably defines their season as well as anything. With $50 million coming off the books in 2010, this team (hopefully) gets a complete rebuild. With a player option for $17 million, whether Wade stays or not remains to be seen.

Charlotte (33-49) - 10-14
Solid defensive team (2nd in points allowed) that has trouble scoring (27th). Deliberate offense (pace: 28th in NBA) helps keep opponents’ numbers down. 5-5 over the last ten, they added controversial, but multi-talented Stephen Jackson. It gives the team a focal point (and… gulp…leader) Larry Brown has great experience handling prima donna players and Raymond Felton is playing better since Jackson’s arrival.

Gerald Wallace, the last original Bobcat, was plucked from deep on Sacramento’s bench. Time to test him for HRH (Human Rebound Hormone). He has gone crazy boarding, up from 7.8 last season to 12.2 this year. I’d like to know the last time an established player made that kind of jump. He continues to ply his game for a team going nowhere.

Talented DJ Augustine has perplexingly gone backwards this season. Tyson Chandler, who could have been an earlier version of Joakim Noah, is showing how much Chris Paul helped his game.

But we forget just how bad this team was before Larry Brown arrived.

Washington (41-41) - 7-16
In preseason I wrote…. "everyone’s favorite ‘move up’ team." What I didn’t write was that it would take some doing to keep all these scorers happy with shots and minutes. Unfortunately, that appears to be the case. And things aren’t getting better. They are on a 6 game losing streak as I write this.

I never saw a happier, more hopeful team in the losers’ locker room than the one that ended its season against the Celtics last year. They all knew a much better year was coming. They had their version of a big three returning. But ubuntu doesn’t live here. Tragic because there is a lot of talent here. Flip Saunders has to sort this out, but I’m not sure where he starts.

I’ll end by (again) making my pitch for an unsung role player buried on the Wizards bench. Dominic McGuire would make a great (and cheap) Celtic.

There you have it. I apparently thought way too much of the Sixers. Comments welcome on all teams.

Wizards lose to Pacers: Final wrap (quickly) and more bemoaning our lack of role players

Mike Prada — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:48:25 -0000

More photos » by Ned Dishman - NBAE/Getty Images

Browse more photos »

Sitting up in the nosebleeds, where you can see the whole court, kind of gives you a new perspective on the team. I figured the team's problem was that nobody did the little things and nobody had any attention to detail, but watching this game, that truth was just staggering.

So many missed defensive rotations. So many dumb turnovers killing any positive momentum we created. So many poor shots. So many times where guys just don't run hard through their cuts. So many weak screens, or times when people slip the screen unnecessarily because they want to get the pass and shoot.

Then, there was the end of the game. Kyle beautifully broke down the staggering lack of detail on the final play of the game, one that cost them the win, but it was the possessions before as well. When the Wizards should have been clamping down on defense to put the game away, they were allowing Earl Watson and Tyler Hansbrough to complete lob passes for dunks. Simply unacceptable.

I'm firmly convinced this is a roster construction problem. Right now, everyone wants to be the guy who saves this team. There are only two guys on the team who truly don't care what kind of role they play in the team's success -- Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller, who is injured because the Wizards decided to run him out when he was clearly injured instead of making sure he was okay. Everyone else wants credit. They won't say it, but they play like it. On an NBA team, only so many people can be the shot-makers. You need guys who have no egos to blend in with the ones who do.

An addition-for-subtraction trade needs to happen pronto. It could be anyone. The ones who remain just need that wakeup call, that message that nobody is safe from getting dealt.

Four Factors (Bold=very good | Italics=very bad)

Team	Pace	Off Eff	eFG%	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Indiana	96	118.8	47.8	31.1	34	14.6
Washington		117.7	59.8	18.3	34.2	17.7

Snap Reaction: It's nice that we shot well, but how the heck do you let Indiana get to the free-throw line that much? Who do they have that can draw fouls? Ridiculous.

Lineup Details, via Popcorn Machine

Highest individual plus/minus: Nick Young (+14 in 14:00)
Lowest individual plus/minus: Randy Foye (-12 in 7:12)
Best five-man unit: Gilbert Arenas/Nick Young/Caron Butler/Antawn Jamison/Andray Blatche (+9 in the third quarter)
Worst five-man unit: Gilbert Arenas/DeShawn Stevenson/Caron Butler/Antawn Jamison/Brendan Haywood (-6 in the second quarter)

Snap Reaction: It's becoming clear that Nick Young is winning the Young/Randy Foye death match we all anticipated coming into the season (okay, just me). So why does Young only play 14 minutes? That's right, DeShawn Stevenson took the rest of the shooting guard minutes. How Young doesn't have a regular rotation spot is beyond me. Also, why doesn't Dominic McGuire get all of Stevenson's minutes?

Keys to the Palace

JakeTheSnake — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:52:13 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

Scott Skiles shows his outrage after being given a Red Lock of Shame.

Browse more photos »

Last week, we got an e-mail from user ledellforlife asking if we could do a weekly segment in the same vein as Japers' Rink's Capital Ups and Downs. After some brainstorming and tinkering, we are proud to unveil the first installment.

Most of you probably know that the title refers to Ed Tapscott's famous response to why Nick Young wasn't getting playing time last season. In case you don't remember, here's the quote:

"Someone asked me the other day if I have a dog house. I said, 'No I don't have a dog house, I have a Palace of Good Play.' I'm looking for someone who's playing well so I can put them in that palace."

Each week, we'll be handing out golden keys to the players whose good play has earned them the right to stay in the Palace of Good Play. Each player who makes it inside the Palace will be rewarded with the Gold Key to the Palace of Good Play.

Likewise, those who do not play well enough to enter the Palace of Good Play will receiver their own logo. Their scarlet letter will come in the form of the Red Lock of Shame.

After the jump, we'll take a look at each player on the roster to see who gets to stay in the Palace, and who will be forced to sleep in the cold.

Gilbert Arenas

#0 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 25 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds in 41 minutes
vs. Indiana: 22 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds in 35 minutes

It's hard to deny entrance to the palace for someone who recorded a triple-double and played a solid week of basketball, but those free throws are going to stick out in people's minds until he can prove that he can hit clutch shots again.

Final Verdict

Andray Blatche

#7 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 26 minutes
vs. Indiana: 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 assists in 19 minutes

There were questions about how Andray Blatche would adjust after Antawn Jamison returned. So far, he's done a magnifcent job of showing that he can still be productive in a more limited role. Maybe it would have been premature to do so earlier this season, but I think we can finally give kudos to Blatche for finally turning the corner.

Final Verdict

Earl Boykins

#12 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 2 points, 3 assists in 12 minutes
vs. Indiana: 14 points, 2 assists in 19 minutes

After playing the shortest amount of time he has played all season against the Celtics, Boykins saw his playing time rebound to the norm against Indiana. Fortunately for Earl, it looks like his diminished PT was just an abberation and he will continue to be a key reserve for the team moving forward. Unfortunately, his playing time was the only rebound he collected all of last week.

Final Verdict

Caron Butler

#3 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists in 41 minutes
vs. Indiana: 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 38 minutes

Saturday night's game against Indiana was the first game this season where Caron took over 15 shots and hit over half of them. Although they lost on Saturday, it is the most comfortable the Big 3 have looked playing together all season long. Caron holds the key to getting the Big 3, and in turn, the rest of the team in sync, but I'm not ready to give him the key to the palace just yet.

Final Verdict

Javaris Crittenton

#8 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: DNP - Injured
vs. Indiana: DNP - Injured

One has to wonder if the presence of Earl Boykins hasn't totally eliminated Javaris Crittenton from the picture. Nick Young has been in and out of the doghouse all season long and the team picked up his option, unlike Crittenton. If he can't find a way to contribute early on, don't be surprised to see those DNP - Injureds to into DNP - Coach's Decisions once he comes back.

Final Verdict

Randy Foye

#15 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 6 points, 3 rebounds in 13 minutes
vs. Indiana: 0 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound in 7 minutes

You have to wonder if Randy Foye feels a little bit like Wally Pipp, watching as the player who was supposed to just be an injury replacement end up taking most of his playing time. Then again, when you hurry up an off-balance three pointer with 8 seconds left because you didn't realize how much time you had left, it's hard to pass blame off on someone else.

Final Verdict

Brendan Haywood

#33 / Center / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 17 points, 8 rebounds in 35 minutes
vs. Indiana: 6 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assists in 35 minutes

It's a good thing that Haywood's play speaks for itself, because his blog was not doing a very good job. While insightful at times, his controversial takes on some issues (most notably the Tiger Woods fiasco) got him in some hot water and he has decided to pull a Gilbert Arenas and retire from the blogging game.

Final Verdict

Mike James

#13 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: DNP -Injured
vs. Indiana: DNP - Injured

He might be injured, and he might be on the trading block, but he's still a bbbeeeeeaaaaasssssttttt.

Final Verdict

Antawn Jamison

#4 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 16 points, 8 rebounds in 35 minutes
vs. Indiana: 20 points, 7 rebounds in 45 minutes

Antawn Jamison is more consistent than you are, he's tougher too.

Final Verdict

JaVale McGee

#34 / Center / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 0 points, 0 rebounds in 3 minutes
vs. Indiana: 0 points, 0 rebounds in less than a minute

JaVale McGee made sure the void for a blogging presence from a Wizards center did not last for long. In his latest entry, he told readers:

So really really the point of this blog secretly is to dare anyone with a Ps3 to a challenge on Call of Duty Modern Warefare 2.

I seriously think i'm one of the best in that game, let alone the NBA.

This should be interesting.

Final Verdict

Dominic McGuire

#5 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: DNP - Coach's Decision
vs. Indiana: 4 rebounds, 1 assist in 6 minutes

After receiving a nice palm to the face on Thursday, Taser responded with a solid performance in limited minutes against Indiana. We'll see if his solid rebounding and positive +/- are enough to get him some more burn in the future.

Final Verdict

Mike Miller

#6 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: DNP - Injured
vs. Indiana: DNP - Injured

Odds are, if Mike was playing he would have a key to the palace, but I just can't give him a key for looking nice in a suit. Maybe if he got a haircut I would reconsider.

Final Verdict

Fabricio Oberto

#21 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 1 assist, 3 fouls in under 2 minutes
vs. Indiana: DNP - Coach's Decision

Remember when this guy was starting games this season?

Final Verdict

DeShawn Stevenson

#2 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 5 points, 0 assists in 15 minutes
vs. Indiana: 2 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds in 19 minutes

Starting DeShawn Stevenson might bethe key to creating a balance between Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler. In the two games Stevenson has started, Gilbert has averaged 21.5 points per game and Caron has averaged 21. Then again, the Wizards have lost both games he has started, so maybe it isn't worth exploring any further.

Final Verdict

Nick Young

#1 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 4 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound in 11 minutes
vs. Indiana: 1- points, 2 rebounds in 13 minutes

Flip has been tough with Nick Young this season. He has put him in the doghouse a few times for poor play, but he has also been fair in giving him chances to work his way out. His recent stretch of strong play makes it appear that the hard work is paying off.

Final Verdict

Flip Saunders

Coach - Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: Lost to Boston 104-102
vs. Indiana:

The start of the year hasn't gone the way Flip would have wanted or expected, but there are still some bad habits that he has to break the team of before they can truly move forward. The good news is that he is doing a good job of starting to break the team of their worst bad habit, sloppy defense.

Final Verdict

Bobcats Pound Wizards 90-78; Four Game Winning Streak

David Arnott — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:30:43 -0000

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The Charlotte Bobcats won their fourth game in a row and their first on the road this season, crushing the Washington Wizards, 90-78. Again, Gerald Wallace led the way, and for the second night in a row, the Cats jumped out to a big double digit lead in the third quarter.

The Wizards' bench showed signs of life and briefly threatened to make a fourth quarter charge and cut the lead, but the Cats' starters came back in and put a stop to it. As explosive and, for lack of a better term, as Name Brand as Arenas and Jamison are, when they were on the floor, Washington's offense sputtered, but when guys like Dominic McGuire and Fabricio Oberto came on, the offense just seemed to flow a little better. It was a testament to efficiency over volume.

Even that lineup, though, wasn't enough to blunt the Cats' attack, as they're at full throttle now, combining great defense and adequate offense. That's a winner.

Highlights and lowlights after the jump.

BAD

-- Boris Diaw's struggles continued. It was awesome that Antawn Jamison ended up with only 6 points on 2-9 shooting, but Diaw was only 3-12 from the field, himself. Without a dominant scorer, everyone has to contribute, and Diaw hasn't been carrying his weight. Whether that's due to a simple slump or due to injury, it'd be best if the Cats didn't have to overcome his offensive deficiency every night.

GOOD

-- Wallace's play is All Star caliber at the moment. Should he continue this production for the next twenty games or so, he'll be a strong candidate to be a reserve forward on the East team. Usually, I don't think players have to "give up" their concentration on scoring in order to emphasize rebounding, but it certainly seems that way with Crash. Given that he wasn't the most efficient scorer to begin with, that seems like a great tradeoff. 14 points and 14 rebounds from the small forward spot, with top-notch defense, is a line we'll take any night.

-- In the last four games, Raymond Felton has attempted 7, 10, 11, and 8 field goals. He's never averaged fewer than 12 per game in any season of his career, and he's led the Cats in field goal attempts in three of his four seasons. However, recently, Felton finally seems to have accepted that he improves the team's chances of winning when he facilitates rather than finishes. I've deliberately chosen the word facilitate instead of create because the ethos is more about cutting down on mistakes than on conjuring effective offense himself. In these four games, he's turned the ball over only 1 time. This is a welcome change, and I'm glad someone convinced Felton he should be more like Chris Paul and Steve Nash, both excellent scorers, yet rarely their teams' leaders in attempts. I'll be ecstatic if he reinvents himself, mid-season, as a defense-first facilitator, because he's absolutely capable of it, and it's what probably works best with this roster: Felton and Diaw facilitating and scoring a little, Wallace, Jackson, and Murray finishing, and Wallace and Chandler cleaning up.

-- Stephen Jackson finished with 11 points on only 4-12 shooting, but, again, he had the kind of all-around game from the off guard position that makes it okay for us to have a luxury like Diaw in the front court. 6 boards and very good defense on Caron Butler.

-- Tyson Chandler actually contributed some scoring to go with his usual solid defense and rebounding. 12 points on 4-6 shooting, including a twelve foot jumper.

-- Man, I love Derrick Brown. 10 points on 4-7 shooting in more than 15 minutes.

Gameday Preview at Washington Wizards

David Arnott — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:09:27 -0000

Pump Up Music: Jay-Z -- "Run This Town"

The Big Picture: The Washington Wizards have won two in a row, a one-point win over the 76ers and then last night over the Heat in Miami. Don't let that fool you, though. They're a team in disarray, still figuring out what works, much like the Bobcats.

I'm pretty sure they miss Mike Miller, out with a calf injury, but then again, I'm not totally sure. It's certainly possible that Gilbert Arenas can't co-exist with him, since both so desperately want the ball in their hands. With Miller out, maybe it clears things up for them. After all, Antawn Jamison has been their best offensive option, by far, and Caron Butler has totally fallen off a cliff. It's a good thing to have four good scoring options, but it's not a good thing to have four scoring options when at least one of them feels like he's getting the shaft, or is generally losing effectiveness because others are doing what he does.

Wasn't the whole point of starting DeShawn Stevenson and guys like Etan Thomas that they would be defensive presences alongside three scorers? Now, they've just got a bunch of offensively-minded guys. It's certainly possible they're better overall with the Outscore 'Em lineup, but their ceiling is limited if they can't stop anyone, and they're not getting the most out of Butler that way.

Key to Victory: Boris Diaw has been out of sorts the past few games, and he'll be charged with stopping Jamison. Ideally, part of that would involve making him work hard on the defensive end, and Diaw's best equipped to do that from the power forward spot. Gerald Wallace or Derrick Brown can post him up, but they won't be able to make him work on the block like Diaw can. On the other end, I'm worried that Diaw won't be able to deal with Jamison's variety of offense, from threes to putting it on the floor.

Detail That Might Interest .08% of You: Dominic McGuire started 57 games for the Wiz last year. This year? 49 minutes.

Wizards lose to Heat: Final wrap, including some questioning of Flip Saunders' in-game strategy

Mike Prada — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:36:55 -0000

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It's true that a large reason (okay, fine, very large reason) last night's game against the Miami Heat was so frustrating was the outcome. To lose in the final seconds because of two missed free throws and two poorly-executed late-game plays against a team that you should probably beat really hurts.

But the truth is, I don't think I would have felt so good about this game even if we had pulled it out. The way we started the game was so frustrating and should never happen at a home game. Even if we had managed to come back, we did it by once again abandoning a lot of our principles. Gilbert Arenas almost won the game by himself, but with the exception of the brief moments Mike Miller displayed his toughness after the shoulder injury, this was a team reverting back into a one-on-one approach. Too many players either didn't show up or didn't get a chance to show up (or both).

There are a lot of reasons for those problems, and it's tough to nail down exactly who deserves the lion share of the blame. We'll try to do so below the jump. But several people involved with the team took a questionable approach to tonight's game. That list, sadly, includes head coach Flip Saunders, as we'll discuss below.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four Factors: (Bold=very good | Italics=very bad)

Team	Pace	Off Eff	eFG%	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Miami	89	104.5	54.2%	20.8	22.2	19.1
Washington		100	40.9%	26.8	30.2	13.5

Snap reaction: This looks like a Four Factors chart we'd see a lot when Eddie Jordan was coaching. Terrible shooting defense, poor shooting offense, a lot of turnovers forced and not a lot of fouls committed on defense. It's the first time out shot defense has not been good, which I guess is a good sign. Overall, looking at this, it's a pretty big surprise that the Wizards were even as close as they were.

Lineup Details (via Popcorn Machine)

Highest individual plus/minus: JaVale McGee (+11 in 8:18)
Lowest individual plus/minus: Brendan Haywood (-18 in 36:00)
Best five-man unit: Randy Foye/Mike Miller/Caron Butler/Andray Blatche/JaVale McGee (+8 in the second quarter)
Worst five-man unit: Gilbert Arenas/Randy Foye/Caron Butler/Fabricio Oberto/Brendan Haywood (-12 in the first quarter)

Snap reaction: I was surprised to see Haywood's plus/minus so low, but he basically only played when Dwyane Wade played, so that explains a lot. That also explains a lot of why McGee's plus/minus was so good.

Let's start with Flip Saunders. After four games of nearly flawless in-game management, I thought Saunders made some decisions that can be questioned. Among them:

Starting out with Mike Miller guarding Dwyane Wade and Caron Butler guarding Quentin Richardson: I'm still scratching my head about this decision. I guess Saunders wanted Butler to focus on finding his offense, because he had been struggling, but that obviously didn't work out. Wade is an incredible player, no doubt, but Butler's ability to move laterally would have given him more trouble than Miller, who just can't slide his feet fast enough. Instead, Miller laid way off Wade, Wade got into a rhythm, Miller got into foul trouble and Wade couldn't be turned off. Meanwhile, Butler, who has always been prone to lapses off the ball, allowed Quentin Richardson too many open looks from three, and Richardson burned the Wizards every time.
Going to a zone in the second quarter: I get the logic here - nobody can stop Wade, so throw a different look at him and maybe it'll mess up his rhythm. But with a team this behind in basic defensive principles, I don't think it's a good idea to have them try to pick up an exceedingly complicated scheme to go along with their basic scheme. I'd like to see them master the basic scheme first.
Not going back to JaVale McGee after his boneheaded play in the second quarter: At the time, I also wanted McGee out for the game after he tried to go from the free throw line to the rim. But looking back, McGee did help the club when he was in the game, and Miami had trouble dealing with him. It might have been better to reward him for his energy and give him another chance.
Not giving Dominic McGuire a shot: I'm still wondering why McGuire isn't getting his chances. I'd think he could at least guard Wade for stretches, and with DeShawn Stevenson shooting so poorly, I'm less inclined to worry about McGuire's perimeter shooting problems.
Allowing Gilbert Arenas full freedom: A lot of this is on Gilbert, as we'll discuss below. But if you were watching ESPN, you heard that Saunders basically encouraged him to attack and call his own number. That might be wise in the fourth quarter, but in the third quarter, the emphasis should have been on getting some of the other players in the game. Yes, it's true Miami couldn't guard him, but the other guys have to stay involved.
Keeping Mike Miller in the game after he was initially hurt: Not sure how I can excuse this one. I mean, I'm sure Flip wanted him out of the game, but Miller insisted he come back, so this isn't all on the coaches. But once it was clear his shoulder was bothering him, I'm really surprised it took so long to get him back out of the game. It's game five, not game 65.

So, all those were decisions I didn't agree with. But let's be honest, tonight's loss is also on the players. The way they came out in that first quarter was pretty unacceptable. It is true that one of Flip's jobs is to get his team ready to play, but that's also the players' jobs. Caron Butler, in particular, came out so poorly last night. He wasn't shooting when he was open, which is a killer in a continuity offense. If he's not playing well, this team is in real trouble, as we saw last night.

It was around this point that Gilbert Arenas decided to take over. He hoisted 27 shots and had 15 free throws, but also only had three assists. The only time the offense really ran well, in fact, was when Arenas was not in the game (though, to be fair, neither was Wade). Obviously, in the long run, that's not a sustainable way to win. If I had to break the game down into stages, here's how I'd do it.

Quarter 1, first part: Everyone comes out flat, Gilbert defers most of the time.
Quarter 1, second part: Gilbert decides he's the only one who's in the game and tries to score every time down. His teammates remain flat.
Quarter 2, first part: Gilbert goes out, everyone else in the game realizes they need to step up and come to play, and they rise to the challenge.
Quarter 2, second part: Gilbert comes back in, still doesn't fully trust his teammates, but does pass a bit more. However, Wade hits some big shots and the Wizards fall back by 9.
Quarter 3: Gilbert gives up the ball a bit more, but still shoots a lot. The offense runs very well, led by Brendan Haywood early and Mike Miller late.
Quarter 4: Gilbert gets into a duel with Dwyane Wade, everyone else gets freezed out, Gilbert and the team lose.

It's hard for me to fully blame Arenas in Quarter 1. It was clear nobody was in the game, and Gilbert has every reason to think that he needs to carry more of the load himself until his teammates ido get into the game. But once the Wizards cut the lead down, Arenas should have committed himself more to stepping back a bit and playing more under control. Obviously, in the fourth quarter, he should get the ball, but there were too many times when he predetermined what he was going to do instead of trying to create for others.

When you do too much freezing out of your teammates, it has an effect. Butler never got back into the game after the beginning. Yes, a lot of that is on him, but he also didn't exactly get a ton of good chances in the second half. Randy Foye also didn't do much tonight, in large part because most of his shots came off the dribble when he was paired with Arenas. The Heat played him pretty well, but he still gets hurt when Arenas predetermines what he's going to do. It speaks to Arenas' incredible physical skill (he's officially back there) that he can score so many points when he predetermines like this, but it's still not good for the entire team. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Wizards' best lineup tonight didn't include Gilbert.

It's early, and his mental game still isn't there, but it should be noted that Arenas did not play particularly well despite his high point total.

More notes:

The unquestioned MVP of tonight's game was Brendan Haywood. He dominated Jermaine O'Neal, scoring 16 points and notching 11 rebounds while holding O'Neal to just four points. He also was absolutely flawless helping out on defense tonight, particularly in the fourth quarter. On offense, after a bit too much forcing early on, Haywood didn't do anything out of his comfort zone, and that made him a far more effective player. The Wizards don't come anywhere close to winning tonight without Haywood's contributions.
Lots of people are annoyed that DeShawn Stevenson was on the court at the end of the game. I don't really have a problem with it, because Stevenson was doing a good job on Wade in the fourth quarter. Wade did most of his scoring damage against other guys, not DeShawn. Now, DeShawn's play at the end to go one-on-three wasn't a smart one, for sure, but with Miller injured and Foye very incapable of guarding Wade, I'm not sure what else Flip could have done. Normally, I'd think Miller closes that game with Butler guarding Wade, but Miller was hurt, so Flip was stuck.
Gilbert is right about Caron Butler when he criticized him for taking too long to make decisions on the court. Caron can't be pump-faking and surveying the defense in this system. However, I would also like to see some different plays be run for Caron in order to empower him more. Maybe more post-ups like Tayshaun Prince used to run? I'm not sure.
I have to admit, I was impressed with how well-coached Miami is. They have little talent, but they execute extremely well. Credit Erik Spolestra for that. Then again, I am a bit confused as to why Michael Beasley didn't play very much.
Getting Antawn Jamison back will be such a big help. Right now, Fabricio Oberto is being completely ignored on offense. You can't do that with Jamison in the game.

All in all, considering where our team is at now, it's not terrible to be 2-3. I just wish I didn't have to feel so queasy about this game, win or lose. We should have taken this one.

Thursday Practice Report: Andray Blatche’s late-night workout, Randy Foye says playing with Gilbert Arenas off the ball is "easy," and Javaris Crittenton’s injury isn't getting better

Mike Prada — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:34:58 -0000

Andray Blatche works with Assistant Coach for Player Development Gene Banks, as Paul Davis looks on. Via my IPhone.

Coming off a big win over Dallas on Tuesday, the Wizards were in pretty good spirits after practice today. Flip Saunders said the club went through a very good practice and emphasized the importance of maintaining those winning habits throughout the "process."

Once again, Gilbert Arenas did not talk to the media, telling NBC's Lindsay Czarniak that he only talks when they make him. So, once again, nothing new on that front. However, there's a lot of interesting nuggets to chew on from today. Make the jump to read about Andray Blatche's late-night workout, an update on Javaris Crittenton's injury, some thoughts about the Randy Foye/Gilbert Arenas backcourt and more.

Andray Blatche isn't resting on his laurels

Andray Blatche had an outstanding first game of the 2009/10 season last Tuesday, notching 20 points, 7 rebounds and only 3 fouls in 35 minutes. But as we all know, Blatche has had plenty of good games in his career. Sustaining that success has proven to be an elusive quest for the 23-year old.

After practice today, Blatche made it clear that he knows his big opening game means nothing if he can't sustain it.

"Tuesday's in the past," Blatche said. "Right after the game, Flip came up to me and said, ‘Last game don't mean s***,' excuse my French."

So how did Blatche try to build on last Tuesday's performance? He called Sam Cassell late last night and asked him to come in to do a workout with him. Blatche said they came to the Verizon Center at around 11:15 and went until about 12:30 in the morning.

"[We worked on] all the situations that would be in the game," Blatche said. "Post-ups, pick and pops, stuff like that. All game-type situations."

It's yet another example of the new "Seven-Day Dray." When asked whether he would have ever come in for a workout that late in the past, Blatche said no. He also joked that the empty arena spooked him a bit.

"Man, it was a little scary, I ain't gonna lie," Blatche said. "I called my best friend. I had to go to the locker room by myself, I was a little scared. It's so quiet, and dark a little bit. I'm telling you all, it's different at nighttime, but I was alright."

Eventually, though, the conversation veered back into Tuesday night. Blatche said Fabricio Oberto did a great job guarding Dirk Nowitzki, and also praised the team's pick-and-roll coverage. He also once again sung the praises of Flip Saunders' offense.

"It just seems like you're always moving, you're always setting picks, you're always rolling, always popping," Blatche said. "You're always doing something. Last year, you set one screen and you stand still and you waiting for something. This year, we're always moving and sharing the ball a lot more."

Even Antawn Jamison admits he thinks Blatche's new approach is paying dividends.

"I think he's getting it," Jamison said. "I think he understands that it's not about what [he] does on gameday, or the day before, or the night before. Little things like that will help you stay consistent and be able to do that night in and night out."

Video below, courtesy Truth About It:

Javaris Crittenton's injury gets worse

Those of you looking forward to seeing Javaris Crittenton return to the court will need to wait a lot longer. Crittenton was limping around on crutches today, with yet another boot on his injured ankle.

Team spokesman Scott Hall told me that Crittenton went to get "an exploratory scope" last Friday that revealed nothing new. Hall didn't mention anything about how long Crittenton was expected to be out, nor did he say that the injury got any worse.

However, Mike Jones talked to Crittenton, and Crittenton told a slightly different story. Crittenton told Jones that he had surgery last Friday to clear up some torn cartilage that had been found in previous X-Rays. But Crittenton also admitted that he was hoping to get this procedure done sooner.

"I wish the procedure would have been happened, so I could have recovered by now," Crittenton told Jones. "They actually saw it on the X-ray a long time ago, but they had to continue looking at different cat scans and X-rays to get it done."

Would having the surgery earlier have changed things? Did they really see these problems a long time ago and unnecessarily looked several more times before having the surgery? I don't know. I think there's a lot of information missing here. But it certainly seems odd, doesn't it?

Crittenton said he has two more weeks of recovery, followed by four weeks of rehab, which means he'll be out at least another six more weeks.

Randy Foye and the "small" backcourt

As I mentioned yesterday, when Gilbert Arenas and Randy Foye played together last Tuesday, the Wizards outscored the Mavericks by 14 points. When I asked Saunders about why he turned to that pairing despite not using it much in the preseason, Saunders joked that "there are a lot of things I do during the regular season that I don't do in preseason." I then asked when we might see it in the future.

"You'll see it a lot," Saunders said. "A lot of it depends on the defensive end. If we're playing Kobe Bryant at the 2, you might not be able to put Randy on Kobe because of Kobe's size. A lot of that is going to depend on defensive matchups. There was a situation in Dallas where they played a couple smaller guards."

Foye said he was wondering when he was going to get a chance to play more with Arenas, but added that "[Saunders] probably didn't want people to see it."

"When you put us in together, Dallas didn't have an answer to that," Foye said. "With two scorers in there together, because if you pay too much attention to [Arenas], you gotta help, then we kick it out to me for an open shot. It's the same [vice versa]."

I was particularly struck with what Foye said later, when he talked about how his mentality and comfort level change when he plays with Arenas.

"When you play with someone of that caliber, it's easy," Foye said. "Everything else comes easy. Like, when they were pressing at the end, they couldn't get the ball, because we could both break the press. When they press and denied him, I got the ball, and when they doubled me with his man, I passed him the ball. It just makes it so much easier playing with another ball-handler."

Foye also praised Saunders' strategic instincts, saying, "it's like he's playing chess up in his head." Regardless, with so many teams nowadays playing small backcourts, the Foye/Arenas backcourt should be a regular staple.

Other stuff:

Flip Saunders was asked again about Nick Young not playing at all on Tuesday. "We haven't really talked," Saunders said. "I think he knows what he's got to do." When asked what he has to do, Saunders said, "Be more consistent, as far as what you're doing. You can't rely on making shots as a criteria for whether you are going to play." Saunders added that Young did some extra work yesterday and that "he'll get an opportunity." Young himself slipped out the door before anyone could talk to him.
Antawn Jamison was there shagging rebounds for JaVale McGee, and showed no major limitations on his shoulder. It's obviously not in game shape, but it wasn't in a sling or anything. That's pretty encouraging.
DeShawn Stevenson was asked about his thoughts on Antonio Daniels potentially signing with Cleveland. In typical DeShawn fashion, he responded in a way where you wonder whether he was joking or being serious. "Traitor," Stevenson said. "I don't talk to nobody that plays to Cleveland." Chris Miller then said to Stevenson, "I'm sure you have a reaction to them starting 0-2." Stevenson's response. "Yeah, yeah I do," and then he walked away.
Saunders said that while his top eight players will remain pretty consistent, his rotation is not 100% set in stone right now, saying that JaVale McGee in particular had a great practice and may play more tomorrow against the Atlanta Hawks. "Now, we're playing a team with a lot more athletic ability, where a guy like JaVale could have an impact."

More pictures:

BWood working on his free throw stroke.

Caron Butler works on his shot while Randy Wittman looks on

Dominic McGuire works on his shot while Nick Young looks on

Wizards beat Mavericks in regular-season opener: Final wrap

Mike Prada — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:11:57 -0000

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It's late, and there's already been so much written about last night's win that there isn't a whole lot to add. I have nobody to blame but myself for the tardiness. NBA League Pass is pretty damn addicting, what can I say?

So this extended recap isn't going to be so extended or deep. Fair warning:

Four Factors: (italics=very bad. bold=very good)

Team	Pace	Off Eff	eFG%	FT/FG	OREB%	ToR
Washington	90	113.3	48.8	23.8	22.5	10
Dallas		101.1	42.1	35.5	22.9	10

Lineup details, via Popcorn Machine:

Highest individual plus/minus, total: Randy Foye (+16 in 30:18)
Highest individual plus/minus, rate: Fabricio Oberto (+15 in 17:24
Lowest individual plus/minus, total: DeShawn Stevenson (-1 in 17:54)
Lowest individual plus/minus, rate: Dominic McGuire (-6 in 2:24)
Best lineup (one stretch): Gilbert Arenas, Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Andray Blatche, Brendan Haywood (+8 for a stretch in the second quarter)
Worst lineup (one stretch): Gilbert Arenas, DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, Andray Blatche, Brendan Haywood (-5 to close the third quarter)

The one thing that struck me about Tuesday's performance was how much we actually resembled a professional team.

I'm sure that's going to ruffle some feathers, particularly those who are fans of Eddie Jordan. I don't come here to suggest that Jordan is not a good coach. Far from it.

But what always struck me about watching an Eddie Jordan-coached team was how the players would alternate between overly robotic and overly free-flowing play. Either they used none of their brains, which happened when they'd take quick contested jumpers and miss a defensive rotation, or they thought too much, mostly when they ran the same three-man weave into the same cut, with the same players settling for the same shots too often. I didn't see enough moments where they achieved that happy medium of playing instinctively while also playing smart. To be frank, they were too inconsistent.

While some of that is our personnel, a lot of that was Eddie Jordan's style. One game in, and I'm starting to see where Gilbert Arenas was coming from when he dubbed Jordan's style as being suitable only for very experienced teams. Jordan's entire offense was reactive rather than proactive. He jammed a zillion different reads and counters into his players' heads, hoping to prepare them for every situation. Jordan also threw out several different defensive "plays" of sorts, also in an attempt to confuse the defense. This meant that Jordan and the Wizards were impossible to plan for, but also were not well-prepared, if that makes any sense. Many of the Wizards tried to pick it all up, but ultimately played too antsy to make a consistent impact.

Flip Saunders' gameplan, on the other hand, is far simpler, and I think it showed tonight. The Wizards came down every possession and ran their offense. If it resulted in an open shot, great. They ran the play and got the shot off it. If that didn't work, the players all knew that the ball was to go one of three places -- Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, or whoever possessed the hot hand. Simple, simple simple. And on defense, the rules were consistent -- contest shots, let Dirk Nowitzki get his, shut down everyone else, deny dribble penetration and seal off the weakside rebounding. No zone defense, no zone traps, no matchup zone, even. Just one philosophy that the players needed to execute.

The Wizards didn't execute Saunders' gameplan perfectly. Too many possessions ended with Butler forcing things. On defense, there were a number of blowbys, particularly from Jason Terry and JJ Barea. But there were also no major defensive breakdowns with guys in the wrong place, at least not the type that seemingly happened every other possession in the past. There were also very few offensive possessions wasted by an unnecessarily quick shot. Finally, nobody was pump-faking, dribbling aimlessly or making passes without a purpose. When a guy was open, he shot in rhythm and without dribbling much.

This is where Flip Saunders has made a dent on this team. Against Dallas, the Wizards did everything efficiently. Every dribble. Every pass. Every defensive slide. Every defensive rotation. Every contest. Every open shot. Things might not have always worked out, but there were very few wasted moments. That's what I mean when I say they resembled a real professional team.

Other quick thoughts:

Score one for the Gilbert Arenas/Randy Foye backcourt. The Wizards outscored the Mavericks by 14 points when the two of them played together.
I thought Flip Saunders displayed some masterful psychology in the post-game press conference when he went out of his way to say Caron Butler was "Mr. Steady." This was not a particularly strong game for Butler. He shot just 6/17 and he allowed Shawn Marion to have a solid game against him, a game that, if Dallas gave Marion more touches, would have been better. More importantly, he didn't play in crunch time when the Wizards really extended their lead, which I'm sure wasn't exactly what Butler had in mind (or anyone else). Butler certainly didn't play like a "Mr. Steady" tonight. But Saunders knows it's a long season, and he has to keep one of his stars in good spirits. By praising him, Saunders is indirectly saying, "Yes, I went away from you in crunch time, but it wasn't because of anything you did wrong. It was because the combination we had out there was playing great. I didn't bench you because you made any mistakes." That's great management by Saunders. It eliminates any possibility of Butler getting annoyed for not playing in crunch time, because his contributions were recognized, and it allows Saunders the luxury of not playing the starting five if they aren't the most effective lineup.
The one guy who didn't play particularly well was DeShawn Stevenson. The offense died when he was out there, and while he tried on defense, I counted him being beat by Terry at least four times in the second quarter. I think he'll probably end up being a utility guy that's useful only against certain teams. Atlanta, with Joe Johnson, is one of those teams, so Stevenson could very well play much better tomorrow.
I thought Oberto played pretty poorly until the fourth quarter. Then, he played great.
Brendan Haywood turned in 39 minutes of solid basketball, clogging up the middle, displaying offense when needed and playing great help defense. The most significant number, though, is the 39 minutes. Saunders believes in Haywood, and that's very, very refreshing.
For all the great things Andray Blatche did, I was most impressed with how quickly he moved his feet to cover for guards on pick and roll defense. He consistently was able to slow down the ballhandler and then recover quickly back to his own man.

2009/10 NBA Blog Preview: Washington Wizards

Mike Prada — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:00:16 -0000

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This post is a part of the annual NBA Blog Preview series, sponsored by Celtics Blog and SB Nation. The project asks prominent NBA team bloggers to write a season preview for their respective squads. You can find links to all the other previews here. Today is the date for all the Wizards previews, so here is ours. Make the jump to read the whole thing.

Team Name: Washington Wizards
Last Year's Record: 19-63
Key Additions: Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Fabricio Oberto, Flip Saunders. If you want to be clever: a healthy Gilbert Arenas, a healthy Brendan Haywood, a healthy DeShawn Stevenson and $2.5 million from selling the 32nd pick in the draft
Key Losses: Darius Songaila, Etan Thomas (not key), Oleksiy Pecherov (not key), whoever was available with that fifth pick in the draft, the chance to draft DeJuan Blair.

1. What significant moves were made during the off-season?

Two days before the draft, the Wizards swapped the fifth pick and some frontcourt deadweight for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, two guys that certainly bring something to the table, but were overextended on an awful Minnesota Timberwolves team. Once Ricky Rubio slipped to the fifth pick, the trade was labeled as the Wizards "choosing" two role players over Ricky Rubio. This is a mischaracterization because neither Minnesota nor the Wizards expected Rubio to slip - keep in mind that the Timberwolves were desperately trying to swap the fifth and sixth picks to move up to the number two slot - but it is fair to say the Wizards went for proven guys rather than rookies. Ernie Grunfeld didn't want to draft a prospect that would need to develop, so he took sure things even though they might have lower ceilings.

As to whether the Wizards got as much value as they could ... that's a tough one. On the one hand, it was the league's worst-kept secret that the Wizards were going to swap that pick. Grunfeld certainly wasn't operating out of a position of strength, so it's impressive that he at least got two solid guys like Foye and Miller in a weak draft. On the other hand, Foye and Miller certainly aren't difference-makers on the level of, say, a Vince Carter, who was swapped for arguably a less enticing package that the Wizards could have put together. In addition, why do the move two days before draft day, when you don't know which players will slip? Maybe that fifth pick becomes more valuable once a team like Golden State or the Knicks or someone else sees Rubio dangling.

To this day, I'm not sure how to answer that question.

The underreported thing about the move is that Grunfeld was able to improve the team while shaving off some long-term salary. Miller and Foye both have contracts that end this year (though Foye has his qualifying offer), and by making this trade, the Wizards were able to eliminate the extra year on Darius Songaila's contract and the cost of paying the fifth pick from their payroll. This can be viewed either as a major coup for Grunfeld or a sign that the Wizards have conflicting priorities (winning and also saving money). The answer will probably depend on what happens down the road.

Regardless, the Wizards picked up two guys that fit into new coach Flip Saunders' system and the general win-now culture of the organization, though Foye has struggled to remember how to play the point guard position during the preseason. They'll improve the team in the short term, that's for sure.

If you're confused, let me try a poker analogy. (Maybe that confuses you more, we'll see). If this is the Wizards' idea of an all-in move, then it's very underwhelming. It's like shoving in 30 big blinds before the flop on Ace-Jack offsuit. However, if this is instead one of those plays you make to alter your table image in a way to help you make a bigger move later, or if this is one of those pots you go after in order to build your stack to become a difference-maker later in a tournament, then it's a worthwhile one. Here's hoping the Foye/Miller trade is a prelude of something bigger rather than a final move.

The Wizards also signed veteran Fabricio Oberto for the biannual exception to serve as an insurance big man and a good example to some of the young players on the team. Oberto had an excellent preseason, and I suspect he'll be a very good fit and a helpful piece to the puzzle. That said, it's tough for Wizards fans to look at the Spurs right now and see DeJuan Blair tearing things up in preseason. The Wizards could have drafted Blair with the 32nd pick, but instead sold it for $2.5 million in cash. That cash helped serve as a financial windfall for owner Abe Pollin for paying the luxury tax, and it made it easier to drop another $4 million if you include luxury-tax payments to sign Oberto, but Blair certainly provides a lot of elements (rebounding, toughness, a paint presence) the Wizards have lacked for years. Right now, one can't help but think that passing on Blair was a missed opportunity.

Am I forgetting something? Oh yeah, the Wizards hired a new coach, bringing in Saunders in late April. Saunders was clearly the best coach on the market, and that's even if Avery Johnson would have decided to leave his cushy ESPN job.

Saunders' balanced approach is perfect for this roster. He'll make subtle changes on offense to make the Wizards even more deadly in the half court, and he is a significant upgrade as a defensive coach over Eddie Jordan. He commands respect from the players because of his track record of success, and that's significant, because I don't know if this cast of veterans would have respected a young coach. Critics say that Saunders doesn't have a particularly great defensive reputation, but while he may not have as pronounced effect on his teams' defense as, say, Scott Skiles, the record shows his teams have been pretty solid defensively. Grunfeld was looking for a coach that could maintain the teams' offense while simultaneously upgrading the defense. Saunders fits the bill.

Saunders is also perfectly equipped to coach Gilbert Arenas. He's done a great job of involving Arenas in the team's decision-making, talking to him regularly over the summer and being completely transparent with his expectations. His offense is also known to improve the productivity and "pureness" of point guards. Just ask Stephon Marbury, Terrell Brandon, Troy Hudson, Sam Cassell and Chauncey Billups. Saunders is low-drama and all business, which sets a perfect tone in a locker room that may have gotten a little too crazy in recent years.

I'd venture to say Saunders is a bigger addition than any player the Wizards could have acquired. He's that good as a coach. The fact that it took me this long to remember to mention him shows you how much of an imprint he's already made on this organization.

2. What are the team's biggest strengths?

When healthy, this has always been a team that could score a lot of points. Now, with Saunders in tow, this should be a team that will score even more efficiently than before, spreading the ball around more than they used to and maintaining the proper floor balance to help fix their poor transition defense.

Saunders' grand plan is to put the ball in Arenas' hands and have him create a vast majority of the scoring opportunities. This is consistent with what Saunders has done with his point guards in the past, and it's a subtle, but significant change for Arenas. In Eddie Jordan's Princeton offense, Arenas was asked both to make plays on his own and score off others. He was essentially playing two roles - the point guard and the shooting guard. Saunders will instead use Arenas exclusively as a point guard, asking him to set up others more and do his own bidding off the dribble. Arenas has always been a better passer than he's perceived to be, and of course he's a spectacular scorer when healthy, but he often has struggled to balance those skills properly in such a way so that his teammates can play off him. Saunders' offense should simplify things for Arenas, and I expect him to have a very good year if healthy. He will likely lose some points off his scoring average, but I suspect he'll pick up more assists.

Saunders' offense should also help Caron Butler because Butler won't be asked to have the ball in his hands as much as before. Butler is not a bad creator, but it's clearly not his strength. Saunders should have him getting his touches in his comfort areas - 17 feet and in, on the baseline - rather than having him at the top of the key carrying the burden to create for everyone. It should help Butler's game and his longevity, as Butler has been hampered by nagging injuries in recent years.

Otherwise, Saunders' system, which emphasizes making the extra pass and getting the ball to the hot hand, should help a Wizards teams that has a lot of scorers, but hasn't really played much with each other. It's not that the Wizards are selfish - Miller, for example, was too unselfish last season, and Foye and Butler are good passers for their position - but they are still learning about each other's strengths. Saunders' pro-style system should ease the learning curve.

The Wizards are also a very deep team, though much of their depth is focused on the wing positions. They have several guys who have started games in the past couple years coming off their bench, and have some multi-position guys that can give Saunders the chance to trot out a ton of different lineups. It's a bit unclear how Saunders plans on using his depth, because he's favored tight, short rotations in the past, but he's an innovative guy who will figure out a good solution.

3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

Staying healthy. But that's a given. (Of course, two days after I write this, Antawn Jamison goes down for the first month with a shoulder injury. Boo karma).

Clearly, defense remains a weakness. Saunders is definitely a better defensive coach than Eddie Jordan. His Minnesota teams played very good defense, and I suspect the reason Saunders focused on offense so much in Detroit was because he knew offense, and not defense, was Detroit's weakness at the time. However, Saunders doesn't have a Kevin Garnett, Ben Wallace or Rasheed Wallace that can inspire the rest of his team to defend. The closest thing he has is Brendan Haywood, who is a tremendously underrated defender, but isn't the type of guy to light a fire under everyone else on the team.

There's actually a legitimate argument the Wizards are worse defensively than in the past on paper. DeShawn Stevenson, previously the team's stopper, might have his minutes squeezed with the additions of Foye and Miller, neither of which carry positive defensive reputations. Long, athletic Dominic McGuire started 57 games last year with all the injuries, but is unlikely to get too many minutes. Oberto is a solid position defender who is probably the best defensive backup to Haywood this team has seen in years, but he can't guard quicker post players and might not play much anyway.

The Wizards are hoping that a new voice will inspire a better defensive performance. Saunders has talked extensively about having one set defensive philosophy rather than several gimmick defenses to hide the teams' weaknesses, which is essentially what Jordan did. That should help a ton and eliminate a lot of confusion. It should be noted that, while Saunders is a big proponent of matchup zone, we haven't seen the Wizards practice it or go to it in games much, probably because Saunders wants to instill a core defensive philosophy first.

The Wizards are also hoping that a renewed commitment to defense in practice will help. Several players have said that Jordan didn't emphasize defense much in practice, and as skeptical as one should be with that statement, it is true that the Princeton offense takes a lot of time to pick up, meaning it needs to be practiced more than most offensive systems. With only a finite amount of time to practice, the more time spent making sure the players understand Jordan's complicated offense, the less time spent on practicing defense. Then again, the Wizards have used this rhetoric before. It means nothing until they prove it.

Those changes, along with reduced minutes for Arenas, Butler and Jamison and a healthy return for Haywood could easily vault the Wizards to the middle of the pack on defense. However, as we all know, unless your offense is historically good (think Phoenix circa 2005-2007), you need to be better than average on defense to be a legitimate championship contender. The Wizards are light years away from that status.

In particular, the Wizards are weak inside, at least compared to the other top teams in the league. Haywood is tremendously underrated, and Jamison is still very productive, but questions remain behind them. Andray Blatche is heading into his umpteenth must-produce year, and while he doesn't get enough credit for his diverse array of skills, he also has yet to show he can consistently be a role player for this team. Oberto is an effective player, but at 34, he is too old and in decline to be an effective third big man. Youngster JaVale McGee is a highlight player, but he still doesn't understand basic fundamental defense well enough to stay on the floor, and the Wizards have less patience for his mistakes this year than they did last year. A trade might have to happen to shore up this weakness in the short term.

The other potential problem is that there's just too much newness to adjust to quickly in a short period of time. Saunders still hasn't decided on a regular rotation, which hurts youngsters like Nick Young, McGee and Blatche because they're pretty inconsistent to begin with. Jamison's shoulder injury doesn't help because it's yet another thing to adjust to early in the season. I worry that, while the Wizards may be very dangerous late in the season once they've all learned to play with to each other, they may give up some games and key playoff seeding to get there.

4. What are the goals for this team?

I suspect the Wizards are thinking about this season like it's an Eastern Conference Finals or bust campaign. There's all this vague talk about "advancing in the playoffs," but the standard for organizational success seems to be making the NBA's Final Four. Still, with Boston, Orlando and Cleveland all making their move now, that's probably a pretty unrealistic goal to have. The Wizards could make a big trade and still be running fourth in a three-horse race. Unless one of those three suffers a rash of injuries, I have a hard time believing the Wizards will crack the top three in the East.

A more realistic goal would be to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, win their first-round series and put up a decent fight against one of those top three teams. What would a "decent fight" entail? I'm not sure, but I think it's safe to say it would be a better performance than what Atlanta gave against Cleveland in the second round of the playoffs last year. The Wizards could then more easily justify another round of going over the luxury tax, which would include re-signing Haywood, Miller and maybe Foye while making a talent upgrade.

5. Why isn't Gilbert Arenas talking to the media? Isn't this a problem?

Two reasons. One, he wants to be a little more serious about his game, and maybe he feels talking is a distraction. Two, he feels like they took advantage of his crazy personality to write unfair things about him. His logic is, if he doesn't talk, nobody will be able to twist his words.

Does it make sense? No, not really. Most of the league finds a way to talk without getting their words spun out of control. But that's just Gilbert. He always has to position himself on one extreme or the other.

Does this all matter? No, not in the slightest. All that matters is his health. Arenas is still the most important player on this team, and with so few options behind him at point guard in a point guard-heavy offense, one could even argue he's more important than ever. We've already talked about why he fits in well with Saunders' offense, so as long as he's healthy, I suspect he'll have a great year. For now, his knee looks good, but this is clearly as much of a long-term question as a short-term one. We'll just have to hope for the best.

Projected Finish: 47-35