James Singleton: DC Council Ratings

Singleton didn’t start any games for the Wizards, but he received 8 of 36 possible ‘sub of the game’ nominations in his 12 games off the bench.
Best Games: Game 57 at Charlotte Bobcats; Game 60 vs Cleveland Cavaliers

PAST

Washington’s late-season run partially coincided with the return of James Singleton. After “Big Game James” (with all due respect to James Worthy) played in 32 games for the Wizards in 2009-10 and spent the last two seasons playing ball in China, his second stint with the Wizards can certainly be seen as successful. Singleton averaged 8.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game as the Wizards finished 8-4 in his 12 appearances. It didn’t take long for him to make an impact: Singleton put up 12 points and nine rebounds in his second game, against New Jersey, then got 18 and 12 in his third, against Charlotte.

Singleton continued to display tough interior defense and ferocious rebounding. The difference this time was his improved offense; his outside shot has become a threat. Singleton credits his time in China:

“In the NBA, I was more of a slasher, rebounder, hustle player, defender; but in China they pack the lane and it is more physical, so you learn how to be smarter and develop a jump shot—and develop more offensive tools, which I have done… The NBA is way easier for me now. It is like the game has slowed down for me.”

The numbers provide the evidence:

2009-10 Wizards FGs: 97-254, 38%

At The Rim: 44-for-84 – 52%
3-9 Feet: 10-for-32 – 31%
10-15 Feet: 12-for-24 – 50%
16 Feet to the 3-Point Line: 24-for-77 - 31%
3-Pointers: 7-for-37 – 19%

2011-12 Wizards FGs: 41-75, 55%

At The Rim: 25-for-30 – 83%
3-9 Feet: 0-for-5
10-15 Feet: 3-for-8 - 38%
16 Feet to the 3-Point Line: 11-for-23 - 48%
3-Pointers: 2-for-9 – 19%

—Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis)

PRESENT

Sure, Singleton is undersized for the power forward position, but he sure doesn’t lack any confidence:

“I’m just out there having fun. Everyone acts so surprised what I am capable of. I have always been capable of this. I just needed the opportunity … Team leaves me open, I am going to make them pay for it. The ball is in my hands, I am going to make them pay for it … I don’t have any doubt that I am a NBA player and belong in the NBA. It is just other people’s thought process—that is on them.”

Singleton would like to stay in Washington and had seemed to instantly rekindle chemistry with his teammates.

“I would love to stay in D.C. I love the guys. I gelled with them as soon as I got here. They welcomed me in. I feel comfortable. I feel like at home.”

Many fans would like to see Verizon Center become Singelton’s home in 2012-13. But more importantly, the Wizards need a player of his ilk in training camp, on the practice court, and perhaps beyond.

—Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis)

FUTURE

With the backing of franchise point guard John Wall, it’s very possible that the Wizards will take the necessary steps to have James Singleton at training camp for the upcoming season.

And here’s to hoping they do.

Singleton impressed in his second stint with the club, complementing his typical hard-nosed, rugged style of play with a newfound shooting ability. And if he were to be back with the Wizards next season, he wouldn’t be expected to show much more than the stats he put up this season with the Wizards. But his value to the team moving forward isn’t (nor should it be) measured by huge statistical production. Singleton is a 30-year-old veteran who enjoys setting screens, hitting the boards, and doing the dirty work needed to make life easier for the rest of his teammates.

In his 12 games, Singleton posted the Wizards’ second-best Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 19.6; Nene led Washington with a 24.2 PER in 11 games, while JaVale McGee put up a 19.6 PER in 41 games. Another impressive stat: Singleton led the Wizards in Total Rebound Percentage, grabbing 17.4-percent of all rebounds while on the court. The Wizards certainly could put that type of production to use.

Before deciding on playing with the Wizards following the end of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season, Singleton drew interest from the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. His work in D.C. since has surely increased interest from around the league. This summer could be Singleton’s last significant NBA pay day.

The Wizards getting a jump on retaining someone like him should be a no-brainer. They need a guy who they can rely on to be tough, to not back down from any challenge, and to put opposing players on their ass if need be. That and Singleton’s well-travelled, veteran experience should be enough to convince management to keep him around next season.

—Ryan Gracia (@rgracia2378)

“All The Way To China”

James Singleton’s professional basketball career has taken him to places near and far in this world. His first shot in the NBA with the L.A. Clippers in 2005 was sandwiched between stints in Italy (2003-05) and Spain (2007-08). In his ensuing return to the U.S., Singleton found himself with the Dallas Mavericks in 2008 before being traded to the Wizards in 2010, only to find himself leaving once again for a more lucrative market in the CBA for the past two seasons, where he says he developed his game by working on his jump shot with assistant coaches to add balance to his game. He averaged nearly 18 points on 57.6-percent shooting on 2-pointers and an impressive 53.7-percent on 3-pointers and 12 rebounds in more than 31 minutes per game this past season with the Guandong Southern Tigers.

Who else but Andray Blatche was able to deliver some Blatche-like reasoning as to how Singleton was able to improve his game:

“He went all the way to China and came back with a jumper. … You can buy anything in China.”

Well, at least the first part was true.

Though Singleton’s 12 games with the Wizards is a small sample size, the improvement seems to be significant enough. This season with the Wizards he upped his Effective Field Goal Percentage to 56-percent; he only mustered 38.9-percent during his 32 games with Washington in 2009-10. Singleton’s career eFG% stands at 48.5-percent.

According to 82games.com, Singleton attempted nearly the same percentage of jump shots with the Wizards in 2009-10 (62-percent of all of his FG attempt) as he did this past season (63-percent). However, the difference in eFG% on those jumpers is huge. In 2009-10, Singleton’s eFG% was just 29.7-percent with 71-percent of those baskets being assisted. This season Singleton had an eFG% of .404 on his jump shots with 89-percent of those being assisted.

So what does this prove? Singleton’s work in China has provided clear-cut results: that 18-percent jump in assisted jumpers shows that he’s improved as a spot-up shooter, perhaps making teams re-write the scouting report on him. If teams have to respect his shooting game, Singleton can pull opposing big men out of the paint, freeing space for John wall and teammates to slash to the hoop with one less giant to encounter along the way.

—Ryan Gracia (@rgracia2378)

GRADE JAMES SINGLETON

Andray Blatche: DC Council Ratings

In 13 starts with the Wizards: 1.08 average Stars out of 3
(Blatche received 2 of 39 possible ‘sub of the game’ nominations in his 13 games off the bench.)
Best Start: Jan. 2, 2012 – Game 5 at Boston Celtics
Worst Start: Dec. 28, 2011 – Game 2 at Atlanta Hawks

MEDIA DAY 2011

Andray Blatche spent the 2011 summer down in Miami working out; he even purchased a condo down there. Last fall, during the lockout, Blatche organized practices for teammates in the D.C. area; they were sparsely attended due to various conflicts. The ultimate sign? For his hosted workouts, Blatche made T-shirts that read: “Play Off Starts Here!” [Cue the Keyboard Cat?]

Blatche was trying to become a leader and reports indicated he was in the best condition of his life. At training camp and media day, John Wall expressed positive impressions of Andray:

“It seems like he is in a different mind set. Basically, when I talked to him a lot throughout the summer, when I was in Miami I visited him a couple times, he said that he wanted to make the playoffs, and it is good to see him working as hard as he is. He is showing his talent … He came in with a great mindset, really trying to get in shape, really trying to run hard in every drill, passing the ball better and being a better teammate … he knows where he wants the ball to score. The way he has been playing throughout the training camp can really help us.”

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis was also optimistic:

“Andray looks like he is in great shape. I have talked to Andray, and he understands that the fan base and the media are all looking to take cues on can his focus and dedication match his natural skills. I and the front office expect really, really good things from Andray. He is a young man and he understands that these are defining moments for him.”

On media day, Blatche eerily predicted how the fate of season could shake out due to his play:

“I feel if the team do good, it is because of something that I am doing good. I am going to take this team on my shoulders with the good and the bad, positives and the negatives. I told my teammates, I’m willing to give y’all 100-percent out of me every game. I am willing to die for this. I feel that I owe this organization, this community, the whole D.C. alot more than I have given in the past. I am thankful for having this organization, these owners and coaches that never turned their back on me. And they always had my back, always kept pushing me. They easily could have gave up on me a long time ago and they haven’t. Now that I see that, I feel like I owe them. I owe them nothing but the best out of me and that is what I am going to try to give them.”

—Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis)

PAST

Andray Blatche began his seventh season as a member of the Washington Wizards as a man with something to say. We all know about his Media Day proclamations of giving 100-percent and being willing to die for this game. Granted, someone saying they will do something has a much different connotation than someone saying that are willing to—the latter makes it sound negotiable.

The loudest words however, came opening night before the Wizards took on the New Jersey Nets. Blatche took the microphone to address the half-capacity crowd at the Verizon Center, his speech:

“How y’all doing? This is your captain, Andray Blatche. On behalf of myself, my teammates, the whole Washington Wizards organization, we want to say we strongly appreciate y’all sticking around all summer. It’s been a long summer, and it’s a shortened season, but it’s going to be tough. And we’re going to need you guys, the best fans in the NBA, to be our sixth man. So in other words, let’s get this season started.”

Blatche  probably did not give  this speech on his own accord (although this is the same man who pronounced himself team captain), and the chances are  slim to none that the crowd really took his words seriously. Still, the very fact that Blatche was willing to address the pre-game crowd a la Antawn Jamison gave a glimmer of hope to fans, coaches and teammates, that he was ready to embrace a leadership role for the Washington Wizards.  However, just two hours later, after the Wizards lost 90-85, Blatche (who had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes) complained about not getting the ball enough in the post, where he believed his effectiveness could be maximized.

Blatche’s opening night highs and lows not only served as a microcosm for his 2011-12, lockout-shortened season, but for his tenure in Washington overall. There were moments of brilliance like, when he scored 28 points in a loss against the Boston Celtics (and played peacemaker in an effort to keep Flip Saunders from being ejected), but there were many more examples of an uninterested, disengaged player. One time against the Orlando Magic he earned a goaltending call on a free throw and inexplicably shot a fadeaway jumper on a 2-on-1 fastbreak.

His uninspired play led to an unrelenting cascade of boos from the Wizards fans, which had coaches like Doc Rivers, and players like Al Harrington feeling sorry for what he had to endure. A five-week absence due to a strained calf muscle in late January,temporarily rescued Blatche from the embarrassing boos until the beginning of March. That embarrassment returned tenfold when he was benched for the last 22 games of the season due to a lack of conditioning. It is worth noting that Carmelo Anthony (no games missed), Paul Pierce (no games missed) and Dirk Nowitzki (four games missed) all suffered from that same malady—showing up for the lockout-shortened season out of shape. Somehow they were able to avoid being shelved prematurely.

Blatche’s season ended, much like it began. He promised to look within, he claimed to understand how pivotal this summer was to his basketball career, and vowed to work hard. Stop me if you’ve heard this before..

—Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20)

PRESENT

Due to a history of questionable work ethic, a high-profile partying image off the court and only flashes of consistent play in his Wizards career, Blatche’s margin of error with the fans was already razor slim. Once he complained about not getting the ball after the opening night home loss to New Jersey Jets, the relationship was all but done. The boos soon came during pre-game introductions and most every time he touched the ball. His teammates tried to rally around him and Flip Saunders criticized fans for the jeers, but Blatche, a human with sensitive emotions, was unable to focus.

Blatche is due $24 million over the next three seasons. The Wizards have tried to move him for months, maybe years, and have found no takers. Sources close to Blatche have indicated to me that he wants out of D.C. The expected move is for Washington to use the amnesty clause to effectively pay Blatche not to be a Wizard.

There is a slight possibility that the Wizards could keep Blatche and hope he performs well enough to package in a trade. The decision to extend a team president with a 9-year winning percentage of .390 was extremely unpopular among fans, the scenario of keeping Blatche could trump it immensely—and then some. I can see harsh Twitter reactions, blog comment sections piling with disgust, and national talking heads cracking more jokes about the Wizards franchise should this happen. Local D.C. sports radio would use Blatche to make Albert Haynesworth a distant memory. I can envision fans coming to games just to boo him.

Blatche is a talented specimen, but the NBA is full of gifted, athletic freaks. If Andray wants to continue to be a professional basketball player, he must modify his game. There is little value for a 6-foot-11 power forward who shoots erratic, off-balance 20-foot jumpers and he will no longer get 5-10 isolation opportunities a game. The only path forward is for him to battle down low for boards and easy scoring chances, and only then work his game out from there. Sure, he lacks athleticism, but he can still be crafty around the rim. Being a back-up big, playing 15-20 minutes a game and contributing positively is not that far-fetched. Just look at what Boris Diaw is doing in San Antonio compared to appearing fat, lazy and spent in Charlotte.

In Blatche’s interview before the last game of the season, it seemed quite clear that he still does not grasp this concept and mistakenly believes that he needs to get back to playing “his” game. Back to being Andray Blatche.

I like ‘Dray. He comes across as a good guy, he’s funny, and the personable interaction he has with fans should be emulated by more athletes. I hope he is able to find his way, but it should not be in Wizards uniform. His time in D.C. needs to come to an end.

—Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis)

FUTURE

I see a dark future … where Andray Blatche remains a Wizard for at least one more season.

The dude has a three-year, $23 million guaranteed contract. He also just played like a guy content to be the worst player on a bad team. (FYI: This is a bad combination.)

Both team and player desperately need a fresh start, but they seem to be stuck with each other. The Wizards prefer to deal Blatche, but no one wanted him at the trade deadline—for good reason—and I’m waiting to hear a rational argument for why the market for “out-of-shape, unhappy big men” would spontaneously heat up this summer.

At the same time, Blatche is still just young, just inexpensive enough that the Wizards may not rush to amnesty him in this offseason. For ”Seven Day Dray,” it’ll all come to a head during a seven day window in July (the 11th to 17th)—and I’d put money on him sticking around.

Perhaps this is another gloomy prediction from the most pessimistic writer at TAI. But unless Washington packages Blatche with draft picks, expiring contracts, or some other asset … steel yourself for a few more years of boos and jeers. So Wizards fans better pray that ‘Dray finds religion over the summer. Or failing that, a better trainer.

—Dan Diamond (@ddiamond)

DNP/NWT – Conditioning

After everyone realized Blatche wasn’t going to improve his statistics from last season (which he  managed to accomplish in each of his first six seasons), ‘Dray was shut down by coaching and management for “conditioning” reasons. After slogging through half-court sets, walking around on defense, sulking, and generally giving Wizards fans every reason to boo him (and boo they did), Blatche largely disappeared from the scene. As the season drew to a close, marked by the arrival of Nenê and increased team cohesiveness, Andray’s absence became an afterthought.

Blatche did not fail to inspire this year, although not as a teammate or a leader. After starting the season as the team captain (an error quickly explained away by all involved—Captains were selected on a game-by-game basis, Flip Saunders said), his greatest contribution was creating endless content for the new website, www.andrayblatchesucks.com. The boos heard throughout the Verizon Center were staggeringly consistent and widespread, and this only served to make his sad face more visible.

There was some noticeable guilt from the fan-base for such public derision; after all, he’s relatively young, was thrust unfairly into a leadership position for a struggling organization, and was expected to show maturity that he didn’t possess. Andray’s response to the public outrage at his very presence on the court was indicative of all of his responses during his time in Washington. Rather than elevating his play, or taking responsibility for his lackluster effort, he instead seemed to withdraw further from the team.

No matter what, many people will remember ‘Dray as one of the worst Wizards of all time.  The circumstances of the Wizards this year, combined with his personality and play, led to a perfect storm of personal crisis for Mr. 24/7. His future is unclear; will he bounce back and be able to salvage his career? Or is this the beginning of the end? Keep your eye out for his name on party fliers in a town near you.

—Sam Permutt (@SammyVert)

GRADE ANDRAY BLATCHE

PICTORIALS

via @AdamMcGinnis

Jan Vesely: DC Council Ratings

In 20 starts with the Wizards: 1.45 average Stars out of 3
(Vesely received 27 of 111 possible ‘sub of the game’ nominations in his 37 games off the bench.)
Best Start: Mar. 23, 2012 – Game 22 vs Charlotte Bobcats
Worst Start: Feb. 3, 2012 – Game 23 at Toronto Raptors

And since Jan is also known as Sonny Crockett…

And because Adam McGinnis snapped this picture, Jan gets two player review graphics…

PAST

What did we think we knew about the 6-foot-11, 240-pound wing out of the Czech Republic? For starters, YouTube told us that Jan Vesely was a “dunking ninja,” and Flip Saunders, while he was still the head ball coach, said that Vesely was a “perfect fit” for the Wizards.

“He’s a guy that’s been heavily scouted, and we just thought that where we had him rated, whether we were going to be at six or even up a little bit higher, he was going to be a guy we were locked into because he would fit so much into how John [Wall] plays,” said Saunders. “He’s a willing learner, a quick learner, very much a student of the game, how the game is played. He’s very competitive. He wants his team to win more than anything else.”

We knew Vesely was a phenomenal athlete with a shaky jumper, but a player that would always leave it all on the floor. We knew he liked to play defense and block shots; he said so much in a draft night-conference call with the media. We knew that despite his willingness to play D, Vesely was still a combo-forward who would need to add strength to slow elite post players in the NBA.

And an in-depth look at his statistics in both the Euroleague and the Adriatic League, where Vesely had been playing professional basketball since the age of 16, suggested Vesely would likely be an efficient, reliable rotation player with plenty of potential, even as a back-to-the-basket scorer.

That’s what we thought we knew. As for what we now know, well….

—John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend)

PRESENT

On media day at the conclusion of Wizards training camp 2011, there was unknown coach prowling around the floor in logo polos; he wasn’t an official Wizards staffer. Turned out, Flip Saunders contracted Jay Wolf, shooting coach, to assist Jan Vesely with form. It was an ominous sign that the Czech rookie would struggle with this facet of his game. Jan then infamously air-balled his first NBA free throw attempt and did not make his first legitimate jumper until a loss at Indiana on March 29, 2012.

The break down of the field goal locations illustrate what Vesely needs to focus on this summer:

At The Rim: 106-for-145 – 73.1%
3-9 Feet: 8-for-43 – 18.6%
10-15 Feet: 0-for-8
16 Feet to the 3-Point Line: 3-for-21 - 14.3%
3-Pointers: 0-for-1 

Jan also shot 60-percent from the field at home, compared to 47-percent on the road. Vesely has to at least become a threat offensively when he faces up to the basket. Too many times this season, he wouldn’t even look at the rim, rather immediately passing the ball like a hot potato.

Vesely’s on-ball defense became a weakness due to his propensity to pick up cheap fouls very quickly. Some of this was due to NBA refs welcoming the rookie to the league in their typical fashion, but he also tended to take poor angles and did not move laterally with enough quickness. He gradually figured it out and the “Vesafoul” moniker disappeared.

Overall, the Wizards were a better transition team when Jan was on the court. When Vesely was on the bench, the Wizards averaged 17.7 fastbreak points per 48 minutes (which was just below the Washington team average of 17.9 fastbreak points per 48). With Jan on the court, team fastbreak points jumped to 18.4 per 48 minutes. Interestingly enough, Vesely also helped prevent opponent fastbreak points. Wizards opponents averaged 14.5 fastbreak points per 48 minutes. When Vesely was on the court, opponents averaged just 12.2 fastbreak points per 48. With Jan on the bench, opponents were able to get back to scoring in transition, averaging 15.6 fastbreak points per 48. [stats via nba.com/stats]

Improving his jumper substantially could open up the possibility of Jan sliding over to the 3 spot at times to relieve some of the log jam the Wizards might have at the 4 spot, especially if they end up drafting Thomas Robinson or Anthony Davis. It’s easy to rag on Vesely’s glaring deficiencies and criticize the team for his sixth overall lottery selection. I’ve found myself guilty of wondering “what if” while watching Kawhi Leonard (the 15th overall pick in 2011) ball out for the San Antonio Spurs.

This is the wrong approach and serves an injustice to the improvement that Vesely has displayed as a rook. For awhile now, Wizards fans have lamented how the franchise has selected athletes lacking basketball I.Q. who have struggled with the simple, fundamental plays. It’s been a frustrating aspect of following this team and has opened up team president Ernie Grunfeld to legitimate criticism.

Vesely is a living proof how that methodology has changed, because he is an athletic freak who does know the game. He hustles, hedges and recovers exceptionally on pick-and-roll D, he sees the floor well for a player his size and routinely is in the correct spot on the floor. Some of this might not always show up in the box score or even on the tube, but it is happening, and the Wizards rebuilding efforts are furthered by having a player like Jan Vesely.

—Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis)

FUTURE

To start on a lighter note, Jan Vesely appeared almost two weeks ago on the Jan Kraus Show, which is only the most watched and best late night show in the Czech Republic. He definitely has a comical side to him. His English is not that perfect yet for Americans to experience it fully, however, when he speaks in his native tongue, he’s quite a funny dude. I’m pretty sure Kraus has never seen a basketball game (a hint about the popularity of the sport in the motherland), but Vesely didn’t seem to mind and instantly won over the audience. There were some awkward moments, too. When Kraus said that Vesely is the most successful basketball player in Czech, Jan’s response: “I try.” But, funny moments prevailed. At one point, Jan was showing Kraus how to dunk violently like Blake Griffin, when Kraus joked, to everyone’s laughter, that Jan‘s shoes are so big (15.5 US size) he’d use one as a boat on a holiday. Vesely also mentioned that his grandmothers watch his games and check out his stats every day.

Clearly, Air Wolf Ves improved as this lockout-shortened season went along; he certainly looked much more comfortable toward the end of the year. No doubt the transition from playing professionally in Europe to the NBA was tougher than even he had expected. (Vesely’s hip injury at the beginning of the season and having no real training camp didn’t help him, either.) When the season started, he played too timidly for the first couple of weeks; and the dreaded ‘bust‘ designation was bestowed upon him by many Wizards fans … those comments made me chuckle a bit. I get it that in message boards and the like, people want to express their feelings and projections (even if it is only after several games), but what some fans don’t get is the players are real people, not robots or digitized renderings in NBA 2K12. Every person is different, but when someone arrives to a new place, it’s always difficult. We can only imagine how tough is to adapt to living (and working) in a new country with only basic language skills at your disposal. What I’m saying is, you can’t really judge foreign players after couple of games. It can go south fast (Nikoloz Tskitishvili, anyone?) as many suggested, but eventually, in Jan’s case, it didn’t. When he got more playing time from coach Wittman and the team started playing more team ball after the Nenê trade, Jan (as he’s said himself, multiple times) enjoyed the game much more. You could see it in his eyes, he was having fun.

Now comes the more difficult part: to get to the next level of performing more consistently, geting stronger, and adding a reliable jumpshot or a go-to ball-handling move to the arsenal. After the end of regular season, when he came home to face the Czech media for the first time, Vesely said that he’s determined to work hard during the summer. From what I’m hearing (I’m friends with several people who know him better than I do), he’ll do just that, work hard and shoot—a LOT. Wizards fans can also take solace in the fact that at his press conference in Prague, Vesely seemed to put the Wizards first and the Czech national team second. There are rumors that some young Czech basketball prodigies such as Jan and his buddy, point guard Tomas Satoransky (can the Wiz draft him in the second round?), don’t get along well with some of the veteran Czech players. Long-time Czech veteran, Lubos Barton, who played college ball at Valparaiso University, blogged last summer that not participating in all games, even if it’s only a qualifying round, for your country is “egoism of the highest order.” However, that’s not the Wizards’ concern. If Jan plays for his national team in the Eurobasket qualification games this August and September (the Czechs are in the group with Turkey, Italy, Portugal, and Belarus), that can’t hurt. The more he sees playing time against tough competition in big games, the better. But Jan is determined to work on his individual skills and come to Washington a better, more confident player next season. So he will have to balance the best path between career and country.

Maybe I’m biased, but Jan Vesely’s future in the NBA looks bright. Even Bill Simmons once tweeted that Vesely is a specimen to see in person. That’s great, but what’s even better is that Vesely is one of those rare, hard-working, team ball-loving, high basketball IQ, ultimate teammate players who is simply a must-have for every winning NBA team—they are hard to find, the 6th pick in a sub-par draft be damned. What not many fans realize when evaluating players is that basketball is a team game consisting of both offense AND defense, so even when Jan’s jumpers looked terrible, on the other hand his defense, for a rookie, was really solid (e.g. covering screen-and-rolls and help defense), proving he has the capability to be a very special player on that end of the floor. And it’s not like offense doesn’t exist for Vesely, his dunks are impressive; most defenders don’t even know he had the ball by the time he scores. No, he won’t ever be a superstar in this league, but he’s well on his path to become an awesome, dependable player for many years to come.

—Lukas Kuba (@Luke_Mellow)

THE DUNKING NINJA REACHES THE U.S.A.

The preseason hype had as much to do with his quotability, girlfriend, and incredibly bootleg highlight tape as it did with his superior athletic abilities and hard-nosed playing style. Bursting onto the scene with a smoking kiss and claims that Blake Griffin was the “American Jan Vesely,” Jan ended up being a refreshingly honest and focused player in a locker room with a clown-ish reputation.

Through his interviews and diaries via the great work of Lukas Kuba, we learned that he likes Czech beer, team basketball, and dunking. His stated lifestyle is in direct contrast with many of his fellow young American NBAers … Vesely seems to prefer the quiet life to the club scene. And well, he has neither car, nor American driver’s license, and he lives within walking distance to the Verizon Center. This is a good sign for an organization that has been plagued by club drama (Blatche v. McGee at the Shadow Room) in the not-so-distant past.

Overall, Vesely kept a low-profile, was refreshingly honest in his dealings with the media, and appears poised to become a fan-favorite for years to come. He seems like a teenager, or at least like the 22-year-old that he is, in a much more appealing and striking way than many of his peers. His lack of facial hair (James Harden is the same age as him) and haircut choices lend themselves to his youthful appearance. Which Jan Vesely haircut did you prefer: rock band Vesely or middle-school nerd Vesely?

—Sam Permutt (@SammyVert)

GRADE JAN VESELY

PICTORIALS

via @AdamMcGinnis

Rashard Lewis: DC Council Ratings

In 15 starts with the Wizards: 0.98 average Stars out of 3
(Lewis received 2 of 24 possible ‘sub of the game’ nominations in his 8 games off the bench.)
Best Game: Feb. 1, 2012 – Game 22 at Orlando Magic
Worst Games: Feb. 4, 2012 – Game 24 vs Los Angeles Clippers

PAST

Three years and an HGH-related suspension ago, Rashard Lewis was a major contributor for an Orlando Magic team that fell just short of winning the 2009 NBA title, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the Finals. That season, Lewis shot 39.7-percent from the 3-point line, 43.9-percent from the field and averaged 17.7 points per game. Big forwards didn’t want to run out to the arc to guard him, and he would post small forwards up for easy baskets. He was a nightmare to guard, and, mind you, a 2009 All-Star. The Magic exploited the Lewis-Dwight Howard combination perfectly. But then the decline began.

Fast-forward to the conclusion of the 2011-2012 NBA season. Rashard Lewis was immaculately dressed in an over-sized suit on the end of the Washington Wizards bench next to Maurice Evans or whatever D-League player deemed ready for at least 10 days of prime time. Lewis appeared in 28 of the Wizards’ 66 games. He  shot 23.9-percent from the 3-point line, 38.5-percent from the field, and averaged just 7.8 points in 26 minutes per game. He started 15 games, but his averages (8.6 points, 25-percent on 3-pointers and 39-percent from the field in 29.0 minutes) were just as putrid as his bench production (6.8 points per game, 21-percent on 3-pointers and 37-percent field goals).

Even before a bone bruise to his perpetually plagued knees officially shut down his season, Lewis looked forlorn, sad, disengaged and a shell of the player he was in Orlando. When playing, the few times he got the ball in the post, he could never get comfortable enough to get the desired shot. And the numerous times he was left open — whether it was behind the arc, or for simple a mid-range jumper — he would miss and miss again. Lewis for the most part managed to escape the boo birds that rained down on Andray Blatche, but he could not escape the frequent juxtapositions of his hefty contract and his empty production.

Even when Lewis did manage to come alive against his former Magic teammates in early February, it had the feeling of a bittersweet tease, rather than a slump-busting game. Lewis’ explanation for his play this season (as told to the Washington Post’s Michael Lee):

“I started the season off bad and I didn’t have a real good feel with the offense and the team. I was a little upset about it, but I’m not the type to complain, go to coach complain, go to the newspaper to complain. I decided to look myself in the mirror and see what I could do to make the team better and try to play through it. It was tough, because I wasn’t making very many shots and I wasn’t getting very many. So it’s tough when you’re getting five or six shots a night, sitting over there in the corner, trying to spread the court. It made it tough for me to use my skills and talent to help this team win ball games.”

The irony of that quote is that there were two instances when Lewis actually did a bit of complaining.   After the Wizards were blown out by the Orlando Magic, Lewis, along with John Wall, complained that some of his teammates were playing selfishly, and that they only seemed concerned with padding their stats.  Just a few days later, an alleged spat between Lewis and Wizards assistant coach Sam Cassell before the January 8 Minnesota Timberwolves game occurred. Both Lewis and Flip Saunders denied the story, but there was no skirting the questionable nature of a sore knee suddenly causing him to miss the eighth game of the season.

The reality is that Lewis looked like a washed-up player whose best days are long gone rather than an impossible matchup.

-Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20)

PRESENT

Lewis was not brought to Washington for his basketball prowess, but more as a way for the franchise to transition from the Agent Zero days to the Game Changer; the Wizards also saved some money and a year of cap space in the process. Whatever Lewis delivered on the court would be a bonus, it was thought.

But, his injury-laden, diminishing skill set unfortunately made him a liability in a Wizards uniform. Lewis logged just 60 of 148 possible games over the past two seasons and his awkward looking, but deadly long-range shooting touch was a distant memory.

When the amnesty clause was created in order for teams to erase contract mistakes off their books, sports pundits immediately pointed to the insane terms of Lewis’ deal. And for good reason, as only Kobe Bryant was paid more to play professional basketball in 2011-12. Washington chose, prudently in my opinion, to avoid using the amnesty on Lewis last summer (to Lewis’ own surprise) because they would have had to add heavy salary in order to reach the league salary floor. Doing so would have jeopardized long-term cap flexibility the team worked so hard to achieve.

Lewis is scheduled to make $22.7 million next season with a buy out of $13.7 million. The Washington Post’s Michael Lee recently reported that the Wizards are interested in possibly moving Lewis since his expiring contract could be attractive to a club looking to shed salary. There is no downside for Wiz brass to explore this avenue, but it is a far-fetched scenario and the obvious roster decision will be for the Wizards to cut ties by exercising Lewis’ buyout.

If Lewis could still knock down shots effectively, he might be an asset for a squad wiling to take a flyer on the proven vet. But his abysmal 22-percent from 3-point land this season and creaky knees are evidence that the two-time All-Star is near the end of the road. But when you think about it, he’s had a pretty illustrious 14-year career that began in Bill Clinton’s presidential administration.

So Long, Sweet Lew………

-Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis)

FUTURE

As depressing as this season may have been for Lewis, a change of scenery — and more importantly, an exit out of Washington — seems to loom large. While nothing has been confirmed, Ernie Grunfeld will probably buy out Lewis’ contract for $13.7 million dollars by the June 30 deadline, use the amnesty provision (ironically the Magic, Lewis’ former team, did the same to Gilbert Arenas, former Wizard), or perhaps, as part of a salary cap maneuvering deal, trade him to a veteran team that’s willing to take a low-risk in search of a high reward (much like how the Boston Celtics gambled on Jermaine O’Neal two seasons ago). There is a small chance the Wizards could retain him for one more year, but that seems to fly in the face of the Wizards youth movement that was in place after the departures of Flip Saunders, JaVale McGee, Nick Young and Andray Blatche. Sadly, the most likely scenario for Lewis is that, after being freed from Washington, he’ll sign with a team as an afterthought, becoming the second or third man off bench like Tracy McGrady in Atlanta.

From a financial standpoint, Lewis will still get paid handsomely next season, but his next contract, likely the veteran’s minimum of $1.2 million a year, will be a far cry from getting paid in upwards of $20 million a year to play basketball. But the expectations placed on him will be little to none, which may free Lewis up to be a bit closer to the player he was in Orlando. Ultimately his health, his attitude, his team atmosphere, and his shooting percentage will determine how he fares next season, wherever that may be.

-Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20)

A PRO’S PRO?

What more can be said about Rashard Lewis? Seriously. Does anything need to be said? Can anything be said? Sure, always.

Lewis is nothing more than the vessel that rid Ernie Grunfeld of Gilbert Arenas. This, of course, after step one of Ernie’s “evil” plan: let the world know that Arenas and Javaris Crittenton screwed around with guns in the locker room — at least this is the hypothetical paraphrasing of Arenas’ warped mind. Besides, we all know Kendrick “Bookie Ball” Long is responsible for Rashard Lewis’ presence in D.C.

Yea, remember that guy? Bookie Ball.

All that aside, the narrative surrounding Lewis’ arrival in Washington was about him bringing professionalism to the Wizards locker room. If that ever had any effect on the likes of Nick Young, JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche, we’ll never know. Not sure many outside of a Kevin Garnett-type would have made a difference, if even him. But without much production to begin this past season, along with a supposed spat with assistant coach Sam Cassell and a refusal to play after seven straight losses (and before loss number eight to Minnesota), whatever professionalism and leadership Lewis could provide was rendered increasingly negligible.

Just a vessel, a body, and a broken one at that.

When pundits monitoring this 2012 NBA playoffs — in consideration of JaVale McGee and Nick Young — speak of the hapless Wizards franchise not possessing positive, veteran influences on those players (and how they are now ‘free’ from that), Rashard Lewis’ 14 NBA seasons and 934 career regular season games (64 playoff games) get ghosted.

And pretty soon, Lewis’ time with the Wizards will be ghosted too. But with the minor role he played in the saga of Gilly Arenas, at least the Internets will probably never forget that he’s one of ghouls in the closet.

-Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It)

GRADE RASHARD LEWIS

PICTORIALS

via @AdamMcGinnis

Chris Singleton: DC Council Ratings

In 51 starts with the Wizards: 0.94 average Stars out of 3
(Singleton received 8 of 45 possible ‘sub of the game’ nominations in his 15 games off the bench; To note… D’oh! Rashard Lewis averaged 0.98 Stars out of 3 in his 15 starts for the Wizards.)
Best Game: Feb. 28, 2012 – Game 29 at Milwaukee Bucks
Worst Game(s): Feb. 22, 2012 – Game 33 vs Sacramento Kings

PAST

Last in the Green Room on NBA Draft Night 2011, Singleton later said he was making a list of the teams that passed on him. By season’s end, only two rookies started more games than him: Detroit’s Brandon Knight and Houston’s Chandler Parsons; Parsons was drafted 20 spots after Singleton. With the Wizards, his 51 starts (77-percent of the games in a lockout-shortened season) tied the amount of starts by Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving. Now here’s the rub: of the 101 NBA rookies who have started at least 61 games (around 75-percent of an 82-game schedule) since 1990-91, Singleton’s 8.3 rookie PER would rank tied for dead last with Denver’s Mark Macon. [source: Basketball-Reference.com]

But hey, if the Wizards were targeting a defensive stopper, a good PER from Singleton (and it will improve over his career) will be less relevant; Bruce Bowen’s career PER stands at 8.2, after all. Singleton’s offense as a rookie, we know, was pretty horrendous. Although, you can’t knock his 34.6-percent from 3-point land. For someone whose jump shot was considered to be a liability coming in, Singleton’s 3-point percentage ranked ninth best amongst NBA rookies with at least 50 attempts, which was better than Ricky Rubio, Chandler Parsons, MarShon Brooks, Iman Shumpert, Kemba Walker and Derrick Williams.

But again, it’s about the defense. And while Singleton didn’t always pass the eye test, especially in his ability to keep up with the quickness of perimeter players, we need to remember that he was a rookie and that we need not elevate his expectations to those he was assigned to guard, most often the other team’s best scorer. [Note: Singleton told me that Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce were his toughest covers on the season.] There were some encouraging on/off court numbers when it comes to Singleton’s defense. When Singleton was on the court, opponent field goal percentage dropped from 45.8-percent to 44.5-percent; opponent turnovers per 48 minutes increased from 14.3 to 16.3; and opponent points per 48 minutes dropped from 100.2 to 96 [source: NBA.com stats]. Not too shabby.

Now, as ‘they’ say the biggest telltale sign of a player’s potential for improvement in the NBA is what he does from season one to season two, Singleton has to prove that those numbers have meaning.

-Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It)

PRESENT

This is how one too many offensive possessions would go for Chris Singleton this past season. John Wall would break down his man, get into the lane, and then be met by the opposing team’s second line of defense. Wall would quickly adjust and kick it out to one of his perimeter shooters with better looks at the basket. When Jordan Crawford got the ball, he was a threat to score off the dribble or the jump shot. When the ball landed in Singleton’s hands, he’d often accept the space the defense gave him with a missed jumper for their efforts. Thus, Singleton shot just 37-percent from the field, which will not cut it from the 3 spot, given the style of basketball the Wizards figure to play while Wall is running the show. Wall has vowed (again) to improve his outside shot, Singleton should join him in that mission.

“[Defense] is already my mark. It’s already something people know me for,” Singleton said the night he was drafted, making it his business to inform the media that keeping the other team from scoring is what he planned to be known for as a pro. This past season, he was able to get his hands in the passing lanes during some games (he averaged 1.1 steals), and he blocked his share of shots, but at no point did Singleton appear to be the guy whom the Wizards could depend on to stop the opposing team’s best perimeter player. Iman Shumpert, who the Knicks drafted one spot ahead of Singleton, was able to better fill that role for his team. Especially if his shooting continues to sputter below the 40-percent range, Singleton must become a more feared defensive stopper.

-Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20)

FUTURE

To put it bluntly, what Chris Singleton does to improve this summer will determine where he’ll be in the 2012-13 rotation. Jan Vesely improved with more playing time over the course of 2011-12 and could be a threat to take minutes from Singleton, whether off the bench or in the starting lineup. But also consider that between free agency and the draft, the Wizards will be looking to upgrade at small forward, which could more directly affect Singleton’s playing time. He was fortunate this year that Rashard Lewis was “injured,” and Coach Randy Wittman found himself in favor of a youth movement. Singleton won’t be quite as lucky next season.

The solution? He needs to master one area of his game (again, preferably defense), become good to very good at all other aspects, and prove that, in the very least, he deserves to one of the first players off the bench — the Wizards version of O.J. Mayo, if you will. If Singleton fails to improve, he could quite easily fall out of rotation and become the Maurice Evans of the 2012-2013 season.

-Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20)

A GROWN-UP ROOKIE

After the Wizards were creamed by the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening exhibition game, foreshadowing disastrous beginnings to the regular season, I was curious to hear how Singleton’s first NBA game went. His answer was illuminating, in hindsight:

“As a team, we got to go out there and play every possession. It starts on defense, and I don’t think we were there tonight … At one point, we were down by 40 — in an exhibition game — I mean, that is crazy, I hope this is not every night … It’s not going to be a walk in the park … We just didn’t come out to play.”

Singleton speaks in slow, intensely hushed tones, and he’s not afraid to be candid on assessing the team’s performance, nor his own. After the last game against the Miami Heat, he graded his rookie season with a ‘D’ because of his inconsistent play.

More impressive than his refreshing method of communication was Singleton’s willingness to engage with Washington fans. He always signed autographs at the Verizon Center, never turned down a picture request and genuinely enjoyed spending time with fans. Recently, Singleton gave away a pair of autographed, game-worn shoes on Facebook. He also revealed a touching personal nugget about himself:

What is the reason behind me wearing the number 31?
Both my grandfathers and my father (3) have passed away and I’m the only (1) left

Chris is also involved in some personal businesses on the side, mainly owning a clothing company with partner called Doughpe (pronounced “Dope”); Singleton serves as vice president and head of marketing. Dougphe’s gear can be purchased online and has both Twitter and Facebook accounts. In addition, Singleton founded a non profit charity called The L.E.A.G.U.E. Foundation, which sponsors a boys AAU basketball team.

This will be a big summer for Singleton to see if he can improve on a sub-par rookie season and make a similar second year upgrade we saw out of Kevin Seraphin and to a lesser extent, Trevor Booker. The hoopla that exploded from his “that or blow it in the club” comment surrounding his reason for dropping 10K on lottery tickets was overblown (although James Singleton did give him a talking to about that, indicating that his mom confused him with Chris). The perception closer to reality is that Singleton is a well-rounded, outgoing and cerebral dude who makes it easy for fans to root for him to make a big leap.

Chris Singleton’s Online Outlets:  Twitter, Facebook Fan Page, Website

-Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis)

GRADE CHRIS SINGLETON

PICTORIALS

via A. McGinnis

Jordan Crawford: DC Council Ratings

In 32 starts with the Wizards: 1.35 average Stars out of 3
(Crawford received 33 of 96 possible ‘sub of the game’ nominations in his 32 games off the bench; To note, Nick Young averaged 1.26 Stars out of 3 in his 32 starts.)
Best Game: Mar. 3, 2012 – Game 36 vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Worst Game(s): Dec. 28, 2011 – Game 2 at Atlanta Hawks

PAST

Jordan Crawford started the last 17 games of the 2010-11 season and averaged 20 points and 4.9 assists, making a strong case for the starting 2-guard job heading into 2011-12. He started the first two games of this season, but was then quickly cast aside as soon as Nick Young, fresh off accepting the Wizards’ qualifying offer, got his basketball legs under him. As the Wizards’ season continued to spiral downward, and after Nick played poorly in Milwaukee on the last day of February, Crawford was re-inserted back into the starting lineup for the remainder of the year (he averaged 16.4 points and 3.0 assists in 32 total starts). Now, his starting position seems just as uncertain as it was at this time last year.

To Crawford’s credit, there were plenty of games this season when he was the one of the few Wizards who could generate consistent offense (John Wall was the other). In the Wizards’ March 3 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Crawford did his best Gilbert Arenas/Nick Young impression by scoring early and often, taking most of his shots with a ridiculously high-degree of difficulty. Against the New Jersey Nets on March 21, Crawford toned it down a bit and turned in an efficient 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting in just 27 minutes. And then there was the game in Charlotte (when he was still coming off the bench) where he only scored 12 points but dished out seven assists. Games like these made it easy to imagine a Wall-Crawford background for years to come.

But unfortunately, when Crawford was off, he seemed to be a liability. He was not a particularly adept defender, and at 6-foot-3, he struggled against bigger guards. There were too many occasions when Crawford would launch an ill-advised shot before the play could develop. There were others when he waved off Wall (who would be calling for the ball) to call his own number, which would usually result in frantic offense. But that’s the risk the Wizards took with Crawford: when on, he could be unstoppable; when off, fantasies about Bradley Beal or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist began. When Crawford was leading the Wizards to one of their few victories, he seemed to justify Wittman’s decision to start him, and when he shot the Wizards out of games, it seemed he, and the team, would be better served with him coming off the bench.

-Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20)

PRESENT

Two words: Shot selection. If J-Craw can clean up this part of his game, he can be a reliable contributor to this ball club next season while minimizing the stress he can put on fans, teammates and coaches when he jacks with reckless abandon. He’s on the books for two more seasons (assuming the Wizards pick up their $2.16 million team option on Crawford’s rookie contract for 2013-14) before he, potentially, enters restricted free agency in the summer of 2014.

The ability to create instant offense as a starter or off the bench, combined with the ability to dish the ball to open teammates (sometimes, when all other options have failed), makes Crawford a slightly better version of Nick Young. Via Basketball-Reference.com, J-Craw averaged 3.9 assists per 36 minutes, compared to the 1.4 assists that Young averaged per 36 as a Wizard (and the 0.7 he has averaged with L.A.). Crawford also put up an assist percentage of 19.3 this past season, Young’s assist percentage was at a lowly 6.8-percent with the Wizards.

Even with all the issues about his shot selection throughout the season, interestingly enough, Crawford did increase his field goal shooting to 40-percent, up from 38-percent as a rookie (his 3-point shooting went from 25.8-percent to 28.9-percent). This should put into perspective the type of shooter he can be if he puts some work into understanding when to take chances and when to use vision to find a better option for himself or a teammate. Crawford has the ability to find the open man, but sometimes seemed to be influenced into hogging the ball by his peers, McGee and Young. A slight change occurred with Nene’s arrival – and the unselfishness which came with him – in that Crawford, too, was willing to make the necessary pass for a better shot.

Overall, J-Craw’s issues are nothing that a little offseason learning can’t fix.

-Ryan Gracia (@rgracia2378)

FUTURE

In some senses, Jordan Crawford’s foray into the Wizards’ shooting guard spot comes with very relaxed expectations… easy peasy. Think of the “off” guards who have infiltrated Washington’s roster in the last decade — Nick Young, Larry Hughes, DeShawn Stevenson, Juan Dixon, Roger Mason, Randy Foye, Jerry Stackhouse, etc. I could go on, but this exercise is quite terrible; check a more full listing of guard ne’er do wells at Basketball-Reference.com, if you are so inclined.

Then again, the fact that the franchise is yearning for some competency at shooting guard magnifies the scrutiny. [Shooters! Where are the shooters?!?! scream the roster vocal chords...] And well, thus far the 23-year old NBA soph hasn’t proven to be the best pairing with John Wall, but rather, has only increased the angst of Wizards fans with his shot selection, while occasionally dazzling with big-time performances and potent quotables. We’ve seen this before.

But life is about fair chances, and like many before him, Crawford will get his. So maybe it is about what Crawford can do compared to Nick Young. He’s a better passer, this we know. Crawford is also a better rebounder, his 6-foot-4 frame able to pull down 3.8 boards per 36 minutes, compared to 3.2 per 36 from Young’s 6-foot-7 frame. There is, however, one disturbing trend: 53.3-percent of Nick Young’s made field goals in Washington this season were assisted by a teammate; for Crawford, a mere 38.7-percent.

Jordan Crawford’s future, ideally, involves less Jordan Crawford. Not to say he can’t be of benefit to the Wizards, but it’s clear that the team’s No. 1 focus this offseason will be acquiring a wing scorer (or two). Crawford has seen plenty of action to develop during his brief tenure with Washington. Going forward, there will be more competition and more accountability at his position. Jordan will get his chance to shine, but his ability to sink or swim won’t be determined by him and him only. There will be other kids, and perhaps adults even, in the pool, too.

-Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It)

JORDAN LIKES TO JAW

There were two memorable Jordan Crawford moments this year. The first was Crawford’s explanation of a brief, heated exchange between himself and Paul Pierce during a Celtics victory over the Wizards on January 22.

The second was after the Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks, thanks to Crawford’s yeoman effort, despite a bum ankle. Let’s watch:

-Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20)

GRADE JORDAN CRAWFORD

A FULL YEAR WITH JORDAN

 #NEVERFORGET

 WHO’S GONNA SCORE?

Styling next to a painting… No biggie.

(courtesy of the inter-webs)

“Ima cool brotha so I gotta keep me a cool white boy” -@JCraw55

Via: http://instagr.am/p/IZ5rvUhGC5/

Post-Game Shades.

 Who doesn’t like making cake in the canal?

Because that’s how it always go…

[via @wzzntzz]

Nick Young: DC Council Ratings

In 32 starts with the Wizards: 1.26 average Stars out of 3
(Young received eight of 24 possible ‘sub of the game’ nominations in his eight games off the bench.)
Best Game: Feb. 14, 2012 – Game 29 at Portland Trailblazers
Worst Game(s):  Feb. 20, 2012 – Game 32 at Phoenix Suns; Feb. 28, 2012 – Game 34 at Milwaukee Bucks

PAST

With the 16th overall pick in 2007, Ernie Grunfeld took a flier on the kid from West L.A. with unteachable scoring instinct. The hope was that Young, with three years’ seasoning at the University of Southern California, would immediately replace who Jarvis Hayes never was, and that he would one day replace who DeShawn Stevenson and Roger Mason Jr. clearly were not.

Lots of development teeth were lost along the way, but not all was bloody sockets. Especially under Flip Saunders, Young improved his ability to close out and contest shooters, his ability to fight through ball screens when chasing on defense, and his ability to be a spot-up shooter from long range. In fact, Young’s developed 3-point shooting (at least in volume) might be the main fiber his career is hanging onto at this point.

Unfortunately, mental inefficiencies remained. Help defense and general defensive awareness stayed below average. Young’s ability to create for the team offense with his skills never developed, at all, infamously. All Young has ever wanted to do was get buckets, but it increasingly came at the cost of the team. Still, can we blame a blind man for selfishness?

Eventually a goofy, easy-going demeanor needs to mature. And Young, perhaps the man and the game, just hasn’t grown up. In Washington (and in Los Angeles, one could argue), his game continues to shows that it’s hit a ceiling. Aside from free-throw percentage, none of Young’s stats have improved to any significance in this contract year. His 40.6-percent shooting in 40 games with Washington this season would have been a career-low. In 22 regular season games with the Clips, Young’s shooting fell to 39.4-percent. Going from being the man on a bad team to a role player on a good team hasn’t changed much.

Maybe it’s his fault, maybe it’s the team development of the Wizards, maybe these things just happen in the NBA. After all, scorers in the League can come a dime a dozen. Judging the resume he’s built so far, Young’s career is only worth pennies on the dollar. But hey, with the career-high 43 points that he scored on January 11, 2011, at least Young should still have some buckets around for all the loose change.

-Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It)

PRESENT

After testing the free-agent waters last year as a restricted free agent, Nick Young reluctantly returned to Washington on a one-year contract. This summer, as an unrestricted free agent, Nick should garner more interest from teams around the league. Though only averaging 8.1 points per game during the playoffs, Nick has had some big post-season moments which have endeared him to Clippers’ fans and to the organization (with other front offices watching). He’s shooting 52.6-percent on 3-pointers during this playoffs and has proven he’s not afraid of scoring on the big stage.

Furthermore, Young’s “attitude issues” seem to have been resolved since his departure from Washington. Though his general demeanor has remained the same, smiling when winning sends a different message than smiling while losing. And his scowls, generally seen in Washington only as reactions to imagined slights by the referees or by teammates, are now reserved for his big-shot celebration faces.

Still, Young may be disappointed in his long-term value to another team unless he can improve his ability to perform against pressuring defense. He’s not a very good ball-handler, so when defenders crowd him (or trap him), he has a tendency to lose control. This deficiency is exasperated by his historically bad passing ability. Though some would argue that he simply didn’t have the right pieces around him in Washington to pass, his disinterest in sharing the ball has continued in Los Angeles.

Over 29 games with the Clippers, Young has accumulated a shockingly low 12 assists, which is about 50-percent less per 36 minutes than he achieved with the Wizards this season.

-Sam Permutt (@SammyVert)

FUTURE

Basically a free pick up at the trade deadline, the Clippers were surely expecting some better production from Young since his arrival, but that’s been his problem since he entered the league – he is too inconsistent. And the inconsistent play has led to inconsistent minutes in a Clippers uniform. In his time so far with his new club, he has averaged 27.2 minutes per game in March (nine games), 21 minutes in April (14 games, including one in playoffs), and 18.2 in May (six playoff games).

For a quicker observation on Young’s inconsistency, a breakdown of his stats so far this postseason is all one needs. He was a huge spark in helping the Clippers win their first playoff game, scoring 19 points from 66.7-percent shooting (six-for-nine) in 24 minutes. He has since averaged just 6.3 points on 37.5-percent shooting (12-for-32) in the past six games, and the Clippers dropped three of them. His 13 points on 3-for-8 shooting off the bench in LA’s Game 7 win was by far his best performance since Game 1.

For someone who has never averaged more than 1.2 assists per game or 2.7 rebounds per game, I find it difficult that the 9.7 points per game Young averaged with the Clippers during the regular season will be enough for them to retain him. This is mostly in consideration that Young was rumored to be looking for a deal worth around $9 million per season last summer before ultimately settling for the $3.7 million qualifying offer with the Wizards. Getting traded to a playoff team hasn’t done much to enhance the feasibility of Young’s asking price, it seems.

In an upcoming offseason where other unrestricted free agents at the guard spot include Boston’s Ray Allen, New York’s Landry Fields, Atlanta’s Kirk Hinrich, Dallas’ Jason Terry and Milwaukee’s Carlos Delfino — possibly in addition to Portland’s Jamal Crawford ($5.2 million player option for next season) and Philadelphia’s Louis Williams (early termination option from $5.3 million) — Young could be in the same boat he was in last offseason, floating in a semi-sea-worthy dinghy without any wind in his sails.

-Ryan Gracia (@rgracia2378)

WHEN NICK LIVED ON FUN STREET

One of the defining trademarks of Nick Young’s time in Washington was his outgoing personality. It showed up in his fashionable outfits, creative celebratory handshakes and engaging smile. “Swaggy P” was not just a twitter handle, but a real way of life that Young exuded. He rocked it not callously, but in a confident, funny way. While NBA ballers seem to be influenced by hipsters with big glasses and tight jeans, Young brought his own Hollywood flavor to the plate. He discussed his wardrobe last summer in an Edge magazine piece:

The LA native who calls himself “the best dressed man in the NBA” is now ready to step out and be the face of basketball style. “I haven’t really gotten the chance to get out there like that, but once people see me and really get into my style … I see people start to emulate it,” a charming Young says through a grin. It is his confidence, mostly, that sells his image. An image that includes what many players would never dare to step out in. Fitted jeans, vintage wool sweaters, prints and patterns, Nick Young never fails to make a bold statement with his wardrobe and though not everyone understands his look, he’s convinced that he can teach the fashion illiterate a thing or two. “They don’t really have style (in the league), I tell all the young boys coming up to get slimmer, lose the baggy clothes and all that stuff. There’s really nothing that can be done for the vets, they’re too stuck in their ways now,” says Nick.

Young had his flaws as a player, and his exuberant manner of carrying himself opened him up to criticism when the team lost, similar to how Blatche’s high-profile clubbing behavior provided additional ammo for his hordes of detractors. However, Nick was always gracious in post game media sessions, and even when grinning while spitting out non-sequitur answers, he genuinely hurt after losses.

Early this season, the Wizards were already stinking and John Wall was mired in a scoring slump. In the locker room before a game, the team’s young franchise building block complained how he scored more in his second career game (28 points versus Atlanta) than he had in any contest, weeks into his sophomore campaign. Young interrupted Wall and stressed to him that he cannot, in any way, worry about stuff like that. Young told Wall that he should keep playing his game and that good things will eventually come. This was not done in front of the cameras nor to draw attention, it was just a vet providing a younger player with sage advice. In digesting Young’s stern yet encouraging words, the look on Wall’s frustrated face flipped to relief.

Not long after this conversation, Wall busted out of his drought with a huge second half versus the Philadelphia 76ers and then with a dominant Martin Luther King Day performance versus the Houston Rockets. Behind the deep-V designer T’s, skinny jeans, eccentric hair styles and unique engaging humor, there was a quiet leader in Young who wanted to be better teammate. He just wasn’t equipped with a persona that people could always take seriously.

The memories of Young’s days with the Wizards will be mixed. Maybe with a stronger supporting cast and a lesser role, Young would be viewed in a more positive light by fans, instead of being indirectly blamed for Washington’s poor record. The man could flat out score, and Nick Young heat checks sure could be fun to watch.

It is only fitting that Young ended up back home in L.A., where his flashy playoffs ensemble proved that Swaggy P will continue to bring the swag, no matter what.

-Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis)

GRADE NICK YOUNG

MEMORY LANE

AFTER SCORING A CAREER-HIGH 43 POINTS…

HOW COULD WE FORGET NICK YOUNG & HIS FOX TAIL?

Nene: DC Council Ratings

In 6 starts with the Wizards: 2.19 average Stars out of 3
(Nene received eight of 15 possible ‘sub of the game’ nominations in his five games off the bench.)
Best Game: Mar. 21, 2012 – Game 45 at New Jersey Nets
Worst Game:  Mar. 22, 2012 – Game 46 at Indiana Pacers

PAST

He’s been good. Very, very good—a player who could make the All-Star team, one of these years.

But that’s the catch. Since Nenê’s debut with Denver in 2002, stardom has been just out of reach for the Brazilian big man.

One unfortunate reason: Nenê’s well-documented injuries. (He only played 39 games this year and has missed at least 25-percent of four other seasons.) His 6-foot-11 body gave him size, strength and grace—and cancer, too.

When healthy, Nenê was a major asset for Denver. Sure, he’s not a great rebounder and doesn’t always look for his own shot, but he remained a true big man with reliable post defense, a strong touch around the hoop and proven playoff experience.

Those skills and still extant potential got him a five-year, $67 million contract … even if buyer’s remorse had the Nuggets shopping him months later.

-Dan Diamond (@ddiamond)

PRESENT

The trade of JaVale McGee for Nenê was an unfortunate necessity. Luckily, the Wizards didn’t end up with a complete bag of damaged goods (at least not mentally). And with new Nenê instead of old McGee, Washington is now better positioned to continue the rebuild around John Wall, and not with someone like McGee, who tainted his talent with entitlement in the District.

The $52 million owed to Nenê over the next four seasons? Not such a big deal. Had the Wizards kept McGee, tension would have mounted between JaVale’s (and his mom’s) over-inflated self-worth and fair market price, which would have amounted to another season of purgatory with the most selfish and stupid encapsulation of the word “erudite.” Yes, quite the oxymoron. It was in the best interests of all parties to move on, as the Wizards expedited the essential acquisition of a free agent that they would have had to go after anyway.

But, here’s the issue: the deal that has, presumably, extended the shelf-life of Ernie Grunfeld’s stale tenure is contingent on health. This is not exactly a great-sounding word to sore ears which have experienced the old traditions of a maligned team medical staff with the aspirational new traditions of the franchise’s most recent marketing tag line. The Wizards are hoping they don’t get buyer’s remorse on Denver’s buyer’s remorse.

Nenê will play with a powerful Brazilian National Team in this summer’s Olympics. If Mark Cuban owned the Wizards, he’d be blogging and bitching about the ills of NBA player participation in international competition. The impression is that Ted Leonsis is not so adverse to his players (Kevin Seraphin included) showcasing their skills to the world. Neither is Nenê. After the last game of the season, he was asked what playing in five of the six games of Washington’s season-ending six-game winning streak meant to his preparation for the Olympics. He essentially expressed that many NBA players don’t take care of much in the summer; being on the Brazilian team will help him stay in shape.

So, cross your fingers, Wizards fans.

-Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It)

FUTURE

Since 2009, the Wizards have been stockpiling young players and ditching albatross contracts. Collecting some hope-sos, what-ifs, and a few what-the-hells.

It was a necessary youth infusion that brought few guarantees, which made Nenê a down payment on a future with definition. Now, he’s the only player on the Wizards who would be a clear starter on a playoff contender.

If Nenê’s health goes south, the remaining $52 million on his contract will be tricky to move, and it could then be tough for Wizards fans to watch a much-younger JaVale McGee flashing his potential in the playoffs.

But there’s a reason TAI loved the trade then and is still excited now. Big building blocks are tough to come by in the NBA.

-Dan Diamond (@ddiamond)

END OF SEASON NENE

The talk of Nenê after the Wizards’ final game, a home win over the Miami Heat, and after player exit interviews the next day…

-Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It)

GRADE NENE

JaVale McGee: DC Council Ratings

In 40 starts with the Wizards: 1.39 average stars out of 3
(McGee received two of the three ‘sub of the game’ nominations in his one game off the bench.)
Best Game: Jan. 2, 2012 – Game 4 at Boston Celtics
Worst Game(s):  Jan. 23, 2012 – Game 17 at Philadelphia 76ers; Jan. 27, 2012 – Game 19 at Houston Rockets; Feb. 28, 2012 – Game 34 at Milwaukee Bucks

PAST

JaVale McGee’s three and a half year tenure as a member of the Washington Wizards ended on March 15th, 2012 when he was traded to the Denver Nuggets. But prior to that, McGee had career numbers in points (11.9), rebounds (8.8) and blocked shots (2.5). When he was at his best (like he was in back-to-back wins against the Pistons and the Blazers), he took shots within the offense, he stayed out of foul trouble, he was a (young) beast on the boards, and he blocked or changed shots that were attempted in his domain. And even though his hook shot wasn’t going to cause Kareem to lose any sleep, it was admirable that McGee took the time to work on a legitimate post move to complement his 7-foot-1 frame.

Unfortunately for McGee, when he was bad, he was bad. He still could not resist the temptation of taking a jumper from the top of the key, or driving to the basket with his head down, without any regard for human life (or the called play). And then there were those moments when he needlessly blocked a shot into the stands or ran back on defense while his team still had possession on offense. On a podcast with Bill Simmons on Monday, Ric Bucher mentioned that the most frustrating part of Rudy Gay’s game was the fact that he had so much talent, but he placed so little thought in how to put it to use. That sentence can easily be applied to McGee’s tenure in Washington, especially this season. It’s no wonder the Wizards front office lost patience and traded for a smart, crafty veteran like Nenê.

-Rashad Mobley (@rashad20)

PRESENT

Let’s not get it twisted: JaVale McGee hasn’t changed much since he left D.C., despite Kobe Bryant saying the big man is “blossoming” in the Nuggets-Lakers series, now 3-2 in favor of Los Angeles. People who watch the Wizards know that McGee has always had the talent to put up monster lines. His 21-point, 14-rebound performance in Game 5, a playoff career-best, made headlines, but McGee twice bested that total this season in games against the Sixers and Spurs before he got bounced west of the Mississippi. McGee has a different role in Denver; unlike in D.C., where McGee was sometimes asked to carry the scoring load with his back to the basket in the half court, George Karl has McGee focused on the doing the dirty work — setting screens, defending and rebounding. That’s simplified the game for McGee and has allowed him to take better advantage of his length and athleticism, and he has earned praise from his new teammates and coaches. He has also done a better job being physical in the paint (elbows!), but is still outmatched by stronger, more physical centers like Andrew Bynum. Fortunately, there are double-teams for that.

-John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend)

The Manimal left McGee hangin’ after a big win over L.A.

FUTURE

Much like Blake Griffin, McGee still needs to develop, and perfect, just one post move to complement his athleticism. He seems to have taken a liking to the hook shot, but he needs to work on getting deeper post position and determining which angles work in his favor. JaVale was one of the main reasons the Nuggets defeated the Lakers in Game 5 of their series on Tuesday night, and another game or two like that will only improve his confidence, and more importantly, his maturity.

-Rashad Mobley (@rashad20)

NO REGRETS

Ernie Grunfeld wasn’t wrong to trade away JaVale McGee, nor was he unaware of the center’s game-changing potential. McGee simply wasn’t the answer at the 5-spot for the Wizards. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of the year, and he’ll be looking to get paid — to the tune of $14 million per season (at least that the wish of young JaVale, momma Pam, and agent, B.J. Armstrong). That’s a steep price for a player notorious for being a knucklehead and who was ultimately relegated to the bench a few months into the 2011-12 season. The Wizards instead chose to invest in the Brazilian bruiser, Nenê. The veteran center is due $13 million over the next four seasons, which will be money well spent if the team’s end-of-season run is an accurate indicator of future performance.

Nenê’s career with the Wizards started off with a bang. He posted a double-double with 22 points (9-of-13 from the field) and 10 rebounds in a victory over the Nets to become the first Washington player since Moses Malone to put up at least 22 and 10 in a debut with the team. With Nenê averaging 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, the Wizards went 7-4 (and could have recorded a better record had they not blown double-digit leads in three of those four losses) and outscored opponents by an average of 10.3 points per game (95.8-85.5).

Over that span, the Wizards held their opponents to just 85.5 points per game on .401 shooting from the field. To put that into perspective, Chicago, the best defensive team in the league, surrendered 88.2 points per game this season on .421 shooting; the Celtics posted the best OFG% at .419.

(In the 41 games before the three-way trade that sent JaVale McGee to the Nuggets, the Wizards were 9-32 with McGee at center and were outscored by an average of 8.5 points per game, 102.3-93.8. The Wizards went 11-14 after the trade deadline and outscored their opponents by an average of 1.4 points per game, 93.4-92.0.)

“Nene is one of the best big men in the East,” an unnamed Wizards player told Ted Leonsis in an exit interview in April. “I really didn’t know how good he was; to have an inside presence now changes everything. We have so much great spacing now. He really knows the game. He is a great guy. I think if we had had him all of this season we would have made the playoffs.”

That’s a ringing endorsement from inside the locker room, and more than any Washingtonian has ever said about McGee.

-John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend)

GRADE MCGEE

“Goddammit, just run, ‘Vale! RUN!”

…From Training Camp:

John Wall GIF to Jan Vesely…

Jan Vesely: ‘Never in my life I lost so many games’

April 30, 2012 via Sport.CZ

I have to say that the first year in the NBA was a vast experience for me. I never lost so many games in a season, and dealing with that was difficult. But I kept gaining confidence in how to deal with game situations, and I had an opportunity to indulge the unique atmosphere of the most prestigious basketball league of the world. With the end of season, the improvement of the team and positive feelings came after all.

We started producing much more team ball, and we understood how we have to play in order to be successful. Everything culminated with a six-game winning streak and, actually, it’s a pity that we won’t play anymore this season. Definitely we have something to build on for next season, and if we keep playing this way, the Wizards could achieve great things.

I take the whole season as a really strong experience. I had a chance to compete daily with the best basketball players in the world, of which I always dreamed about. In a lockout-shortened season, there wasn’t time for long analyses, as we [the Wizards] didn’t even have any official conclusion to the season. Rather I’d see it like we, teammates and staff members, will go have a dinner over the weekend, and we’ll talk until we all scatter home.

From a human point of view, the stay overseas has enriched me too. I had to use foreign language before when I played for Partizan, so I didn’t have a problem with it, although it’s different to speak English in Serbia and in the US. In a half-year here, I don’t dare to assess the lifestyle of Americans, but still, I’ll be getting used to it for a while. In the Czech Republic, I lived with family, then in Serbia I had to get used to the fact that I’m by myself. It looks like to me that in America, people follow by certain system/rules in basketball as well. But they seem to me the least relaxed from all the nations which I‘ve had an opportunity to get to know closer.

Since we didn’t advance to the playoffs, I’m rooting for Washington’s NHL team. I had a chance to meet with the Capitals hockey players several times and to see their games as well. Now they have a valuable scalp of Boston, and I’ll continue to keep my fingers crossed for them.

I fly home on Monday [April 30]. I’m looking forward to seeing my girlfriend Eva and my whole family. After return, I’ll take a break for a while, then I begin working out individually. I know there’s an interest from the national team, but their training camp starts in July, so there’s enough time for debate regarding my possible participation in the Eurobasket qualification. It will depend on my plans, apparently summer league awaits me overseas.

-Jan V.

***

Former NBA player and fellow Czech, Jiri ‘George‘ Zidek, on Vesely’s rookie season…

Via isport.blesk.cz 

“Jan didn’t have an easy season at all. He came to the team that wasn’t a quality team, due to the Lockout they didn’t have time to get a feel for each other and build chemistry, and the coach who picked him was fired soon. But he had a successful end of the season, that’s a positive thing for the future. Moreover, Jan continues to be ready to work on himself. He grew up a lot in this last year, and he knows that this summer will be crucial for him. They say that for NBA players, the summer between the first and second year is always the most important.”

[via @John_Wall]

Mean mug? Mug half full? John Wall’s pups are bull-[dog]-ish on the future.

On Monday, six Truth About It.net contributors gauged their optimism about the Washington Wizards. Collectively, we were 65.2% optimistic about the franchise, stemming from the way the team ended the season into the uncertain future. Individually, our optimism broke down like this:

• Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) — 48% Optimism.
• Ryan Gracia (@rgracia2378) — 78% Optimism.
• Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) — 60% Optimism.
• Sam Permutt (@SammyVert) — 69% Optimism.
• John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend) — 75% Optimism.
• Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) — 61% Optimism.

Our optimism derived from ratings across five categories, each weighted differently. Those categories and our averages below:

65% Optimism - Current Players (rated out of 40 points);
81% Optimism - Future Players via draft picks and free agents/cap space (out of 25);
50.4% Optimism - Coaching/Player Development (out of 20);
60% Optimism - Ownership/Team Management (out of 10); and
56.7% Optimism - Arena/Atmosphere/Fan Support/Etc. (a catch-all area rated out of 5).

We also polled TAI readers across those categories. The results:

CURRENT PLAYERS

19.5% of voters gave this category a 30 out of 40; 75% optimism.

The average rating of all voters, however, was 25.6 out of 40; 64% optimism.

FUTURE PLAYERS (draft picks, cap space and free agency)

37.5% of voters gave this category a 20 out of 25; 80% optimism.

The average rating of all voters was 19.2 out of 25; 76.8% optimism.

COACHING/PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

25.8% of voters gave his category a 7.5 out of 20; 37.5% optimism.

The average rating of all voters was 9.5 out of 20; 47.7% optimism.

OWNERSHIP/MANAGEMENT

43% of voters gave this category a 5 out of 10; 50% optimism.

The average rating of all voters was 5.3 out of 10; 53% optimism.

ARENA/FANS/ATMOSPHERE/ETC.

32% of voters gave this category a 3 out of 5; 60% optimism.

The average rating of all voters was a 2.7 out of 5; 53% optimism.

OVERALL

When the averages from all categories are totalled, people are 62.3% optimistic about your Washington Wizards in the middle of the year 2012. Sounds so futuristic, yet a little bit surprising considering well-documented, long-standing frustrations.

No where to go but up? Don’t think it can’t get any worse, because it can? When the glass is a little over three-fifths full, at least there’s something to believe in. Sports.

And now, a John Wall bounce pass to Chris Singleton…

LINKS!

If you care to read a profile of me and a couple of other new media/blog folks who cover the Wizards, click away.
[We Love DC]

Nick Young and Gilbert Arenas have no conscience, investigates Kevin Arnovitz.
[TrueHoop]

Numbers you should know on the Wizards season.
[Wiz of Awes]

On Shelvin Mack’s little known mentor, John Wall, via Carla Peay.
[Washington Times]

Can’t believe ‘How u’ got upset in Bullets Forever’s #QuoteSanity
[Bullets Forever]

Interesting read on the complicated character known as Delonte West.
[ESPN Dallas]

Music in DC this weekend.
[ShowList DC]

[Editor's Note: Surely some Wizards fans have mixed feelings about Jan Vesely's rookie season, but none can deny that he really came along toward the end. Is Jan what people "feel" a sixth pick should be? I don't know... Does it matter? He's on the team now. Besides, who would the Wizards have been better off with? Kemba Walker? The Jimmer? Klay Thompson? One of the Morris twins? No thanks, to all of them. Vesely does a lot of things very well; his instinct, willingness and presence makes me want to tear my hair out from the shameful ineptitude of Andray Blatche even more. Thanks, Jan. Otherwise, Vesely doesn't need plays run for him to find ways to score; all he has to do is sprint with John Wall and crash the offensive glass. The Wizards will eventually find guys who can put the ball in the basket, but they need guys like Vesely. Great pick by Ernie Grunfeld and his staff, in my opinion. -Kyle W.]

Vesely recently conducted season-ending interviews with Czech media outlets in Prague — Denik.CZ, Rozhlas.CZ, Sport.CZ, Basket.Idnes.CZ — TAI’s Vesely correspondent, Lukas Kuba (@luke_mellow), translates the highlights:

Jan Vesely on the just-concluded regular season:

Overall, I can say that I’m satisfied with the season. I’m already looking forward to a couple days of free time. While playing for Partizan I started playing better as the season went on, too. We [the Wizards] had a couple of injured players, that’s also why I was getting more opportunities. I tried to go all out, to the maximum of my ability. Coaches were giving me advice so that I played more aggressive and shot more.  On one side, it’s a pity [that the regular season ended last week], we finally had some success. But the season was long, and if I remember it correctly, we played two sets of back-to-back-to-backs; we played seven games in nine nights. We landed [somewhere] at night, then we had a game the next day, it was challenging. That’s why I didn’t have time for anything but basketball. In free time, I tried to get as much rest and sleep as possible or I watched movies. Everyone’s glad that the season’s over, and we can rest a bit. If we were fighting for the Playoffs, then it’s something else, but because the end of the season was approaching, we all wanted to finish it off — but to finish on a good wave.

On dunking:

Of course that it encourages you. I love dunking, and that was on the positive side of things as well. I’m glad for it.

[NOTE: Vesely finished with 63 dunks, tied with Dwyane Wade for 23rd most in the NBA; amongst rookies, he finished third behind Kenneth Faried and Tristan Thompson.]

 On his injury at the start of the season, losing & ending the season on 6-game winning streak:

That’s why it took me so long to get in basketball shape. We didn’t play well as a team, too. Never in my life I lost so many games, but we had a successful end of the season. At that point, we even had fun playing ball. At the end of the season it was fun.

On the 2012-13 season:

I’m not going to do anything now, just relax. But it doesn’t look like I’ll have a lot of free time, because I have to begin preparing for the next season again. I have to be ready for the 2012-13. [The next season] will be better than this last one. We’ll have two months [of training camp and preseason] in order to get a feel for each other on the floor even more. The team will be stabilized better [than it was at the beginning of the 2011-12 season]. At the end of this season, we understood that we have to play collectively; the trades helped us and we figured out the way to win games. Now we’ll try to take that momentum to the next season. I don’t wanna say that we’ll be in the Playoffs, but it will be better. But if we play the way we played the last month, I think we’ll have a chance for the Playoffs.

On his stats of 18.9 MPG, 0.537 FG% 4.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG and working hard during summer:

For a rookie season, I had good stats, but I don’t have any goals regarding statistics, the team is the most important thing. I will work hard on myself during summer in order to be better, improve my shooting outside of the paint and my overall individual skills. I have a plan made for the summer to work on the shooting; my first goal is definitely improving my shooting.

On playing the PF position:

That position suits me well, just that [the lack of] strength is limiting me. The hardest thing was going against Chicago’s [Carlos] Boozer, who’s very strong, and I had big problems guarding him. For example, [at power forward] I was matched up against Dirk Nowitzki, Luis Scola or Blake Griffin, who was showing off his magic. For myself, that was great deal of experience for the future.

On chemistry with John Wall:

Mainly at the end of the season, we started to find each other with good passes. And during practices, we try together to come up with various things, but we can’t bring it out on the floor for games just yet.

On his new teammate Nene:

Nene can pass the ball well or he can score the basket. His arrival brought a change of mood in the locker room; everybody was praising it, me too. I don’t like to play individually, I like team basketball.

On predicting the 2012 NBA champions:

I favored Chicago [to win it all], but without Derrick Rose they won’t go that far. Now I think Oklahoma City wins the championship.

On Czech national basketball team & Eurobasket 2013 qualification:

I’m sure we’ll have dinner with coach [Pavel] Budinsky and GM [George] Zidek. So next week, we’ll sit down together and we’ll discuss it. We’ll see, so far I have not any news regarding the national team. Assistant coach [Mike] Taylor came to D.C. to watch my last game, and I said to him if I can combine it [playing for the Czech Rep.] with the preparation for the next season, then I can’t rule out my participation in playing for the national team. But the priority is to prepare well for the next NBA season and to improve.

[Note: After the Wizards' last game versus the Heat, Vesely indicated that he would play with the Wizards in the Las Vegas Summer League at the end of July, and then he would go train in Los Angeles, as he did some last summer.]

***

Dusan Hrdlicka, Vesely’s youth coach:

“I know both Jan’s parents. He came to us, to the Ostrava Snakes, when I recruited his dad as a coach. Honza [Jan] was an interesting type of a spider with long limbs. In contrast to other tall players, he had the advantage in that he grew over 2 meters [6-6] until later in high school, so the growth didn’t have any negative effect on his mobility. As early as when he started playing basketball in elementary school, he was able to move constantly. Also, his movements looked  funny. He lacked body weight and spent most of the game on the ground, he was involved in contact all the time and was taking it hard. But, he was a warrior and always had lots of fun playing ball. Thanks to that, he conquered all crises, for example, the divorce of his parents. And lads always liked him on and off the court, he was a lively guy …  As early as when he was a high-schooler, I said that his lowest ceiling is playing in Euroleague, and that he has to go out [of Czech Rep.] and go to more competitive environment.”

[The Bullets-Wizards have had 15 different 7-footers suit up over the years. Only one appears in this photo. Via SI Vault and B-R.]

Roy Hibbert is a very, very tall man. Seven feet-and-two-inches tall, in fact.

And over on Grantland, there is a really, really good article about Hibbert’s development. How D.C.’s own Big Roy went from Georgetown scrub to NBA All-Star in eight years.

Go read it.

Author Jordan Conn captures the routine — from Hibbert’s pre-game stretching to his mixed martial arts practice — that transformed a 7-foot-2 non-athlete into one of basketball’s best players. But in the sea of detail, there was one data point that jumped out to me. (Bolding is mine.)

Citing data from the Centers for Disease Control, Sports Illustrated estimated that there are fewer than 70 7-footers between the ages of 20 and 40 in the United States. Seventy 7-footers; 30 starting NBA centers.

If you’re Nate Robinson’s height, you need to be an exceptional athlete to make the league. If you’re Hibbert’s, you just have to be pretty good.

In my 1 a.m. perusing, I misread Conn’s point – concluding that nearly half of all young 7-footers are in the NBA.

And as Matt Yglesias, Tyler Cowen, and a few other folks quickly pointed out on Twitter, there are some major flaws with that calculus.

• “Starting centers” don’t have to be 7-footers, as fans of 6’8” Ben Wallace know. (Unless you’re counting Wallace’s 4-inch afro.)
• Many aren’t U.S.-born.
• And at least a few have rounded up their heights — in the NBA, it makes cents (and many, many dollars) to add centimeters.

The NBA: A jobs program for really tall men

But there are confounding factors the other way, too.

“Starting centers” don’t include all the stiffs who arrived in the NBA on basis of height alone, only to ride the bench or quickly wash out. And at least one player, Kevin Garnett, is famously known for underestimating his height.

It’s a messy data set.

And understanding that, I went to the indispensable Basketball-Reference.com for the most comprehensive review, based on listed heights and NBA appearances.

Here’s what B-R tells us:

• In the past two decades, 88 different players identifying as U.S.-born and at least 7-feet tall have played at least one minute in the NBA. (Fifty-two list themselves as an even 7-feet.)
• Thirty-five of them, from greats like David Robinson to curiosities like Chuck Nevitt, are now over-40-years-old.
• That leaves 53 seven-footers in our target age and nationality.

It’s hard to know how many of those 7-footers are actually rounding up by a few inches, unfortunately. But even assuming that half are fibbing (probably those closer to an even-7-feet) still gives us about 25-to-30 legitimate 7-foot NBA players and alums.

And what about that denominator? Conn also cites a Sports Illustrated article that goes deeper into how the CDC got its “70 seven-footers” figure. Again, bolding is mine.

An actual accounting of 7-footers, domestic or global, does not exist in any reliable form. National surveys by the Center for Disease Control list no head count or percentile at that height. (Only 5% of adult American males are 6’3″ or taller.)…

The curve shaped by the CDC’s available statistics, however, does allow one to estimate the number of American men between the ages of 20 and 40 who are 7 feet or taller: fewer than 70 in all. Which indicates, by further extrapolation, that while the probability of, say, an American between 6’6″ and 6’8″ being an NBA player today stands at a mere 0.07%, it’s a staggering 17% for someone 7 feet or taller.

Later in that SI piece, an NBA scout says that he’ll “check up on anyone over 7 feet that’s breathing.” So while there’s no guarantee of stardom, it’s a pretty sure thing that any 7-footer will at least get a shot at the NBA.

That a giant like Alan Ogg or Peter John Ramos will get a chance — maybe more chances than he deserves — to stick with a team. In wild hopes he’ll blossom into a Hibbert, not a Nevitt.

And that’s not a tall tale.

We just couldn’t let JaVale McGee get away from D.C. without giving him his propers… whatever “propers” means. And actually, “Can’t Say I Do,” the movie (let’s call it a mini-docu-drama, I think), doesn’t give much proper respect to young JaVale. Rather, it aims to convey the story of why he is no longer a Washington Wizard… because he couldn’t say “I do” to willingly understanding the game of basketball like coaches, teammates and fans expected.

All that talent in the world with only JaVale to hold himself back. No need to provide advanced statistics, describe skills and faults, or wax poetic on memories of McGee, because it’s as simple as that. He’s gone and I could [not] care less. It took about three years, eight months and 19 days, but the 18th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft (McGee), along with the 17th pick in 2007 (Nick Young), and a guy whom the Wizards essentially got for free from the New York Knicks last summer (Ronny Turiaf), was finally traded so that Washington could get some competent help at the center position (Nene). Kind of sucks that it took so long, but I’m sure the Wizards will figure it out sooner or later.

[Background: On Leap Day 2012, the Wizards faced the Orlando Magic at home, and JaVale McGee came off the bench for the first time all season. The previous night, in Milwaukee, Randy Wittman benched McGee for the entire second half (with good reason), and after the Wizards lost that game, the coach said, "I’m done with young guys. If they don’t want to play the right way, young guys aren’t going to play. It does us no good." After the Orlando game, which Washington also lost, Wittman said he spoke with McGee (and Nick Young, to an extent), about why they were benched. After that, I asked McGee if he understood the message his coach was trying to send. He could not say that he did, but seemed confident that he would figure it out sooner or later. And now we have a movie to watch...]

Pessimism: it’s often all you got when optimism is all you need. With a season-ending six-game winning streak, things are looking on the up-and-up for the Washington Wizards, or are they? We’ve been down this road before, the path of hope, to the point where actual ‘hope’ has been greatly diluted by dusty roads, cloudy visions, and weary travelers. Still, if Wizards fans can’t find reasons to be hopeful, optimistic, then why are they fans? To gauge the overall optimism of the tired, huddled masses, Truth About It.net asked six different contributors to explain (and rate) their optimism in five key areas which are weighted differently, but come together to total 100 for an Optimism Index on the Washington Wizards franchise. The areas of evaluation are:

Current Players (out of 40);
Future Players via draft picks and free agents/cap space (out of 25);
Coaching/Player Development (out of 20);
Ownership/Team Management (out of 10); and
Arena/Atmosphere/Fan Support/Etc. (a catch-all area rated out of 5).

Read through what the collective minds of TAI — Dan Diamond (@ddiamond), Ryan Gracia (@rgracia2378), Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20), Sam Permutt (@SammyVert), John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend), and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) – have to say about the state of the Wizards and optimism, and then give us your own rating by voting in the polls below.

Current Players

(Rating out of 40 points)

DAN DIAMOND: The Wizards have some pieces… for a good team’s bench. Crawford, Booker, and Vesely are promising but may be destined for the rotation. Wall and Seraphin are undoubtedly talented, but still raw. Nenê is the only clear starter on a playoff-caliber team.
(16 out of 40)

RYAN GRACIA: Yes, the majority of this past season was extremely difficult to watch, but getting rid of JaVale McGee and Nick Young to go along with the sudden improvement from so many individual players is encouraging (and very coincidental, perhaps). I think the young squad has really benefitted on and off the court from the added veteran presence in Nenê. The team is starting to find a good balance of talented scorers, blue-collar big men, and players with high basketball IQ. I’m sounding way too much like Ernie Grunfeld…
(35 out of 40)

RASHAD MOBLEY: Andray Blatche (despite Ernie Grunfeld’s attempts to play coy) and Rashard Lewis will most likely be wearing new uniforms next year. Nenê and John Wall are bona fide starters, and I can be talked into believing Trevor Booker or Kevin Seraphin are, too. The rest of the current Wizards players have the potential to be solid to good role players. But the team as it is currently constructed, will not make the playoffs next year, despite Jordan Crawford’s predictions.  There is promise but more help is needed.
(25 out of 40)

SAM PERMUTT: The Wizards certainly fall into the “cupboard isn’t bare” category, which marks a notable improvement from the beginning of the season. The pantry has been mostly cleared out of junk food (Andray Blatche cheese balls, Nick Young Top Ramen, and JaVale McGee pork rinds), and there is some real substance left. Although the Wizards likely have no long-term answer at either of the wing-positions from current starters or bench players, they possess talent (and accompanying positive attitudes) in the front court and at point guard. John Wall is a very good point guard, especially when he can focus on distributing and scoring in transition. Nenê is solid, Seraphin is surprisingly solid, and Trevor Booker and Jan Vesely play hard enough and do enough little things to merit long-term consideration, even if their current abilities are not on par with most NBA starters.   That means the Wizards are two-deep (if we include Shelvin Mack as the back-up point) at the three most important and difficult positions to fill, arguably. Not bad.
(25 out of 40)

JOHN CONVERSE TOWNSEND: There’s a lot to like on the current roster, beginning with John Wall, Nenê, Kevin Seraphin, the almost-forgotten but much improved Trevor Booker, Jordan Crawford version 2.5 (fewer 3s, more control), and Jan Vesely, who has been one of the team’s best pick-and-roll defenders since he walked through the door and co-starred in a few end-of-season highlight clips. And let’s not forget that the knucklehead-powered Wizards had a point differential of minus-8.5 before boys turned it around after the trade deadline to record a plus-1.4 point differential (plus-10.3 with Nenê on the floor).
(33 out of 40)

KYLE WEIDIE: Suddenly, two very solid pillars are in place. A point guard who will win the 94-foot race nine out of 10 times, and who also displayed a much improved understanding of pace, spacing and creation toward the end of this season; Second pillar: a veteran post player, Nenê, who can be trusted with half-court offense running through him (sometimes). The fact that Nenê has a promising understudy, Kevin Seraphin, makes this post piller stronger. However, each support beam has uncertainty to go with its optimism. Otherwise, the Wizards have a nice stable of developing role players and periphery contributors — Trevor Booker, Jan Vesely, Shelvin Mack, Singleton (both Chris and James), and Cartier Martin. And Jordan Crawford? Well, all we really know about him is that he’s a better pair with John Wall than Nick Young*. This isn’t saying much, obviously. Otherwise, the Wizards are far from contending for anything. This team needs to find not one, but two more star-quality players to compete for a title.
(22 out of 40 stars)

*Wizards Team Stats feat. 2-Man Unit of Crawford & Wall:
45.4% FGs; 98.6 points per 48 minutes; minus-6.3 plus/minus per 48.
Wizards Team Stats feat. 2-Man Unit of Young & Wall:
43.1% FGs; 94.5 points per 48 minutes; minus-8.5 plus/minus per 48.

>> AVERAGE: 26 out of 40 — 65% Optimism.

Future Players: Cap Space & Draft Picks 

(Rating out of 25)

DAN DIAMOND: I’m extremely optimistic here — and with good reason. If the Wiz amnesty Rashard Lewis, they could drop $23 million below the cap. They’ll get a high draft pick in two months (assuming the Anthony Davis lottery is fixed for the Brooklyn Nets, I’d be fine with a consolation prize of Kidd-Gilchrist). The core young players on the team are locked up for the next two, three years.
(20 out of 25)

RYAN GRACIA: Despite the fact that the majority of teams during the Wizards’ end-of-season winning streak were either quietly tanking or resting their stars, Washington still finished off the season with some impressive play. The awful play throughout the majority of the season, though, will allow them to still sit pretty come draft time. I’m also really interested to see what comes out of the cap space Grunfeld has freed up with his personnel moves in recent years. I think the tandem of John Wall and Nenê could be attractive enough to lure a noteworthy free agent or two.
(23 out of 25)

RASHAD MOBLEY: Anthony Davis is top the prize, and the Wizards have a 19.9-percent chance of landing him. But they can also pick no lower fifth, which means a quality college player is on the way. And if the Wizards don’t get the help they want in the draft, they will have about $12 million to spend via free agency in 2012. One way or another, the Wizards will get two to three players who should immediately help Wall during one of his 100 MPH fast breaks.
(20 out of 25)

SAM PERMUTT: Although the Wizards are committed in the long-term to Nenê, the rest of their future is wide open. With Blatche amnestied, Rashard bought out, the second-best odds in the upcoming lottery, a lot of cap flexibility, and young players with trade value, the Wizards have options and hope. Depending on the patience factor, the lottery results, and player development, the Wizards should be able to gradually return to relevance or possibly push for a more immediate playoff presence. Few teams have more flexibility and opportunity than the Wiz Kids.
(22.5 out of 25)

JOHN CONVERSE TOWNSEND: The three draft picks in the Wizards pocket will help to kick off a monumental offseason, before the brass make a splash in free agency. Adding Anthony Davis to the mix would be fantastic, and there’s a 19.9 percent chance that will happen; Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or Bradley Beal would be fine alternatives.
(17 out of 25)

KYLE WEIDIE: This rating is highly contingent on what happens in about a month (NBA Draft Lottery, May 30), but even if two teams jump the Wizards in draft order, which at this point, even the most optimistic of Wizards fans should expect, they still stand to land themselves a very nice piece — a potential star — for the future. Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, Thomas Robinson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist… one of these guys alone is reason enough to be optimistic. And then you have impending cap space (assuming good management moves RE: Andray Blatche and Rashard Lewis). The Wizards might have to overpay a top-notch free agent like any team, but trust me, if they have the core and the money, a star seeking payment and shine time could easily find himself picking the DMV.
(19 out of 25)

>> AVERAGE: 20.25 out of 25 — 81% Optimism.

Coaching/Player Development 

(Rating out of 20)

DAN DIAMOND: Some franchises help players get the most out of their talent. (San Antonio, Oklahoma City, even Boston). This isn’t one of them.
(5 out of 20)

RYAN GRACIA:  I really like what Randy Wittman has done to coach, develop and teach this team during his short tenure. But at this point, nobody knows yet what will happen with the head coaching job next season, so there’s a hit or miss chance that whoever comes in will be the “right” coach for this group of guys if Wittman isn’t retained. I mean, we all thought Flip was the one, until a whole mess of incidences occurred…
(10 out of 20)

RASHAD MOBLEY: During a live television interview, Ernie Grunfeld mentioned how tough it was for the coaches to not have contact with the young players during the lockout. Assuming the current coaching staff remains intact, they will be able to work with the younger players before and after summer league, and focus in player development.  Randy Wittman performed well enough to be brought back as head coach, but the question is will he perform as well WITH expectations as he did without them.
(10 out of 20)

SAM PERMUTT: On the optimistic side, the Wizards now seem to possess a very coachable and hard-working core, a group which has won the last six games. On the pessimistic side, almost all of these players have experienced the bitterness of the constant losing over the past two years, and bad habits and attitudes learned from this era may be difficult to shake. With coaching up in the air, it will be the player’s attitudes that are most important going forward. Will they listen? Optimism wins out, but cautiously.
(12.5 out of 20)

JOHN CONVERSE TOWNSEND: Wittman stepped into the head coaching job with the fourth-worst win-loss percentage in NBA history, and the Wizards’ 18-31 record didn’t do much to change that. However, his job might very well be safe. The players respect Wittman and appreciate his aggressive no-nonsense style, and at the end of the year, the coach found a way to turn lead into gold: Washington’s six-game season-ending winning streak is the longest for a non-playoff team in more than three decades. With six first-round picks and the staff to develop that talent — Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin make you forget about the painfully slow progress of some former Wizards – the team looks to be in decent shape, with or without Wittman at the helm.
(14 out of 20)

KYLE WEIDIE: In many cases, player development is only as good as the willingness of its subjects. That being said, it doesn’t mean Ernie Grunfeld’s team didn’t fail the franchise with the results of Nick Young, Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee. The best way to get knuckleheads to listen is to try to perform due diligence and not draft said knuckleheads in the first place. With Ernie Grunfeld still in place, with what appears to be a re-tooled drafting strategy under Leonsis, I imagine player development will have some better constancy going forward. But, with the coaching staff currently up in the air, my optimism rating for this area must remain a notch below half full.
(9 out of 20) 

>> AVERAGE: 10.1 out of 20 — 50.4% Optimism.

Ownership/Front Office

(Rating out of 10)

DAN DIAMOND: This may be an unpopular opinion, but hear me out: The Wizards repeatedly draft well at their slot — Wall was the right #1 selection; McGee, Young, and Booker were all solid picks in the mid-first round; Blatche was a second-round steal. Several recent trades have worked out very well; the Wizards turned half a season of Kirk Hinrich into Crawford, Seraphin, and Chris Singleton. There have been some awful contracts, true, but I’ll buy the “Ernie was only doing what Abe Pollin wanted” line. For one more year, at least.
(6 out of 10)

RYAN GRACIA:  Leonsis transformed the Capitals and fans are all praying that he can do the same for the saddening Wizards. Will that happen with Ernie Grunfeld doing the play calling? My mind wants to tell me “No!” yet I can’t help but have high hopes that something good will come out of it this time around.
(7 out of 10)

RASHAD MOBLEY: Ted Leonsis made the call to fire Flip Saunders, and Ernie Grunfeld got rid of JaVale McGee and Nick Young and brought a legit low post presence in Nenê. They should be commended for that. Ted also said there is a plan in place, and he has faith that Grunfeld will continue to make the right decisions to carry that plan out fully. But given there has been roster, ownership and coaching turnover in the past two years, why not just make it a clean slate and replace Grunfeld instead of extending him?
(4 out of 10)

SAM PERMUTT: While Ted Leonsis has proven his mettle with the rebuild of the Capitals, his early work with the Wizards suggests more flash (new uniforms) than substance (the team was pretty “turrible” for most of the year). Nonetheless, his energy and positivity are undeniable, and there is something significant about his belief in Grunfeld and subsequent re-commitment. Much maligned for some questionable moves (the Gilbert Arenas contract, the undeserved commitment to knuckleheads such as “Baltche”), Ernie has also made several shrewd moves (including solid drafting) and has the Wizards in decent shape looking forward.
(5 out of 10)

JOHN CONVERSE TOWNSEND: Washington hasn’t been competitive in years… Well, outside of the draft lottery, where the team is set to make its fourth consecutive appearance. The team’s .291 winning percentage is the fourth-worst total since 2010-11, the start of the John Wall-Ted Leonsis era. The Wiz have been bad “by plan” — that’s how rebuilding goes; you have to be bad before you can be good — but there are plenty of reasons to believe more wins are on the way. Stability is one of them, gained by extending the contract of nine-year team architect, Ernie Grunfeld. Grunfeld has earned Leonsis’ trust, and in this what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business, maybe it’s time we put a little faith in our oft-criticized GM. …Anybody? Hello?
(7 out of 10)

KYLE WEIDIE: We’re hard on Ted Leonsis, but he gets it. Yet, sometimes he doesn’t. But overall, that’s OK. He wants to win, he understands a professional team’s relationship with the community, and he has his own way of doing things. After all, he is the owner. Ted’s all for transparency, and he’s got a blog to let you know that. But let’s not confuse transparency with the adept understanding of communications in an ever-changing environment (while Leonsis is also trying to figure out the landscape himself — no one ever trains for a career in sports franchise ownership). Leonsis sees the need for pixels, and he wants to satisfy that. Not such a bad thing. But, just like his plans for Monumental Sports to create its own media network for coverage of its teams (which will never be able to maintain a non-influenced standard), the blog Ted’s Take is always going to provide filtered thoughts through the guise of openness. Otherwise, Ernie Grunfeld is back and is apparently executing Leonsis’ marching orders to satisfaction. So, as much as I may criticize, I still believe in Ted as captain of the ship.
(7 out of 10) 

>> AVERAGE: 6 out of 10 — 60% Optimism.

Arena/Atmosphere/Fan Support/Etc. 

(Rating out of 5)

DAN DIAMOND: No knock on TAI readers — who are passionate about Washington basketball — but the Verizon Center is often so lifeless, it can feel like a mausoleum. And as my friend Dov points out, D.C. is a city of transients; for many NBA fans, the biggest draw about the Wizards is going to see your favorite team … from another city.
(1 out of 5)

RYAN GRACIA:  As sad as I’ve felt sitting with the sparse crowds inside the Verizon Center during recent years, I remember the crowd when it was really jumping during the playoffs in 2006 and 2007. Some nice additions this offseason could spark similar results from the hometown fans, even if this particular group doesn’t slip into the playoffs next season.
(3 out of 5)

RASHAD MOBLEY: Right now the Washington Nationals have one of the best records in baseball, they have Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper and (an injured) Ryan Zimmerman, but they still cannot fill up Nationals Stadium. The reason? Fans can appreciate a good turnaround from afar, but they don’t pay money and fill seats until they know they are supporting a consistent winner. The Wizards’ six-game win streak to end the season was nice, John Wall’s improvement is, too, and Nenê is clearly important. But, the Wizards need another high draft pick, a big free agent, some consistent wins, and a playoff berth before fan support fully returns to the Verizon Center.
(1 out of 5)

SAM PERMUTT: Though there was more booing of the home team in the Phone Booth than ever before this season (except maybe during the worst of the Juwan Howard era), this may be a positive sign going forward. Andray Blatche was the target of most of the boos, a symbol for larger organizational issues of unrealized potential, unfocused basketball and lackluster professionalism. The fans are ready for hard-working, smart and humble players — even if that team isn’t a championship contender. John Wall is still the star and leader the city craves, the perfect captain to usher in a new era for the Wizards. Stylish and substantive, D.C. will continue to embrace his swagger.
(4 out of 5)

JOHN CONVERSE TOWNSEND: Support and enthusiasm, with a winning team, typically take care of themselves. Now if only there were something we could do about the team nickname….
(4 out of 5)

KYLE WEIDIE: Washington being a transient city, thanks due to its capital nature, the resulting federal government, and tourists — oh, the freaking tourists — certainly works to the Wizards’ detriment when they are bad. However, more than not, transplants want to adopt the hapless Wiz as their second, now-local team, or those in Washington from abroad want to embrace D.C.’s team wholly. But with the franchise traditionally not giving people much to cheer about, general interest in opponents becomes magnified. Winning cures everything, and with a downtown arena to lend the atmosphere some support, winning will fix the following: bringing back local fans; turning the tide of general-interest pro basketball fans; quelling the presence of opposing fans (in most cases); and most of all, eliminating dissatisfaction from non-playoff competition. The people of Washington are yearning to prove they can support a winner; if you build it, they will come.
(4 out of 5)

>> AVERAGE: 2.8 out of 5 — 56.7% Optimism.

TOTALS:

• Dan Diamond — 48% Optimism.
• Ryan Gracia — 78% Optimism.
• Rashad Mobley — 60% Optimism.
• Sam Permutt — 69% Optimism.
• John Converse Townsend — 75% Optimism.
• Kyle Weidie — 61% Optimism.

>> AVERAGE: 65.2 out of 100 — 65.2% Optimism.

YOUR VOTE!

How optimistic are you about the current players on the Washington Wizards roster (out of 40)?

How optimistic are you about the potential of future players on the Wizards (draft picks and free agents via cap space) (out of 25)?

How optimistic are you about the coaching staff/player development of the Washington Wizards (out of 20)?

How optimistic are you about the ownership/management of the Wizards (out of 10)?

How optimistic are you about fan support, the arena, etc. surrounding the Wizards (out of 5)?

[The DC Council -- After each Wizards game: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the bench, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is over the table. Game 66 contributors: Rashad Mobley (@Rashad20) from behind the television screen and Adam McGinnis (@AdamMcGinnis) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) from the Verizon Center.]

Score

Washington Wizards 104 vs Miami Heat 70 [box score]

Stat of the Game w/ Kyle Weidie

Two early third-quarter assists brought John Wall’s total on the night to 11; meanwhile, the Heat had yet to score a bucket in the second half, so their total made field-goals stood at 12.

Wall finished the night with 12 assists (in 25 minutes, seven came in the first quarter), but would fall way short in his battle of individual assists versus the made field goals for an entire opposing team. Miami finished 24-for-67 from the field. In an odd transposition of numbers, the Wizards shot 42-for-76.

Scene of the Game

Nene… Who knew that the best post player for the Wizards would turn out to be a guy with the same amount of letters in his name as the number of upper-case letters in the last center’s name. What was his name again? Not as many yuks, but he’s the type of GIF that good centers give…

 It’s a simple game… Nene to a cutting Morris Almond.

D.C. Flag 3-Star Ratings w/ Adam McGinnis, Rashad Mobley, and Kyle Weidie

<***> Rating the Starting 5, Bench & Coach out of 3 stars.

John Wall
	RASHAD MOBLEY: The odds of a good performance against the Miami Heat were stacked against John Wall, given that a) it was the second night of a back-to-back; b) LeBron, Wade and Bosh weren’t playing; c) it was the last game of the season; and d) the night before Wall dropped 21 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and seven steals. And yet, after the first quarter of last night’s game, Wall had five points, seven assists, and he was playing with a Goodman-league like moxie. Whether it was Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole bringing the ball up the court, Wall crouched down in a defensive stance and pressured them. And whether he knows it or not, Wall has set the bar high for next year by playing at a high level in April. 2 Stars (out of 3)
	McGINNIS: The Game Changer closed out his season in fine fashion by dominating the game with his passing ability from the opening jump. 2.5 Stars
	WEIDIE: Well, John Wall, your sophomore campaign was no slump after all. You’ve recently owned teams from the mundane to those with severe inefficiencies, but hey, if Ernie Grunfeld gets you a more solid core of teammates (and the Wizards are well on their way there… but the shooters! think about the shooters FCOL!), then you may just start dominating good to very good teams as early as next season. Wall, again, physically dominated Mario Chalmers and the Big 3-less Heat. As a point guard with his size and speed, his goal should always be physical domination. See you next year, Johnny. 2.5 Stars
	TOTAL: 7 out of 9 stars

Cartier Martin
	ADAM McGINNIS: In what could be his swan song for the Wizards once again, Cartier finished with 12 points, 2-for-4 on 3-point shooting, three rebounds, and two steals. He even provided a wicked one-handed tip-in. 2 Stars (out of 3)
	MOBLEY: This was Cartier’s second consecutive start, and his final chance to make an impression on Wizards management and coaches. Against the Heat, Cartier demonstrated why he can be asset to the team. He shot 4-for-8 from the field, 2-for-4 from the 3-point line, and he played hard defensively. Most importantly, Martin showed once again that instant offense is part of his arsenal. 1.75 Stars
	WEIDIE: Cartier bounced-back nicely in his second start for an injured Jordan Crawford. On the second possession of the second half, he got a steal, found John Wall, and turned on the jets to run with him. Sure, Cartier might have figured that Wall would attempt to finish at the rim in transition, but he knew he had to be available—just in case. So when Wall got caught under defense pressure and looked back for a teammates to bail him out, Cartier was there, and a 3-ball was drained. Martin also got a one-handed offensive rebound put-back. Nice. 2 Stars
	TOTAL: 5.75 out of 9 stars

Chris Singleton
	RASHAD MOBLEY: When the assignments for this last installment of the DC Counci were sent out, my fellow TAI colleague Adam McGinnis joked that he was glad I was assigned Chris Singleton, since he was looking so good (at that point, he had made consecutive jumpers). And for the first 12 minutes of the game, Singleton did, indeed, shoot like an All-Star. When John Wall would drive and kick to him, he hit three of his five shots, and for the quarter he had seven points total. Unfortunately, Singleton did not score a single basket after that juncture, despite logging 12 more minutes. In fact, every other Wizards player scored during that span except for Singleton. And therein lies the issue with Singleton. As Phil Chenier alluded to on the television broadcast, “Singleton had an encouraging, but uneven year.” Singleton either had to develop a consistent shot or a consistent defensive presence this season. When neither are in play, he’s just plain invisible —like he was after Thursday night’s opening quarter. 1.25 Stars
	McGINNIS: Chris started the game by knocking down three straight shots in rhythm, and then he kind of disappeared. 1.5 Stars
	WEIDIE: Even though Singleton shot 3-for-8 (3-for-5 in the game’s first six minutes), I haven’t seen Singleton more confident in his jumper all season. Baby steps, I suppose. After the game, I asked Chris to grade his rookie season, he gave himself a ‘D’—I have no qualms with that assessment, and his honesty is admirable. So, although his rookie season was a disappointment, the book on if he’ll become a solid NBA player—a lockdown defender—hasn’t really gotten past the table of contents. Lots left to be written. 1.5 Stars
	TOTAL: 4.25 out of 9 stars

Jan Vesely
	KYLE WEIDIE: In 23.5 minutes, Vesely scored 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting with eight rebounds, three steals, an assist, a block, a turnover, and zero fouls. Two of his buckets were the result of offensive rebound put-backs—one a dunk off a Brian Cook miss, the other a crazy one-armed tip off a Wall miss. Two of his buckets came in transition, both of them lobs from Wall. Finally, one of Jan’s buckets came thanks to some fancy footwork, duping that old bag Juwan Howard (yep, Chill Out Juwan Howard went over an off-ball screen for Jan); Jan then caught a long lob from Wall for a smooth finish. Who needs the kid to shoot jumpers well when he just hangs around the rim all the time? Super Bonus: he and Wall are really starting to develop some nice chemistry with that lob connection. 2.5 Stars
	McGINNIS: Jan was doing his usual thing of running around, hustling, dunking off lobs, tipping in loose balls, and smiling. 2 Stars
	MOBLEY: Jan all but shed the shyness that plagued his game for more than half of this season and became an all-around player. Last night, he slammed home Wall’s passes, he kept possessions alive with his rebounding, he had three steals, and he did all of this without having a single, solitary play run for him. It can be argued that the sixth pick in the 2011 draft should have BEEN playing like this, but still, it is encouraging to see. 2 Stars
	TOTAL: 6.5 out of 9 stars

Kevin Seraphin
	RASHAD MOBLEY: In the 25 minutes and 15 seconds Kevin Seraphin was on the court, he demonstrated what is both encouraging and a bit troubling about his ever-improving game. On the encouraging side, he scored in double figures for the 16th consecutive game, and Seraphin continues to look comfortable maneuvering in the low post. But he struggled to get off against the bigger Eddy Curry, and Seraphin’s rebounding numbers (he had three last night) continue to be low. Still, Seraphin’s game flourished in the March and April, and next season when he inevitably resumes his role off the bench, his game experience this season will come in handy. 1.75 Stars (out of 3)
	McGINNIS: Sixteen straight games in double figures for Kevin to close out his sophomore season; a busy summer lies ahead for him as he could play a major role for Team France in the Olympics. 2 Stars
	WEIDIE: I think people like to compare Seraphin’s stupendous run at the end of this season to past season-ending runs of Andray Blatche (and we’re not talking about the runs from eating mad, mad burritos). Those comparisons need to stop. Blatche’s late-seasons performances were often contingent on the maneuvering of his adept, swingman-like skills as a so-called big man. Seraphin, on the other end, begins his success with size, girth, power, and the willingness to work in the paint. These are huge differences. So should Wizards be confident that Kevin’s skills are more “for real”? A resounding yes. He has solidly proven that he has what it takes to be a post scorer at the NBA level, now it’s just the rest of his game that needs a lot of work. 2 Stars
	TOTAL: 5.75 out of 9 stars

The Bench
	ADAM McGINNIS: The six game winning streak can be attributed to the high-quality play of the second unit. They have rarely lost leads, and in most cases, like the win in Chicago, fought back from deficits to go ahead. Nenê was simply dominant in the second quarter by dropping dimes, throwing shots and finishing at the rim with athletic grace. He tallied 15 points and 7 rebounds. Old Mo Evans led the team in scoring with 18 points and even had two break away slams. Everyone who played scored at least four points. 2.5 Stars (out of 3)
	Sub Man of the Game: Mo Evans
	MOBLEY: The bench players played starter minutes in last night, and they did not disappoint. Mo Evans and Nenê (18 and 15 points respectively) handled the scoring, Shelvin Mack handled the assists (7), and James Singleton grabbed eight rebounds, and was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of Juwan Howard pseudo-tough guy tactics (Juwan got a tech for pushing James). 3 Stars
	Sub Man of the Game: Mo Evans
	WEIDIE: This game was the village bicycle (or a prostitute, as the old joke goes)… everyone got a turn. Unlike Wednesday night in Cleveland, all 11 players who played for Washington scored. #BrianCookAlert Otherwise, Mo Evans gets the MVP, no doubt—nice job to end the season with 18 points off the bench and two (TWO!) dunks. Nene did his thing with 15 points, seven boards, three assists, and two blocks—one minute he was hitting wiry scoop shots around Joel Anthony, the next he was passing the over his head, and the double-team, for an assist to a cutting Morris Almond. 2.75 Stars
	Sub Man of the Game: Mo Evans
	BENCH TOTAL: 8.25 out of 9 stars

The Coach: Randy Wittman
	KYLE WEIDIE: The unofficial speculation amidst media-types after the game on the chances of Randy Wittman returning to coach the Wizards was 20-25-percent. If only Marion Barry is getting more chances than Ernie Grunfeld in this city, why can’t Randy Wittman get just one? After the game, Wittman began to get asked about his coaching future… “I’ll coach somewhere,” he interrupted. “In the end I’m going to learn a lot of different things from this team and from this experience that’s going to help me down the road in my coaching,” Wittman later said. “Whether that’s here or not, I don’t worry about that, I truly don’t. I try to go out each day and do the best job I can, and I think when you work hard and do that, good things happen.” Job well-done, coach. 3 Stars
	McGINNIS: At one point the score was 66-33 Wizards, so this game was not very competitive against the Heat reserves. The players seem to enjoy playing for Randy and the staff deserves much credit for never quitting. I am skeptical of Wittman being the right man to take this team at a championship level, but will always appreciate the time Wittman put in developing some of the young players. 2 Stars
	MOBLEY: Even in the finale, Coach Wittman did not stop coaching or teaching lessons. When Nenê made an adept pass, he implored his bench to take notice.  When his team’s play got ragged, he called timeout and reeled them in. Yes, these are the duties a coach is supposed to perform, but to do them on a team going nowhere and playing in the finale, is commendable. 2 Stars
	COACH TOTAL: 7 out of 9 stars

Seen on the Scene w/ Adam McGinnis

>> To say the Miami Heat were loose before the game would be an understatement. Music was blasting from an iPod speaker as several players danced. Mike Miller sat in his stall, chewing on dip. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who did not play but warmed up on the court, were throwing Jordan shoes back and forth with each other.

>> After interviewing Heat rookie Norris Cole during the “2 Chainz” song, I asked him about the tunes getting pumped:

“That’s what we do in here, we get it crackin’.”

>> The Redskins NFL Draft pick of Robert Griffin III was announced on the big screen, and the home crowd cheered loudly, some giving him a standing ovation.

>> Trevor Booker thanked the home crowd on the mic from mid-court for their support before the game.

>> James Singleton is headed back to Dallas, Texas for the summer, and he is getting married in June.

>> Heat forward and former Bullet/Wizard Juwan Howard played in his 1,201st career game last night. His thoughts on the accomplishment:

“It is a blessing, I have worked extremely hard to get to this point. My passion, desire, commitment to the game has really shown. To have an opportunity to play in my 1,201st game, here in Washington, where it all started, you couldn’t write a story more better than that one.”

>> I asked him about what he remembers more from his time in DC:

“Oh man… me and my boy Chris Webber. That was a great time. Unfortunately, the organization wasn’t patient enough to keep that group around. That being said, I look back on it, and it was some good memories.”

End Scene

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:

“I don’t know where our final tallies were, but we’re one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league—outside shooting, playmaking on the wings, those type of things. We got to continue to try to add pieces to this team now.”

—Randy Wittman on what the Wizards need.

“We’re night and day defensively, from when the trade went down to today. The point differential in what we were giving up to what we gave up in the  games since the trade is not even funny.”

—Randy Wittman on what definitely isn’t funny.

Great quotes, let’s watch…

[photo: K. Weidie, Truth About It.net]

Criticism of Andray Blatche has been unabashed, perhaps filled with too much vitriol at times, and I’m including myself in this pack, obviously. That being said, it’s human nature to feel sorry for the guy, sometimes.

One of the first things I realized upon starting to cover the Wizards with media credentials prior to the 2009-10 season was that Blatche — the way he carried himself, interacted with the media, his general goofiness with teammates in the locker room — is not a bad guy. Certainly no one would confuse himself with notorious a-holes like Rasheed Wallace or Bonzi Wells. But in most senses, Blatche the basketball player — the guy who has trouble staying focused on the little things, rebounding with toughness, not emitting laziness, playing with heart — has justifiably brought all the criticism upon Blatche the person.

He suffers, personally, yet he still hosts parties and invites more critique. Awareness of public perception, much less ideals of being a good, lead-by-example teammate on the floor, are lost upon Blatche in major ways. We are approaching “it is what it is” purgatory with Andray, in that he’ll never fully realize even mere fractions of his talent.

“It is unclear whether the team will decide to move Andray Blatche, who despite the tough season is a very talented player. However, having talent isn’t enough,” wrote Blatche’s former teammate Etan Thomas in a special piece for ESPN.com today; the Poet was encouraging Wizards fans to have hope.

After tonight’s contest versus the Miami Heat, Blatche will have missed the Wizards’ last 22 games — one-third of this lockout-shortened season — due to “conditioning.” This could be the last game that he is officially on the roster of the Washington Wizards. It’s a sad situation that likely not many have seen before. It is what it is.

Prior to the game, Blatche spoke with the media on a variety of subjects. That video is below.

Score

Washington Wizards 96 at Cleveland Cavaliers 85 [box score]

Stat of the Game w/ Kyle Weidie

The Wizards, 40-for-91 from the field, attempted 14 more shots than the Cavs (34-for-77); the two teams went 12-for-16 and 13-for-18 from the free throw line respectively. What so many extra shots? For one, offensive rebounds — Washington had 20 with 18 second chance points, Cleveland had 11 with just eight second chance points. Another factor is pace — the Wizards normally average 95.13 possessions per 48 minutes. Against Cleveland, starters John Wall, Cartier Martin, Chris Singleton, Jan Vesely, and Kevin Seraphin played together for 15 minutes at a pace of 98.89 possessions per 48 with a plus-7 in the plus/minus department. Cleveland’s starters — Kyrie Irving, Anthony Parker, Alonzo Gee, Antawn Jamison, and Tristan Thompson — played eight minutes together, had a plus/minus of zero and a pace of 98.46 (the Cavs average a pace of 93.99 on the year). Basically, when the Wizards were ready to turn up the tempo, they could; Cleveland, not so much.

Scene of the Game

Washington, Winning

via @recordsANDradio

Kevin Seraphin throws down a two-handed alley-oop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOi-qW4NRhs

D.C. Flag 3-Star Ratings w/ Ryan Gracia, John Converse Townsend, and Kyle Weidie

<***> Rating the Starting 5, Bench & Coach out of 3 stars.

John Wall
	JOHN CONVERSE TOWNSEND: 21 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and seven steals (!): the Cleveland Effect had something to do with that historic stat line, but it’s more of a reflection of John Wall’s maturation as an NBA point guard. He’s become much more than a track athlete; Wall is under control, reading the game and drawing fouls — the days when J-Wall would make a beeline to the hoop and hope for the best are in the past. His jump shot isn’t there yet, but, for now, that’s okay. The Wizards have won five consecutive games, their longest winning streak since 2007, in large part thanks to the performance of Wall, who recorded his fourth consecutive double-double. 2.75 Stars (out of 3)
	GRACIA: Wow. Wall seemed to be everywhere against the Cavs. He capped off his career-high fourth-straight double-double in pretty amazing style. He truly led the Wizards in this victory, their fifth-straight overall. On top of that, only two of his six turnovers were created in the second half, so it’s nice to see that he also cleaned that up as the game wore on. Well done, John. 3 Stars
	WEIDIE: Yea, yea… Let’s see Wall do this during the playoffs when the game slows way down and play gets tough. Otherwise, seeing Wall not end his sophomore season in a slump is nice, but I’m not going to invest too much stock in it. 2.5 Stars
	TOTAL: 8.25 out of 9 stars

Cartier Martin
	KYLE WEIDIE: Cartier Martin, in his first start this season, fifth of his NBA career, got on the game’s scoreboard first with a 3-pointer… Then he only made two more FGs (2-pointers) over the rest of the game and missed both of his free-throw attempts. He added two rebounds, one steal, one block, two turnovers and two fouls in 26 minutes. I like Cartier, and he has certainly improved in this stint with the Wiz, but he’s just not that dynamic of a player. But might there be a place for him on the team as 12th or 13th man next season? Sure. 0.5 Star (out of 3)
	GRACIA: Martin wasn’t able to make his impact felt against the Cavs. His stats were sub-par and it seemed that every time he went up for a shot it resulted in a miss. He’s had a good run in his time with the Wizards, so hopefully he can forget this game quickly and find his groove again in the next one. 0.75 Star
	TOWNSEND: Not sure why, but I expected more from Cartier Martin in this one, his first start of the season (and the fifth start of his career). It’s been a long road for this NBA journeyman, and the season-high 38 minutes he played on Saturday must have been tough for tired legs — it showed last night. 1 Star
	TOTAL: 2.25 out of 9 stars

Chris Singleton
	RYAN GRACIA: Ten points on 4-for-8 shooting, 2-for-5 from downtown, one assist, and four boards isn’t such a bad showing from Singleton. His presence was felt and he was active on the glass in his attempts to keep plays alive for his team. A heads-up play on his part in the third quarter as he quickly inbounded the ball to Wall who ran an ensuing two-on-one to perfection, throwing the nice alley-oop to Seraphin for an easy two points just six seconds after a Cavalier basket. 1.75 Stars
	TOWNSEND: Singleton has flashed some developmental potential in these last few end-of-season games. Singleton even led all scorers in the first half with eight points. He finished with just 10, but hey! You have to walk before you run, and you have to get comfortable before you get hungry. 1.5 Stars
	WEIDIE: Well, in his 50th start of the season, Chris Singleton scored in double figures for the ninth time… so, progress. About a minute and a half into the game Singleton airballed a short, 17-foot jumper from the left wing. But, somehow, he got the ball back seven seconds later and nailed the 15-footer. Progress? Why not. 1.25 Stars
	TOTAL: 4.5 out of 9 stars

Jan Vesely
	RYAN GRACIA: Vesely has been really impressive lately and one can’t help but applaud him for his efforts again, this time against the Cavs. Seven points on 3-for-4 shooting isn’t too bad for him, but seven offensive rebounds (12 total) shows he’s doing the dirty work that every team needs from its big men. I loved that he was able to fight through a foul on his way to capping off Wall’s skillful behind-the-back pass with a thunderous dunk. Even better? He made the following free throw, going 100-percent from the line on his only attempt. 2.75 Stars
	TOWNSEND: Vesely has always passed the eye test. That shouldn’t come as much as a surprise given he’s played basketball professionally since he was 17 years old. But the 6’11″ swingman with big man skills has begun to put up numbers. A game-high plus/minus of plus-16 and a career-high 12 rebounds. Take that statheads! 2.25 Stars
	WEIDIE: Jan had a bit of a rough start, especially in physical situations versus Tristan Thompson (one Vesely shied away from trying to finish when Thompson challenged him at the rim; the Cavs rook also stole a couple rebounds from Ves, which was part of three first quarter turnovers for the Wizards rook). However, the one constant about Jan is that his basketball instinct never quits, in spite of small bouts of trouble. Mentally, Jan is far less fragile than the dead horse Wizards I like to kick. I leave you with this Tweet of mine from the game: “1 only needs 2 watch Jan Vesely’s effort on hedging on P&R defense vs Blatche’s 2 know that Dray should never play 4 the Wizards again.” 2.25 Stars
	TOTAL: 7.25 out of 9 stars

Kevin Seraphin
	RYAN GRACIA: Seraphin didn’t have a particularly dominant game against the Cavs, but then again he didn’t need to. A game-high two blocked shots, one steal, one assist and six boards (four offensive) in 23 minutes aren’t jaw-dropping numbers, although tonight was somewhat of a mini-milestone for Seraphin and the Wizards. His six-for-12 shooting led to 12 points, resulting in his season-leading fifteenth- straight game with double-digit scoring. Félicitations, Monsieur Seraphin. Here’s hoping you can break that tie with Nick Young and take the lead for good by making it sixteen straight against the Heat in the season finale. 1.5 Stars (out of 3)
	TOWNSEND: Seraphin has now scored 10 or more points in 15 straight games. If he can reach double-digits tonight against the Miami Heat, he will have tied a record set by Gheorge Muresan, who scored 10 or more points in 16 consecutive starts during the 1995-96 season. Point: Ernie Grunfeld. 2 Stars
	WEIDIE: Soft touch? Check… and by now, Seraphin’s offensive abilities are no fluke. Defensive rebounding, however? Two defensive boards (but four offensive) in 23 minutes continues to leave a lot to be desired. I’m curious about what Randy Wittman has to say about Kevin’s development in defensive rebounding… So, I’ll ask him. 1.75 Stars
	TOTAL: 5.25 out of 9 stars

The Bench
	KYLE WEIDIE: Shelvin Mack picked up four points and three assists in his first 67 seconds off the bench, but then settled down some. The presence of Nenê (12 points, 7 rebounds in 23.5 minutes) and James Singleton (10 points, 5 rebounds in 22 minutes) pretty much sealed the deal against Cleveland’s bench bigs of Samardo Samuels and Luke Harangody. Nenê is really a smooth, fluid player (especially on offense), and I’m really looking forward to how this Wizards team will play with him around from the start next season. 1.75 Stars (out of 3)
	Sub Man of the Game: Nenê
	GRACIA: Morris Almond struggled and so did Maurice Evans. Nenê, on the other hand was able to prove that he isn’t really a bench player. He was the on-court leader with his calming presence and impressive play, missing just one shot in seven attempts. James Singleton also added a nice spark in his time on the court. 1.5 Stars
	Sub Man of the Game: Nenê
	TOWNSEND: Wild shooting from the Mos (Evans and Almond), who went 3-for-18, was buffered by solid performances from James Singleton and Nenê, who combined for 22 points (11-15 FG) and 12 rebounds. 1.75 Stars
	Sub Man of the Game: Nenê
	BENCH TOTAL: 5 out of 9 stars

The Coach: Randy Wittman
	JOHN CONVERSE TOWNSEND: Wittman was an agent of post-positionality in Washington’s win over Cleveland. In the fist half, nine players logged at least 10 and a half minutes, with Shelvin mack (8:04) and Brian Cook (1:22) bringing up the rear. At the final whistle, nine players logged at least 18 minutes, with Mack (15:32) and Cook (2:21) again getting whatever was left over. I liked the strategy, considering Jordan Crawford, the Wizards’ leading scorer since the All-Star break was a late scratch, and the coach did a good job of getting the most out of a thin roster. Wittman let Wall play all 12 minutes in the third quarter, and the franchise player rewarded the coach with 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting, six assists, fours steals, three rebounds, and a 14-point lead that put the game out of reach. 3 Stars
	GRACIA: With the game winding down and the bench group struggling to keep the lead that the starting group had created, Wittman called a timeout to calm the team and get them re-focused on finishing strong. He got Wall back in the game, an acceptable lead was established again, and he subbed Shelvin Mack in for Wall to close out the win. 2.75 Stars
	WEIDIE: I bet Wittman, the Wizards having already locked up the second worst record in the NBA, was glad that he didn’t have to rest his starters (at least not as much as Cleveland did) in an attempt to play an ever-so-subtle game of tanking. The little thrills of coaching a very bad team. 2 Stars
	COACH TOTAL: 7.75 out of 9 stars

Seen on the Screen w/ John Converse Townsend

Scene: First Quarter, 10:18, Wizards up, 5-2.

Cavs’ rookie Kyrie Irving initiated the pick-and-roll with Antawn Jamison, but Jan Vesely did a nice job trapping the Cleveland guard outside the 3-point line. Irving, who was forced to slow his dribble, reacted by hitting Jamison at the elbow with a bounce pass, but Vesely recovered quickly enough to force the veteran to put it on the floor. As Jamison entered the paint, John Wall showed a double-team, and in a panic, Jamison lobbed a ball out to Irving, which was picked off by Wall.

Here’s what happened next:

“Was that a case of John outrunning the rest of the team, or the rest of the team not keeping up with him?” asked play-by-play man Steve Buckhantz.

“Nah,” responded Buckhantz’s partner in crime, Phil Chenier. “I don’t think he was in an optimal position when he tried to deliver the pass. He didn’t get a real good postion on that pass and led Cartier just a little too much.”

I reacted to Wall’s fastbreak turnover on Twitter:

Wall FB turnover. A more experienced guard, like CP3, might have found the trailing Cartier Martin with a bounce pass through the legs.

See, it’s all about passing angles. Wall knows that, and has the vision required to get fancy with it, too.

And he did get fancy later in the game, when confronted with an almost identical situation.

Scene: Fourth Quarter, 3:51, Wizards up, 91-77.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdNNwWdnUHE

Progress.

End Scene

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:

“Everybody plays good and plays hard. Nobody worries about how many points you’re going to score. You can tell the whole group is having a lot more fun.”

—John Wall, feelin’ good, feelin’ great. (Feelin’ great, feelin’ good!)

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

Nineteen wins, people. With a 95-86 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Washington Wizards have now matched their win total of three seasons ago, 2008-09, the first season they did not make the playoffs after making four post-seasons in a row. Meaninglessly meaningful, totally. While you were likely watching Capitals playoff hockey, Adam McGinnis (@adammcginnis), John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend) and Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) have your Wizards-Cavs reaction…

M.V.P.

-John Converse Townsend

John Wall is the obvious MVP, having recorded his fourth consecutive double-double, the longest streak of his career, with 21 points (7-for-16 FGs), 13 assists, seven rebounds, and seven steals. Wall’s second half was extra special. He played a role in 24 of Washington’s 28 third-quarter points, opening a 14-point lead for the Wizards which proved to be too much for the Cavaliers to overcome. Impressive, right? But consider this: since 1985-86, only three other players have put up a 21-13-7-7 line—Steph Curry in 2010, Chris Paul in 2009 and Denver’s Fat Lever back in 1987. Wall is still young and has plenty of room to grow as a player — he still overestimates his athleticism on the defensive end, particularly when defending away from the ball — but he has clearly matured into a point guard who understands how to create for others in just about every situation.

X-Factor.

-Adam McGinnis

Several candidates to chose from for this category as Shelvin Mack logged key minutes, Seraphin recorded his 15th straight game in double figure points, and Nenê was once again a powerful force off the bench. My X-factor versus Cleveland was Jan Vesely, who finished with seven points, a season-high 12 rebounds (seven offensive), and a game-leading plus/minus of plus-16. Jan’s pretty and-1 finish off a sensational behind-the-back pass from Wall should be atop most highlight packages. I have objections to some of the choices made by Ted Leonsis in running the Wizards (Seriously, an EXTENSION for Grunfeld???), but his description of Vesely’s attributes is spot on. No doubt, the young Czech displays much promise.

That was… Basketball(ish).

-Kyle Weidie

We all know this five-game winning streak is meaningless. And we know that five players off Cleveland’s bench each played more minutes than each of Cleveland’s starters. And we know that New Orleans’ victory over Golden State on Tuesday night means that Washington clinched the second-worst record in the NBA. They could do no wrong in this game, it was an imperfect storm. However, knowing Randy Wittman’s style, we know the Washington Wizards played some damn basketball on Wednesday night, regardless of the over-blown issues people may have with the circumstance. It’s still NBA basketball, whomever was playing was competing, at least on this night. John Wall was a jet, Jan Vesely was a shark, and both Nenê and Kevin Seraphin* together made sweet roundball music fit for a stage.

When you’re a Wizard,
You’re a Wizard all the way
From your first cigarette
To your last dyin’ day.

… Except Randy Wittman’s gang has been smoking a lot less lately. And besides, ‘Wizard’ doesn’t rhyme with ‘cigarette’ …

*Take note of the Kevin Seraphin Struggle Face in the top image.

Before Monday’s Wizards-Bobcats game, I headed to the Charlotte locker room while it was open to the media. Tumbleweeds. The Cats’ beat reporter from the Charlotte Observer wasn’t even sent to cover the game. Go figure. In any case, upon my entry into the threshold, some eyes turned toward me, and then quickly looked away. I could’ve sworn that Kemba Walker immediately looked at me, deadpanned, and said, “No.” Can’t blame the Bobcats players. Not. At. All. But, Kemba did end up speaking with me — perfectly willing and perfectly nice about it, he was. So here that goes…

KYLE WEIDIE: Going from winning a championship at UConn to being on the worst team in the NBA, who is giving the best advice on how to deal with the drastic environment change and what are they saying?

KEMBA WALKER: “Nobody really, just the people that’s around me on an everyday basis, like my coaching staff, Rod Higgins, just everyone who’s just been around … my teammates, just doing a great job of keeping me positive and making sure that, regardless of the losses, that I’m still getting better.”

Do you tell yourself anything… anything extra to get motivated to play?

“I always want to play, regardless of the losing. We always come to play every night, it might not show sometimes, but we really work hard regardless. But as far as myself, I just want to get better. I plan on being here for a long time, so I want to improve my game as much as possible.”

How often do you and John Wall talk?

“All the time… we talk a lot. With the schedule, it’s kind of hard to keep in touch. But whenever he’s in town, he comes over to my apartment. Whenever I’m around, I go visit him. But yea, we talk a lot.”

What do you guys say to each other about the tough NBA situations you’re dealing with?

“He is the one who’s been talking to me more — this is his second year. He went through it last year also with not having such a great season as far as wins, but you just got to stay positive, man. It’s tough, but at the same time we’re both on two teams that’s rebuilding, and you know, really building around us, so we just want to say positive and get better. You know the future is bright for us.”

After a lot of games this year, guys like LeBron, D-Wade and Kobe have spoken with Wall on the court to offer him words of encouragement on dealing with the losing, etc. Have opposing NBA players come up to you after games and kind of done the same thing?

“Naw, not really.”

Why do you think that?

“I don’t know… I don’t know.”

Is Michael Jordan still visibly present around the team?

“Yea, he’s around… still trying to encourage us to stay positive. He knows that we’ll be fine in the future.”

Does he still get out there on the court during practice sometimes?

“Naw, I think those days are over.”

Have you wanted to see him on the court?

“No, not really. I watched him on TV enough when I was young.”

LINKS!

By all means, the Wizards should totally bring back Andray Blatche… He’s the best.
[DC Sports Bog]

My take on the extension of Ernie Grunfeld is still “in a process” but Kelly Dwyer has a great overall assessment that you should definitely read.
[Ball Don't Lie]

Michael Jordan defends his longtime practice of surrounding himself with cronies against accusations from former Bobcats coach Larry Brown. Of course.
[Charlotte Observer]

“Woj” drops the bomb on Billy Hunter and the NBAPA. (Hint: Unions are dirty.)
[Yahoo! Sports]

NBA Nonsense Notebook… so much fun from Michael Katz.
[The Classical]

REMINDER: How a 2005 trade involving Sam Cassell affects the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery.
[CSN Washington]

In a recent Sports Illustrated poll, Flip Saunders got 6-percent of the vote for coaches that NBA players would least like to play for — he trailed Stan Van Gundy (22%) and Scott Skiles (14%).
[Sports Illustrated]

Love this photo by Mike Hicks.
[Washington City Paper]