Truth About It - Washington Wizards Blog

Screen Shots & Thoughts From Disgraceful Effort in New York, Wizards Selfishly Lose to Knicks 107-85

Kyle Weidie — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:44:32 +0000

This Wizards team has gone through a lot of adversity this year, some of it unimaginable. Poor them. People are dying around the world and not by choice. These guys get paid to play basketball. Suck it up.

More and more this team is playing like they just don’t care. It’s not the first time this has happened. Probably won’t be the last. But Wednesday night’s game against the New York Knicks seemed like more of a disgrace than efforts we’ve seen before.

I’ve said that Ernie Grunfeld can’t make drastic change fast enough. The associated anxiousness continues to mount by the day and will continue to do so up until the February 18th trade deadline, unless something happens before then.

When it goes down, how will I find out? Twitter? Text? G-Chat? Will Ric Bucher’s shiny doll hair pop up on my HDTV to tell me that it has all come to an end? Will I wake up one morning to find Marc Stein whispering in my ear, “Caron Butler for Marcus Camby and Antawn Jamison for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, both straight up” followed by him punching me in the mouth?

These are the things that haunt my slumber and twist my stomach. And they all feel plausible.

Ok, back to the Knicks game. Even though they clearly started to lose the game in the third quarter, I was pretty incensed when watching the fourth quarter “melt,” as Flip Saunders called it.

Randy Foye hit a bucket to put the Wizards up nine, 56-47, with 7:13 left in the third. For the rest of the period, the Knicks outscored the Wizards 25-9, taking a 72-65 lead into the fourth. New York won the final period 35-20. That’s a 60-29 run for New York in the final 19:13 of game play.

One particular NY run in the fourth stood out to me. From the seven minute mark to the one minute mark, the Knicks outscored the Wizards 18-2, 20-2 if you go to a jumper Nate Robinson hit with 43 seconds left.

How on earth did this happen?

We’ll begin at the 7:05 mark in the fourth when Earl Boykins finds Mike Miller in corner for three to keep the Wizards within a “respectable” five points at 84-79.

Right after that basket, the Goof-Troop of Andray Blatche and Nick Young get confused about who should cover whom. Heads are turning, fingers are pointing, literally.

Both Blatche and Young (white box) are pointing toward the trailing Al Harrington (red circle), a three-point threat, and the man Andray should be covering. He’s clearly not, but evidently thinks Nick should.

Also, notice Larry Hughes in the far corner, probably the man Nick should be guarding … and he is in the vicinity. So, the blame goes to Seven Day Dray, whose mind is evidently only open during the business hours of ‘whenever the eff he feels like it’. But hey, at least the two are courteous enough to point.

This is after a made basket, mind you. There is no excuse for this level of dysfunction. At one point, you see Jamison (at the free-throw line) turn his head in the direction of Young and Blatche. I imagine the brief exchange between Antawn, Andray and Nick went down like this:

AJ: What the eff are y’all doing?
NY: Huh? Aww, that’s cold … Dray?
AB: Well, I’m closer to Larry now. You go get Harrington.
NY: Huh? Ain’t that your man? Aw sh*t ….

So, Nick runs to cover Harrington and the Knicks proceed to work the ball to Hughes in the corner. He takes a couple dribbles and gets Blatche, who hasn’t seen a good defensive stance since Gilbert Arenas appeared in more than 70 games in a season, to start back-peddling. Plenty of space. Larry Hughes bucket. 86-79 Knicks.

6:30 – Only two Wizards touch the ball on this possession, Boykins and Young, mostly Boykins. His teammates never seem to know what he’s doing so they can only stand around and watch. The picture shows the aftermath of Boykins darting around from right to left, then picking up his dribble where you see him now.

Earl ends up passing to Nick, who almost turns ball over, but somehow gets it back to Earl, who misses a jumper with the shot clock running out.

Off the rebound, Al Harrington is hustling, Andray Blatche is not, plain and simple.

Al holds off ‘Dray for the offensive rebound tip, which is understandable since the defensive player usually has position … of course, that’s assuming Blatche was even trying. He wasn’t.

So, as Harrington tips the ball to Nate Robinson, the two are roughly the same distance from the basket on the other end. Guess who wins the race.

Here, Harrington looks ready to take off. Blatche is standing straight up, watching the action pass him by.

Harrington gets separation right off the bat.

And more separation …

You can guess what happens from here. Al Harrington gets a cheap $1 store dunk in his $35 K-Mart sneakers.

Also worth noting: Jamison is only focused on his man in the corner and doesn’t see the cutting Harrington. But if Andray busted his butt up the court in the first place, or showed a crumb of awareness …. easy buckets. 88-79 Knicks.

The subsequent offense for the Wizards: Offensive shoulder shrugs, Nick Young picks up his dribble, the Wizards are forced to call timeout.

Kindly take a seat Mr. Blatche.

Here’s the best part about our friend Seven Day Dray, a quote from Wizards Insider:

Antawn Jamison agreed with Saunders’s assessment of selfish play, but Andray Blatche said that looks were deceiving. “We have a lot of great players on this team. We all try to be that person to take us over the hump,” Blatche said after scoring 14 points off the bench. “It wasn’t that we tried to be selfish, we was trying to help the team. Everybody is trying hard to help the team. Guys are trying hard to do everything they can. That’s how it looks, but that’s not the case.“

You know what’s not deceiving? These damn screen shots. Back to the game …

Out of the timeout, Mike Miller makes a horrible inbounds pass. Turnover. Jamison doesn’t exactly have his man sealed off, but it’s unclear if he’s expecting the ball. It looks like Foye is popping out to receive. In any case, it’s always the passer’s fault.

On the other end, Foye gets a steal, tries to take Jared Jeffries with two Knicks trailing, but looks very casual in doing so. Robinson, who doesn’t give up on the play, pokes the ball from behind …. turnover.

Maybe Randy got fouled. Maybe in his opinion he wasn’t that casual. Maybe I should be give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it just doesn’t matter anyway.

With the ball, the Knicks clear out and David Lee takes Brendan Haywood from the top with a right-handed running layup. Sounds like someone is adhering to the Man Law against the man who created it. Lee laughs his way back up the court. 90-79 New York.

The Wizards get the ball back and Haywood gets it in the post, but then is double-teamed. He proceeds to dribble outward like the ‘Stanley from The Office’, pivots, and picks up the ball. Lee falls back from the double, leaving only Wilson Chandler on Haywood.

Brendan panics and throws the ball away, right in the territory where Jared Jeffries can simply dive with hustle and gain a possession. Phil Chenier mentioned that no one came to relieve Haywood of ball. Kinda true, I guess, but Haywood also handles the ball like Stanley from The Office.

4:30 – Knicks miss.

4:15 - Wizards ball movement, Jamison drives and hits a runner. 90-81 Knicks. Still somewhat of a game, one would think.

Jared Jeffries and Danilo Gallinari run a hand-off on the left three-point wing — too much separation by Mike Miller, who gets caught going around the screen, and Jamison isn’t there to help on the shooter. Italian three-point bombs. 93-81 Knicks.

3:34 - Randy Foye completely bricks a wide-open three.

3:27 - Knicks turnover.

Nick Young drives baseline, jumps into a crowd, tries a very difficult twisting shot from almost behind the backboard, and bricks it on the bottom of the rim.

Nick then stops and looks for a foul from the ref. Sorry dude, you’re not Kobe. Also, see Mike Miller wide open in the corner? Flip Saunders would end up giving Young the hook at the next dead ball.

Yes, Nick Young, you average 1.4 assists per 36 minutes (which is, of course, better than Jamison’s 1.2 assist per 36) … and that’s after Nick averaged 2.0 assists per 36 in his rookie season and 1.9 assists per 36 last year.

Nick Young, you are playing like a selfish offensive basketball player. You are incapable of creating for others. Your argument is invalid.

Back to Wizards Insider for another quote from Flip Saunders:

“To be honest, we have guys, Nick [Young] made some shots, but those guys were shooting every time they touched it and then what happened was our whole team became like that. When guys are taking quick shots, it fuels other guys to take quick shots because they don’t think they’re going to get it back. I thought tonight, more than anything else, we played very selfishly.”

3:07 – On an out-of-bounds play run by the Knicks, Miller gets picked, no one sees it coming, easy bucket for Wilson Chandler. Pretty egregious lack of awareness by the team here, specifically from Haywood and Jamison.

Also notice where Randy Foye’s right hand is … down in its hip holster, not trying to hand-carry the ball, get a deflection, whatever.

2:47 - Just Boykins and Foye touch the ball beyond half court. Foye dribbles and takes a fading jumper over Lee from the baseline with 15 seconds on the shot clock. I understand you gotta score quickly at this point of the game, but trying that shot over the taller Lee is a ….. aw eff it, doesn’t matter anyway.

Jeffries dribble hands-off to Lee on the baseline. Check out Haywood’s shot contest. He does not care. This game is officially in the books. 97-81 Knicks.

It’s at this point where Flip Saunders says, ‘Eff it, I’ve seen enough,’ and puts in a lineup of Mike James, Randy Foye, Dominic McGuire, Fabricio Oberto and JaVale McGee. Nick Young was so garbage that he couldn’t get run during garbage time.

So what do the reserves, especially those such as JaVale McGee, do with their time? Do they hustle? Show off their wares? Make people say, ‘Well, gosh darn, why don’t they play that Epic Vale fellow more?’ Well, people are kinda saying that already, but anyway, let’s take a look-see …

The baseline lane seems kinda open. Does JaVale drive it and dunk on some fools? Naw, he just shoots a lazy ol’ jumper instead, and misses. Lame.

I’ll let the distinguished gentleman(men) of the WizzNutzz, who evidently attended the game in NYC, explain what this sight of a McGee jumper should mean to Wizards fans (via Twitter):

@wzzntzz: Nothin say FUK U WIZ FANZ like Vale of Cashmere & Dom McGuire takin long jumpers

So, when people wonder why McGee doesn’t play more, it’s not just because he gets lost on defense, but also because his effort and focus is so inconsistent when he is given chances to play. And not to just pick on him, because this type of attitude is an epidemic, but a game being a blowout is not really an excuse for a guy with pent up energy to not try. Evidently for JaVale, and others, it is.

These are the times when players like McGee earn more time going forward. Coaches are always watching and observing. Want another example? Let’s continue …

Here, David Lee is giving a half-assed pump fake at the three-point line. Lee has attempted four threes all year, but hey, it’s garbage time, anything is possible from the Knicks center I suppose.

How far away do you think JaVale McGee is? At least his height, and after checking the dimensions of an NBA court, perhaps he’s between nine and ten feet away. Will McGee bite on this B.S. pump-fake from Lee? Or will he close out with high-hands, defensive stance-ready fundamentals like basketball players are supposed to?

If you guessed that JaVale would go jetting past Lee, allowing him a wide open lane where McGee’s teammates would not care to step up and help, then you get a gold star. 102-81 Knicks.

And that’s about all I got. Fun, wasn’t it?

I’ll leave you with this final screen shot to haunt your dreams …

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Wizards Trade Rumors Links & Pre-Celtics Game Photos

Kyle Weidie — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:06:44 +0000

Crittenton most definitely on the trade block

The Washington Post’s Michael Lee first tweeted almost a week ago, “Interesting angle w/Crittenton suspension. He could become a viable/valuable trade chip by Feb. 18 since a team won’t have to pay him.”

And we figured as much since the previous day, in his press conference addressing the Arenas/Crittenton suspensions for the rest of the year, Ernie Grunfeld indicated that there were no restrictions in discussing a trade of either with another team.

On late Tuesday, ESPN’s Chris Sheridan reported the same thing, with a couple more details.

#FreeMikeJames

The idea that Mike James hasn’t been enthused with his playing time has been evident for a while. On January 22, James verbally expressed his discontent to several of us speaking with him in the locker room prior to the Miami game. He played for the first time in 80 days two days later against the Clippers and then for about two minutes the next game against the Lakers, but not since. Now, The Baseline of The Sports News has James escalating his words just a bit:

“I want to get out of here. The coach [Flip Sanders] never had me in his plans. I could see [sitting me] if we’re winning, but you can’t tell me I can’t help now.”

The Baseline also reports that James is very interested in going back to his home state and playing for the Knicks. I’m betting that James would just about go anywhere at this point. Be patient my friend. Trades are coming soon. (Hopefully)

Amar’e To D.C.?

Remember when rumors of Amar’e Stoudemire for Caron Butler, the 5th pick, and perhaps another player (like Nick Young) surfaced last June? At the time, for that package, I was like “no thanks.”

Now, the same guy from Phoenix’s KTAR radio station, John Gambo, reports that the Suns and Wizards continue to have discussions. This time, the base of the speculation involves Stoudemire for Butler and Randy Foye. The Philadelphia 76ers and Andre Igoudala are also rumored to be in the mix.

Sign me up ASAP. Sure, sure … Amar’e has been known to be a poor defender (and a bad rebounder for his size/position). But he can’t be worse than Butler. Plus, Stoudemire is the interior offensive presence the Wizards so desperately crave. Stoudemire takes 46% of his attempts on the inside, scoring 8.6 points per game there. In comparison, Andray Blatche only takes 37% of his shots on the inside, scoring 3.4 points per game, and Antawn Jamison takes 30% of his shots inside at 7.2 points per.

I may have soured on Caron more than most, perhaps unjustifiably so, and this may sway my bias in terms of “getting rid” of him. But just like “ball don’t lie,” stats and my visuals don’t lie. Butler’s time has passed in Washington. He’s a good guy, I’ll always like him, but he really should be shown the door at this juncture.

Of course, Amar’e would bring talent that Wizards fans could not get attached to. By most accounts, he will opt-out of his contract this summer and forgo getting paid $17.7 million in 2010-11 in order to be apart of the free-agent extravaganza this summer. So, the aforementioned trade could end up just being for salary cap room, something I’ve been kinda against in the past, but at this point, any option should be on the table.

Amar’e just turned 27 last November, so there is a chance he could be apart of the Wizards’ future. Gambling on him being around would be better than trading Butler to the L.A. Clippers for Marcus Camby (another rumor that has floated around). Camby is a straight-up expiring contract, but definitely not someone the team would want to keep.

Camby in D.C. would just be a warm body. At least Stoudemire would provide the team with a pulse, albeit a faint one. Sure, Ama’re has also been beset by attitude problems. Maybe a change of scenery will help. In any case, the Wizards going after him (without giving up JaVale McGee) can’t hurt … too much.

Do the Wizards hold the cards in dealing Jamison to Cleveland?

The idea has begun to surface that the Wizards need to trade Jamison ASAP. Why? Because Cleveland might be the only team willing to take on the two years and about $28 million remaining on his contract after this season. If the Cavaliers trading for Troy Murphy (1-year, $12 million left), or Andre Igoudala (who has a lot of money left on his contract, but is younger and more talented) become more feasible options, the Wizards could lose out on the opportunity to trade Antawn’s contract and might be stuck with him next summer and beyond … not that that’s a bad thing, although it does hinder rebuilding efforts and Jamison’s championship aspirations.

Not so fast. CBS’s Ken Berger is reporting that LeBron James is “the one driving the team’s pursuit of Jamison.” And we all know that what LeBaby the King wants, he gets. Would Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson be enough for Ernie Grunfeld? Who knows. If the Wizards agree to buyout/cut Big Z (under the table), then I’ll reiterate what I’ve said before … it’s worth Cleveland throwing in a late first round pick, at least in the eyes of this Wizards fan.

And now, pictures from the pre-Celtics game warm-ups …

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Got A Way To Lose? The Wizards Will Take It: Washington Falls To Boston 99-88

Kyle Weidie — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:33:26 +0000

{Sam Cassell measures Earl Boykins next to a kid}

The Wizards have found a lot of ways to lose games this season. Monday’s 99-88 loss to the Boston Celtics wasn’t as disheartening as most of them. So, I guess you can chalk up another moral victory on the penitentiary walls of your Washington Wizards basketball fandom. Congrats.

Most fingers are pointing toward the fourth quarter and justifiably citing it as the main culprit. In the period, the Wizards only mustered 10 points to the 25 of the Celtics. Rasheed Wallace scored eight points by himself, and combined with Tony Allen, the duo put up 14 points and seven rebounds in the final period. Starters Paul Pierce (ankle injury) and Kendrick Perkins didn’t play in the last 12 minutes and Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett only played six minutes apiece in the fourth.

The Celtics bench came alive to save the day. Otherwise, Boston looked sloppy and old. Cherish that 2008 championship Celtics fans, it will be the only title you see from your current squad.

Meanwhile, the Wizards managed just one assist while making only two their last 18 shots of the game. Of course, they just had one assist to eight made field-goals in the third quarter. At halftime the Wizards had 13 assists on 18 made field-goals. So, if you don’t feel like doing math, they only had two assists to 10 made FGs in the entire second half and 15 assists to 28 FGs for the game.

Flip Saunders has 99 problems and a point guard is definitely one. Randy Foye was rendered ineffective in Saunders’ mind, not necessarily his, and it was mostly due to his inability to contain Rondo early.

In stepped Earl Boykins, whose 14 points off the bench was appreciated, but his three assists in over 30 minutes of action should be frowned upon. Others may see things differently than I do, but Boykins, in playing the entire fourth quarter, did not run an efficient offensive ship. He usually doesn’t.

Earl may look like he’s doing a lot, darting around on the court, but his over-dribbling only seems to confuse teammates. Boykins is a scorer, not a creator. However, this is not to say Foye would have been the answer down the stretch either.

Let’s talk about Foye for a second. Prior to the Dallas game on January 20th, in his seven games filling in as the Wizards’ starting point guard, Foye averaged 17.3 points, 6.7 assists and only 1.7 turnovers per 36 minutes. I bragged about how he was progressing.

In the seven game since, Foye is averaging 14.8 points, 4.3 assists and 2.1 turnovers per 36 minutes. Not an absolutely dramatic difference, but still, a drop-off nonetheless.

Or, to put it more drastically, Foye’s Assist-Percentage (percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while he was on on the floor), climbed to 31.8% over the seven games from January 8th to 18th. Over the last seven games it has dropped to 20.9%.

Does any of this make a difference? Probably not. The Wizards are still a bad team. They’ve only won two out of the last seven games and only three out of the previous seven games. And people say the Wizards are better off without Gilbert Arenas. I scoff at those set in their assumptions who have lazily called Arenas a shot jacker this season.

Throwing out ‘08-09 and ‘07-08 when Arenas only appeared in two games and 13 games respectively, his 36.4 AST% through 32 games in ‘09-10 was on pace to be his career-high by far. Gilbert’s AST% through his first four seasons in D.C. stands at 25.5%, 22.9%, 27.0% and 27.2% respectively. The guy was getting better at passing the ball to teammates folks. To give this a tad more perspective, a 36.4 AST% would rank as second best in Chauncey Billups‘ career.

Ok, I’ve somewhat digressed. In summation, the Wizards are still trying, sorta, but lack a good point guard … among countless other issues.

Another so-called star, Caron Butler, has become a ball stopping, turnover machine (six against the Celtics). Sure, he’s trying to rebound more and take more shots closer to the hoop, but is still picking up traveling and charging calls in mass quantities. This reeks of a player lacking confidence.

Antawn Jamison continues to work hard, but is placing way too much on his shoulders. He’s also starting to pick up nagging injuries which increase the urgency to trade him. At one point during the game, Jamison had to retreat to the locker room for medical treatment. Afterward, Antawn said his knee stiffened up on him to the point where he had trouble running, pushing off, and bending it, but was persistently hesitant to using it as a reason why he went 2-17 on field-goals against Boston.

The rest of the players are just trying to get in where they fit in. Aside from Brendan Haywood, the play of others, especially the youth, is wrought with inconsistency in the style of ‘let me just play this game so I can pick up a paycheck’.

The Wizards have little player leadership, pieces that are faintly promising, and a fan-base that is rapidly dwindling.

One might think there is no where to go but up, but hold that thought because there’s still 35 games left, thousands of likely-to-be unfulfilled wishes of NBA draft lottery luck, and years before the Larry O’Brien trophy becomes any sort of reality past the fact that Jamison has a framed picture of it in the back of his locker.

These are your Washington Wizards.

And now, a video of the players after losing to the Celtics:

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Gilbert Arenas Writes Op-Ed For Washington Post: Learning to be a better role model

Kyle Weidie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:31:34 +0000

Learning to be a better role model

by Gilbert Jay Arenas, Jr.

The Post suggested on Dec. 31 that I send a message to young fans “about guns being neither glamorous nor desirable.” I am grateful for the opportunity to do something good in the face of the very bad situation I created.

I have done a number of things wrong recently. I violated D.C. gun laws and the NBA’s ban on firearms on league property, and I damaged the image of the NBA and its players. I reacted badly to the aftermath and made fun of inaccurate media reports, which looked as though I was making light of a serious situation. And I gave Commissioner David Stern good reason to suspend me from the game, which put my teammates in a tough position and let down our fans and Mrs. Irene Pollin, the widow of longtime Wizards owner Abe Pollin.

I understand the importance of teaching nonviolence to kids in today’s world. Guns and violence are serious problems, not joking matters — a lesson that’s been brought home to me over the past few weeks. I thought about this when I pleaded guilty as charged in court and when I accepted my NBA suspension without challenge.

That message of nonviolence will be front and center as I try to rebuild my relationship with young people in the D.C. area. I know that won’t happen overnight, and that it will happen only if I show through my actions that I am truly sorry and have learned from my mistakes.

[Read the rest at WashingtonPost.com]

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Jonathan Bender’s Ghosts of Mississippi

Kyle Weidie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:09:36 +0000

Prior to the Wizards-Knicks game, Rashad Mobley of Hoops Addict and myself stopped to chat with Jonathan Bender of the New York Knicks, a man on a long-shot comeback attempt. Rashad has his piece posted on Hoops Addict, mine is posted below.

Jonathan Bender broke Michael Jordan’s McDonald’s All-American game scoring record when he dropped 31 points in the 1999 game, besting his Airness by one point.

That performance was on the stage Bender needed to forgo his verbal commitment to Mississippi State University and enter the NBA draft, becoming who I believe is the first modern-day high school player to jump to the NBA after actually committing to a school. They say Kobe Bryant would have gone to Duke, but he never offered his commitment. Today, despite being called one of the 20 biggest busts in modern NBA draft history by Sports Illustrated in 2005, Bender doesn’t think twice about the choice he made over 10 years ago to follow in the prep-to-pros footsteps of those such as Kevin Garnett.

“Once I made the decision, it was made,” Bender said without hesitation from the Knicks locker room before last Saturday’s match-up against the Wizards.

Just three seasons removed from an appearance in the 1996 Final Four, that 1999-2000 Mississippi State Bulldogs team Bender would have played on had some talent, such as Derrick Zimmerman and Tang Hamilton, both of whom had brushes with the NBA, and Robert Jackson, who later transferred to Marquette, becoming a 2nd Team All-Conference USA performer and joining Dwyane Wade to lead the Golden Eagles to the 2003 Final Four.

Reeling from losing out on Bender, Coach Rick Stansbury’s Bulldogs underachieved, finishing the season with a 14-16 record. Stansbury is currently in his 12th season with the school and has an all-time record of 247-133 and counting. That ‘99-00 season, his second as head coach, was the only below .500 campaign of Stansbury’s tenure. The coach also has the distinction of getting two other high school players, Travis Outlaw and Monta Ellis, to commit to his program, only to see them opt for the NBA draft instead. I don’t think any other college coach has that closely missed out on so much talent which never ended up seeing an NCAA court.

“We would have been real good, everyone was long and athletic. It would have been a good system,” said Bender of Mississippi State’s prospects had he attended there. A player of Bender’s stature surely would have helped the Bulldogs stand out amongst the other stars of the SEC conference in that day, such as Chris Porter (Auburn), Joe Johnson (Arkansas), Stromile Swift (LSU), Marcus Haslip (Tennessee), Dan Langhi (Vanderbilt), Udonis Haslem (Florida), Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky), Keith Bogans (Kentucky), Jamaal Magloire (Kentucky), current Wizard Mike Miller (Florida), and former Wizards draftee, Rod Grizzard (Alabama).

On how much breaking Jordan’s record factored into his ultimate decision, Bender said, “I think it made a big difference, because I got hotter and hotter and there were a lot of teams that wanted me out there. So, I just went ahead and went for it.” Bender said he kept up with Coach Stansbury during his first couple of years in the NBA, but now his only relationship with Mississippi State is following the team if they happen to be on television. Otherwise, he doesn’t pay too much attention to college basketball.

The Picayune, Mississippi native was taken fifth overall in the 1999 draft by the Toronto Raptors, but was soon traded to the Indiana Pacers. As a lanky 6′11″ player with perimeter skills and athleticism, Bender showed a ton of early promise, but his career became increasingly beset by injuries, mostly due to chronic knee problems which at one point rendered him unable to walk stairs without experiencing pain.

With the sans cartilage bone-on-bone knee condition, Bender retired from the game in February of 2006. But in doing so at just 25-years old, he always knew he would scratch that itch down the road. “As soon as I stopped, I knew I was going to try to make one comeback before I got closer to 30,” said Bender, indicating that he seriously though about coming back last season, but held off for one more year.

While away from the court, Bender wisely saved money and invested in the for-profit Jonathan Bender Enterprises, which is involved in everything from real estate, to importing wine, to a New Orleans recording studio. More importantly, he established the nonprofit Jonathan Bender Foundation which provides assistance, education, and a multitude of other community services to those in Southern Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast area who were affected by Hurricane Katrina, especially focusing on children in need.

On December 13, 2009, Bender made good on the comeback attempt he promised himself years ago. New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh, familiar with what kind of person Bender was from their days together in Indiana, signed the 28-year old to a minimum contract. On December 18, Bender appeared in his first NBA game in over 1,500 days. He scored nine points in 14 minutes. In his 17 total appearances with the Knicks this season, Bender has averaged 4.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game. He’s shooting 41.4% from three-point land, making 0.7 per game, but his overall field-goal percentage is struggling at 37.5%.

Bender feels good about his physical progression after being away from the game for so long. “I don’t put too many expectations on myself. My goal was to make it back and I did.” He feels that he can physically perform like he used to in spurts, obviously hoping to build consistency and trust in his knees which rely on the surrounding muscle for support.

When it comes to his basketball-playing future, Bender simply answered, “We’ll see.” The soft-spoken, recently turned 29-year old conveys a medium demeanor that won’t allow him to get caught up with the “ifs” and “whens” of professional basketball.

“I’ve accomplished by goal of getting back here. I don’t think too far in the future, I just take it day by day. Keep up with my training, keep in shape, keep feeling good about the whole situation. That’s where I’m at right now.”

Additional Sources/Suggested Reading:

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Mike Miller Finally Picks His Spot: Wizards Beat Knicks In Quotes & Notes

Kyle Weidie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:25:49 +0000

Mike Miller doesn’t want to be your team’s leading scorer. And he doesn’t want to listen to others who have implored him to be more aggressive on offense, including his coach.

This season, almost as much as Miller has said, “It is what it is,” if not more, he has pragmatically relayed, “I pick my spots,” as if it were ingrained into his basketball dogma.

Miller should be lauded for his selflessness, on top of his constant willingness to be first off the bench to support his teammates coming into a timeout or him being a primary proponent of hustle on the court. Passing is the “right way to play basketball” says Miller. Nothing wrong with that school of thought. Dude is honorable.

But as good as his intentions are, Miller’s methods have, at times, served as a detriment to his team. The drives ending right at the rim only to kick the ball backwards to the perimeter. The passed up open shots where Miller, the best shooter on the team, makes the extra pass just to get the ball “poppin’.” Players with his skill shouldn’t be such delegates.

Is it a coincidence that in Saturday’s game against the Knicks where Miller scored a season-high 25 points on the most shots he’s attempted and made (9-15) as a Wizard — also the most threes he’s attempted and made (7-10) — he also dropped a season-high eight assists?

True, Miller’s ball movement has the ability to be contagious. And the team needs him to do that. But they also need Mike to balance his game and make opponents adjust to him, rather than pick his spots. Miller won’t face lax zone defenses every night as he did against New York, but he still needs to attack the gaps and be the open threat. When he takes offensive initiative, he’s also helping cultivate better opportunities for his teammates.

Miller doesn’t want to be a prime-time player … and that’s okay. Much of him falling short of hopes this season has been the result of injuries and trying to get acclimated to a new team with players (Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and the Wizard formerly known as Agent Zero) who dominate the ball on offense. But from here on out, Miller needs to prove his worth through confidence in his game. It’s a contract year for crying out loud.

Sure, he’ll probably end up taking the mid-level exception to play wherever with his boy LeBron plays next season. After all, Miller did name his son Maverick after one of Bron-Bron’s best friends … so the story goes. But until then, he should take advantage of lowered expectations to succeed and jump at the chance to personally excel with decent talent around him.

Now, a video about Mike Miller …

Relevant stats …

Over a week ago, Mike Prada put together a post of relevant Mike Miller stats on Bullets Forever. One number in particular was Miller’s net On Court/Off Court Assisted FG%. At the time, Miller’s was +11%, meaning that when Mike is on the floor, the percent of team-field goals which are assisted upon jumps from 47% to 58%.

Now, according to 82 games.com, Miller’s net has dipped slightly, going from +11% to +9% (48% to 57%). Still, this positive net leads the team by far. To compare all Wizards:

Mike Miller +9%
Mike James +5%
Brendan Haywood +3%
Gilbert Arenas +2%
Antawn Jamison +1%
Fabricio Oberto 0%
Earl Boykins 0%
DeShawn Stevenson -1%
Caron Butler -1%
JaVale McGee -2%
Randy Foye -3%
Andray Blatche -3%
Dominic McGuire -3%
Nick Young -4%

No surprise should come from observing which players are at the top of this list and which are at the bottom, the results contributing to why certain players have trouble seeing consistent time and why Chris Webber recently took all unsuspended team captains to task for their selfish play, specifically in reference to their assist-to-turnover ratios.

To put Miller’s net +9 Assisted-FG% in context, Steve Nash, the league leader in assists per game, has a net rating of +7%. Of course, this stat can be contingent on the surrounding system and the passing ability/willingness of teammates. I’m not sure if Miller’s stat says more about him as a player or more about the below par passing of his teammates.

Best Quotes from Wizards-Knicks …

[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

On a few occasions, it looked as if Antawn Jamison was attempting to get his master’s degree from the Moses Malone School of Stat-Padding Rebounds, as he repeatedly batted around his missed shots, earning offensive rebounds before later getting shots to fall. But after Jamison missed 16 of 26 shots on Saturday night, he was sincere after the Wizards’ win over the New York Knicks that he was simply trying to score.

[Craig Stouffer - Washington Examiner]

After relinquishing what had been an 18-point lead early in the second quarter with a pair of New York 3-pointers that tied the score, 50-50, and then, 52-52, almost immediately after the halftime break, the Wizards (16-30) went on a 30-17 tear to end the 3rd quarter, during which Miller hit five of his seven 3-pointers on the night, including three in a row to end the period.

[Mike Prada - Bullets Forever]

I’ll never forget the look Mike Miller made after he hit his fifth three in six attempts in the third quarter of last night’s win over the Knicks. After the shot, which gave the Wizards a 79-65 lead, Miller turned toward the bench and kind of just shook his head back and forth. It wasn’t quite like Michael Jordan’s famous shrug in the 1992 Finals, but it was the same type of gesture. Yeah, I can’t explain it either, Phil.

[Dave Johnson - CSNWashington.com]

Miller, who has said he doesn’t always need to score to make a difference, needed to score to help the Wizards solve the Knicks’ zone defenses. The Knicks switched to 2-3 and 3-2 zones in the second quarter and held the Wizards to 14 points after the Wizards opened the game outscoring the Knicks 36-19 in the first.

[Howard Beck - New York Times]

“We were playing a zone, and that’s the weakness of it [RE: Mike Miller's shooting],” Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We had a couple guys who just didn’t quite get the scheme right.”

D’Antoni deployed the zone after watching his team give up 36 points in the first quarter, with Jamison and Brendan Haywood punishing them inside. D’Antoni was blunt in assessing his team’s defense, saying: “I didn’t have a good feeling about us guarding them man for man. And when we did it right, the zone was good.”

Kyle Weidie — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:07:57 +0000

This fan, or maybe he’s not a fan, aided by his lower-level seats near the Wizards’ locker room tunnel, took the necessary steps to make himself noticed at the Wiz-Knicks snow game on Saturday night.

Some might have approached this guy to take stock of what angle he was playing with his customized jersey. Was he simply stating the fact of Arenas’ plea? Is wearing the jersey of a guilty man an act of defiance? What does the bottom treatment a la Fred Flintstone’s moo-moo signify? Is he or is he not an advocate for Gilbert Arenas? All good questions. I’d like to think that the distinguished Dan Steinberg would have sought this fellow out for blog fodder. Me? I figured that whatever this guy’s jersey meant, it was best left unknown, like the Arenas situation itself.

Furthermore, scenes from pre-game warm-ups …

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Wizards Game 46 vs. New York Knicks Live Twitter Blog

Kyle Weidie — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:21:55 +0000

7:20:10 PM: Bit of a snow day here in DC, but I made it to the Verizon Center for Wizards-Knicks @ 8 pm.

7:20:54 PM: Of course, I don’t have a car & live a couple metro stops away from Verizon, so getting here is just a matter of putting on boots & walking.

7:21:51 PM: Spoke w both Larry Hughes & Jonathan Bender b/f the game. Gotta get those interviews up along w old ones w Darius Songaila & Erick Dampier.

7:23:28 PM: Before the game, Flip Saunders reiterated that last night’s game tape vs. the NJ Nets is not going into the Springfield Hall of Fame.

7:26:05 PM: On if he plans 2 rest starters more (like they did last nite), Flip said, “Naw, they just played bad & didn’t seem 2 have good energy.”

7:26:57 PM: On if the starters received his message, Flip said, “I don’t know, we’ll see tonight. Whoever plays well is going 2 stay on the floor.”

7:29:02 PM: On potential sparse DC snow crowd, Flip: “We prob got a bit of a head start from playing NJ last nite. There weren’t many ppl there either.”

7:32:27 PM: On decision 2 leave DC, Larry Hughes: “The basketball decision was good. As far as personal, it coulda been a little different……”

7:35:04 PM: Larry Hughes said he hasn’t talked 2 Arenas since the “events” but sent him a text msg & left him a voicemail. Understands he needs space.

7:36:50 PM: Larry Hughes: “[Gilbert] didn’t play jokes on me. We had that understanding.”

7:38:34 PM: Larry Hughes said he picked #0 as jersey # b/c Gil is one of his best friends in the league. Also, his usual #20 was taken (J. Jeffries)

7:39:27 PM: Larry Hughes: “The commissioner made a respectable decision [RE: suspension]. I don’t think there was any malice to his decision.”

7:42:32 PM: Hughes on Arenas returning 2 Wizards: “I could see it. When u get in trouble, ur mad @ the authority, but I think it will blow over.”

7:45:24 PM: Hughes on banner removal, etc “They have 2 protect the name of the org. It’s bigger than just 1 guy, or the owner, or the GM, or the coach.”

7:58:36 PM: In other news, Andray Blatche needs 18 points for 2,000 for his career. I give 12/1 odds that happens tonight.

8:11:42 PM: All players have been introduced, Caron is dribbling game ball, giving fist-bumps to ushers. Seconds away from tip-off here @ the Verizon.

8:21:03 PM: Wiz starters are NOT playing w/o energy & effort. So, no timeout from Flip just yet. DC up 18-11 on NY, 5:02 left in 1st. Knicks call 1st TO

8:26:43 PM: Wizards up 25-17, 2:51 left in 1st. 5 assists on 10 made FGs, 2 turnovers. Wiz beating Knicks 12-5 on boards. DC has 4 offensive, NY has 0.

8:31:26 PM: Nick Young checked in for Mike Miller, Miller sprinted fast to the last spot on the bench. Odd. Wiz up 34-19, under 1 min. left in 1st.

8:33:23 PM: Jamison 1 hand tip goes in @ 1st Q buzzer. Wiz up 36-19. Prob 2nd most points in 1st Q all year (had 39 points on 12/18 at Golden St.)

8:41:14 PM: Flip calls TO after Knicks score 4 straight. 39-25 DC, 8:28 left in 2nd. Young & Blatche already have 6 pts each off bench. Dray has 3 rebs.

8:52:03 PM: RT @MrMichaelLee There is a fan at VC wearing a tattered Arenas No. 0 jersey with “Gil-Ty” written on the back.

8:55:25 PM: RT @chasehughes I think that Wizards’ assistant Ryan Saunders sleeps in a tanning bed

8:58:12 PM: Flip calls 20sec TO w 1:03 left in 2nd. After scoring 36 points in 1st, Wiz only w 14 so far in 2nd, up 50-44. Had 18 pt lead w 9 mins left.

9:02:30 PM: Wizards keep 50-44 lead @ half. Flip can’t be happy that it took the Knicks about 8 minutes to cut their 18 point deficit to 6.

9:03:51 PM: Again, ball movement & assists killed Wiz in 2nd Q. They had 9 ast, 2 turnovers in 1st Q, 1 ast, 3 turnovers in 2nd Q.

9:19:05 PM: Antawn Jamison didn’t score in 2nd Q, 8 points total, but he pulled down 6 rebs, 4 offensive in 2nd. 13 boards total.

9:20:27 PM: Flip no likely. He calls timeout at 10:26 mark of 3rd Q after Knicks score 1st 6 points of period. Game tied at 50.

9:26:44 PM: BTW, in 1st Q, the Wizards had 14 points in paint on 7-14 FGs. In 2nd Q, they had 2 points in paint on 1-10 FGs.

9:28:45 PM: After Flip’s timeout, Wizards go on 14-3 run, pick up 5 assists, lead 64-53, 6:35 left in 3rd. Out-rebounding Knicks 38-25.

9:38:03 PM: Mike Miller is 5-7 from 3, 7-12 on FGs overall, 19 points. Wiz up 79-67, 1:35 left in 3rd. Miller tied w most FG att. this season (LA game)

9:39:25 PM: Check that, Miller just hit another 3. Now at most shots & 3s he’s attempted all year. Finally finding an offensive comfort zone. 82-67 Wiz.

9:43:18 PM: Wizards up 82-69 going into 4thQ. Best game of yr 4 Mike Miller, season highs in PTS, FGM, FGA, 3PM, 3PA. Needs 1 more AST 2 match best 4 yr

10:01:13 PM: Dunk champion Nate Robinson lays the ball in on the break. Boo Birds rain down. 99-90 Wizards, 3:11 left.

10:03:33 PM: Antawn Jamison has 22 rebounds, 11 offensive. Last time he had 20+ boards was 1/29/08 vs. Toronto. Almost 2 years to the day.

10:06:03 PM: Twan Jamison has only had more offensive rebounds than tonite (11) one time in career, 1/25/200 as Golden St. Warrior (13 off. boards)

10:11:24 PM: Wizards make snow trip worth it for fans, beat Knicks 106-96.

11:00:15 PM: Wizards set season high in total rebounds (59) & offensive rebounds (24). Jamison had career-high 23 rebounds.

11:01:02 PM: Flip said the crowd surprised him more than anything. With snow, he didn’t think anyone would be @ Verizon. But some showed, and made noise.

11:40:55 PM: Don’t tell Twan Jamison that Louis Vuitton brown LV pattern is played out, dude got belts & book-bags to match.

6:07:59 PM: New TAI post: The “Gil-ty” Arenas Jersey & Scenes from Wizards-Knicks Pre-game http://bit.ly/cpBjW0

12:25:50 AM: New TAI post: Mike Miller Finally Picks His Spot: Wizards Beat Knicks In Quotes & Notes http://bit.ly/aXTIEx

2:09:37 PM: New TAI post: Jonathan Bender’s Ghosts of Mississippi http://www.truthaboutit.net/2010/02/jonathan-benders-ghosts-of-mississippi.html

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Earl of Heroics Cuts Nets With 0.4 Seconds Left: Wizards vs. New Jersey In Frames

Kyle Weidie — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:40:41 +0000

After a horrible start, the Wizards, a rather dysfunctional team themselves, came back to beat the New Jersey Nets, the worst team in the NBA. Good for them. For the 81-79 win, Flip Saunders need the 5′5″ Earl Boykins, a mid-November pick-up, to hit a jumper with 0.4 seconds left. Jarvis Hayes, a former Washington Wizard, badly missed a shot at the buzzer for the Nets.

The secondary storyline to the Earl of Last-Second Heroics is the fact that not one of the Wizards’ starters, Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood, scored in double figures, something that hasn’t happened to an NBA team so far this season and perhaps beyond.

The starters combined to shoot 15-42 from the field and not one of them finished with a positive plus/minus (-14, -1, -7, -11 and -5 respectively in the previously given order).

Other the other hand, the reserves, Boykins, DeShawn Stevenson, Nick Young, Andray Blatche and Fabricio Oberto, were responsible for 43 of the Wizards’ 81 points. Boykins (15), Young (10) and Blatche (14) were the double-figure scorers for Washington and each reserve finished with a positive plus/minus (+17, +4, +7, +13 and +7 respectively in the previously given order).

So in a season where just about anything has happened on and off the court, Wizards fans, the ones who are left, have been exposed to yet another new adventure. At least this time their team won.

Three Observations:

1. Jamison set a helluva pick on Kenyon Dooling on the game winning shot. He sold himself as not being an option to set the pick, but then cut hard and displayed a textbook screen.

2. Boykins can get a shot off quickly, with little space between him and a defender. Amazing for his size.

Look at the screen shot below, this is the split-second before Boykins gave the 6′9″ Kris Humphries a hesitation step toward the basket, getting Humphries to drop his back foot even further.

There isn’t much room at all, but it was enough for Earl. Sixteen inches of height between the two, and Boykins gets the shot off clean … pretty cool when you think about it.

3. Mike Miller’s defense is not all that. I’m not sure if he’s still dealing with nagging injury issues, if Courtney Lee is just much too quick for him, or if Miller just isn’t a good defender, athletically. Probably a combination of the three.

Lee scored a lot of points on Miller early, 12 in the game’s first seven minutes to be exact. Lee finished the first quarter with 14 points, I chronicled the first 12 he scored against Miller:

10:18 - Miller actually played decent defense on Lee’s first shot, a fading out of bounds jumper from the left baseline. 2 points.
9:49 - Either Brook Lopez is holding like a mug, or Mike Miller can’t get around a screen. Watched several replays and still can’t tell. Courtney Lee jumper when Haywood’s help gave him space. 4 points.
9:06 – Miller goes behind the pick this time, probably not recommended. Lee makes him pay. 6 points.
8:00 – Is Mike Miller hurt or something? He looks like molasses trying to get around screens, doing more chasing than laterally moving and making himself “thin” to get past screens. Lee floater. 8 points.
7:26 – This time Miller completely turns his back on Lee in the right corner, focusing on the dribbler going baseline left to right. Lee cuts, receives the ball from Dooling, and scores. 10 points.
5:29 – Lee passes to Lopez in the post then cuts right by Miller toward the hoop. Miller didn’t see it, didn’t seal the passing lane … nothing. Lee gets the ball back from Lopez and Miller ends up fouling him. He makes both FTs. 12 points.

{Wizards vs. Nets in 8 Frames}

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The Gilbert Arenas of 2009-10: A Season of Video Interviews

Kyle Weidie — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:04:13 +0000

I’ve been writing this blog about the Washington Wizards since October 2007 and this year I’ve been able to cover the team more up close because of media credentials granted by the team’s PR department. Some may sympathetically say, ‘What a year to start covering the team.’ True, in more ways than one.

As a fan, this season has been nothing short of a tragedy. As a person, this has been one of the most sadly interesting experiences I’ve ever had … and I wouldn’t trade it for much (Well, aside from a million dollars and an NBA title to D.C.).

There’s been some light moments, some dark moments, and everything in between. And I’m just talking about Gilbert Arenas … you know, the “So goes Gil, so goes the Wizards” guy. Now that a suspension for the rest of the season has been officially handed down by David Stern, it would be a good time to dig into the archive and provide the best of Gilbert quotes, Gilbertology if you will, for the 2009-10 season.

As I compose this post, and after just listening to Gilbert Arenas’ father on the Mike Wise Show, this situation still wreaks with sadness, and probably will for quite some time. Not so much because a huge, unfortunate joke has been played on Wizards fans, but because I still don’t get the feeling that Arenas understands the remorse aspect of this case.

Gilbert Arenas, Sr. comes across as a well-spoken, well-reasoned man, but also defends his offspring with a large touch of bias. For one, and yes, Gilbert is his child, but Gil Senior refers to his son as a “kid” in a way that almost excuses the fact that Gil Junior is a 28-year old man.

On the Mike Wise Show, the Senior Arenas played down the gravity of the situation while playing up the “it was just a joke” part. He also helped point the finger at the media that was responsible for painting his Junior as a “thug.” Yes, much of the media coverage surrounding Arenas has been unfair … but hey, that’s the nature of the beast. Not to excuse the media (mostly Peter Vescey), but it happens to most every public figure who does something wrong. The way to nip that in the bud is to not do anything wrong in the first place.

But what makes a large part of this whole ordeal so sad, or so frustrating, is the fact that Arenas has lied and continues to lie. Gilbert’s father has unfortunately turned a blind eye to this … for which, I can’t completely blame him. I am not a parent, but I’m old enough to understand that sometimes, in the eyes of a parent, a child can do no wrong. I’ve been that child, doing wrong, but yet defended by a loving parent. It is what it is … as Mike Miller would say.

It sounded fishy when Gilbert Arenas, Jr. initially said that he brought guns to the locker room because he wanted them out of his home and away from his children, citing a newborn that arrived on December 9, 2009. He already had two kids, a daughter born in December 2005 and a son born in March 2007. Why not get guns out the house for them?

Court documents deriving from Gilbert Junior’s testimony would reveal that he brought at least one gun, if not all four, after the airplane gambling dispute between himself and Javaris Crittenton. That’s a lie folks.

And Gilbert Arenas, Jr. is still lying. Just yesterday, word surfaced from Arenas (via Comcast’s Chris Miller) that he was the one who suggested a season-long suspension to Stern and that the commissioner was so “shocked” by this offer that he accepted it right away. Not so fast. Stern has denied the idea that Gilbert “requested” his punishment. Sounds like Arenas is, again, doing anything to make himself look better.

Stop lying. Stop pointing fingers. Grow up and take responsibility like a man.

Without further ado, I present …

‘The Gilbert Arenas of 2009-10: A Season of Interviews’:

Disclaimer: These quotes are only from home appearances, and please excuse the amateur video (it’s a hand-held Flip Camera) along with any time the video doesn’t exactly match the sound. My bad. Otherwise, enjoy the nine minutes and twenty-eight seconds of fun.

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Chris Webber’s Harsh Words For Caron Butler & Antawn Jamison

Kyle Weidie — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:11:30 +0000

Chris Webber had a fair share troubles here in D.C., among other places. He once was caught with marijuana and pepper-sprayed by a cop for refusing to get out of his car on his way to practice as a Washington Wizard. Both his high school and college have removed memories he helped make from their record books because he took money from a Michigan booster as an eighth grader and beyond. Webber and Allen Iverson, although injured and not expected to play, didn’t even show up to Fan Appreciation Night on the Philadelphia 76ers’ last game of the 2005-06 season. He was once a spokesperson for FILA. He will be forever associated with the “Timeout.” He used to date that crazy lady Tyra Banks. All bad things. Well, perhaps not the bedding of Tyra Banks part. Webber was once featured on a large mural in D.C.’s Chinatown that stayed long past its welcome.

But now he is a television studio analyst, and a pretty good one if you ask me. When you’ve got personality, your sketchy past can be dimmed. Just look at Marv Albert, he got caught biting chicks, participated in two-guy, one-girl three-ways, and forced a woman to perform oral sex on him as if he were a white Ruben Patterson.

In any case, when I heard Tuesday night’s Wizards-Lakers game was elected to show on NBA TV’s “Fan Night,” I prepared myself for how the team would be trashed by Webber and co-analyst Kevin McHale (who probably wouldn’t be too harsh since he’s boys with Flip Saunders).

Webber pulled no punches, starting with calling Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison selfish.

From NBA TV’s Fan Night notes:

Webber on the Wizards’ frontcourt of Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison: “I saw a disturbing number especially with Flip (Saunders’) system. If you play for Flip, he is going to give you easy shots and easy buckets. The number is 144 assists to 207 turnovers between these three. These guys are good players and good teammates but if we are really honest about it we can take Brendan Haywood out, because he really doesn’t have post moves. Between Caron Butler and Antwan Jamison somebody has to pass the ball, somebody has to be the facilitator. You can not be selfish, selfish leads to bad defense, selfish leads to bad offense, and selfish leads to alienating teammates. The fact that they have this many more turnovers than assists, shows me that nobody is getting anyone involved and no one cares about anyone else’s game but their own.”

And more commentary …

McHale on the Wizards’ struggles this season: “When you watch them play, they don’t make the extra pass quick enough. They take the dribble or just hold the ball. Their spacing isn’t good either. You shouldn’t hold on to the ball. Make a crisp pass early and make your teammates better. (The Wizards) don’t make their teammates better.”

McHale on the up and down year for Washington head coach Flip Saunders: “That is a very un-Flip like statistic. Flip’s team usually moves the ball and has a nice solid assist total but very low turnover totals. I know that has got to be driving him crazy. I have talked to some of the guys in Washington and they really are struggling right now, they are trying to find an identity. The year has been so disjointed for them. Gilbert wasn’t really Gilbert in November he was searching for himself, trying to figure out what was going on, a bunch of new players were getting adjusted to Flip’s system and then the gun situation happened.”

Webber on the impact of the Gilbert Arenas / Javaris Crittenton situation on the Wizards’ franchise: “I think it is going to have a very big impact. Just to be honest, (Wizards head coach) Flip (Saunders) wasn’t given a great team anyway. I disagreed with the re-signing of Gilbert Arenas. This team is not built for the NBA. What is their identity? Do they have scorers? Do they have shooters? Do they pass it? It hasn’t been allowed to let Flip put his imprint on it because of all the different changes. For me, if I were a Washington fan, I would almost want to rebuild and start with younger players that I could rally behind and watch them grow up. That could be a solution.”

McHale: “If you are (Wizards general manager) Ernie Grunfeld sitting in Washington right now, you have to look at everything. If Arenas’ contract is voided, which is a possibility because he did plead guilty to a felony, and they make a trade like Antwan Jamison, they could get well below the cap next year and start over. I would say right now that I agree with Chris. What is their identity? Where are they going?”

NBC news correspondent Luke Russert, son of Tim Russert, joined Fan Night live in studio for the pregame show …

Russert on being a Wizards fan this year: “We came into the season with really high expectations. I was fired up about the Mike Miller/Randy Foye trade and we opened the season at Dallas with a resounding victory. I thought the ship was right; Gilbert looked okay and then everything imploded. I could have handled having a bad season on the court. Obviously the issues off the court made a lot of guys question what the nucleus of this team was about. I do have faith in (Wizards general manager) Ernie Grunfeld I think he can right the ship here. I just have my fingers crossed for the John Wall lottery. If Amar’e (Stoudemire) wants to come, I have a nice package for him.”

Russert on what he would like to see as a fan happen for the Wizards: “We season ticket holders here in Washington have constantly had a lot of change. You (Chris) were supposed to be the franchise player for 15 years but they got rid of you for Mitch Richmond, which I’m still upset about. What I would like to see is someway to keep Caron Butler because he really is a leader. He brings that intensity to the floor every single night that I think a lot of people can feed off of that. I like Andray Blatche; I think if he has a few more years of maturing, he will get there. I’m not completely sold on Nick Young yet but I think he has the skills and talent. I like Dominic McGuire, if he would put on a few more pounds and learn how to play the post. If they could keep a nucleus on some of those guys then I’m okay with the rest of the team being traded away. I don’t know about starting all anew though. We had a good decade going and it is just a shame to see it all come down like this.”

{Yucks …}

NBA TV’s Kevin McHale and C-Webb tease EJ for the fans’ pick for “Fan Night” 1.26.10 from Turner Sports on Vimeo.

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The Lake Show Sets The Example: Wizards Post-Game Locker Room Portraits & Quotes

Kyle Weidie — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:09:14 +0000

It was one of those “it is what it is” games. The Wizards gave effort and got beat by a very good team, falling 115-103 to the champion Lakers. Flip Saunders told his players that if they would have played with the same effort against the Heat and the Clippers, they would probably be looking at four wins during the now complete season long six-game homestand instead of two.

The second quarter was where the match was lost. Los Angeles put up 30 points, the Wizards put up 15. Otherwise Washington outscored L.A. by three. In the second, and for pretty much the entire game, the Lakers resembled the time-tested analogy of a well-oiled machine. Even though they were 1-7 from three in the period, they shot 56% on 14 made field-goals, got three steals, two courtesy of Shannon Brown, and shot 9-11 in the paint.

Meanwhile the Wizards turned the ball over seven times leading to nine Lakers points and only got one assist. They also gave L.A. six second-chance points in the second. Instead of a well-oiled machine, the Wizards played like they ate butter drenched popcorn for a pregame meal. Unforced turnovers served as the calling card of the hapless.

Wizards 2nd Q Lineups

>> time on court together, points scored-points given up (turnovers in parenthesis)

Boykins, Stevenson, Butler, Jamison, Blatche
>> 0:45, 0-2
Boykins, Stevenson, Miller, Jamison (1 – bad pass, Brown steal), Blatche
>> 3:19, 8-10
Foye, Stevenson (1 – lost ball, Brown steal), Miller, Blatche, Haywood
>> 0:46, 0-2
Foye, Butler, Miller, Blatche (1 – traveling), Haywood
>> 2:13, 0-2
Foye, Butler, Miller (1 – bad pass, Fisher steal), Jamison, Haywood
>> 4:02, 4-7 (1 – shot clock turnover)
vs. Fisher, Vujacic, Bryant, Gasol, Bynum
James (1 – bad dribble), McGuire, Miller, Jamison, Haywood (1 – offensive foul)
>> 1:53, 3-7
*Blatche checked in for Haywood with 2.5 seconds left, Kobe Bryant missed a shot at the buzzer.

It’s great the Wizards showed some heart and hustle against the Lakers, be proud of such moral victories if you would like. Me? I’ll just shrug my shoulders because no one knows what Wizards team we will see next (although a 14-30 record is a fair indicator). They could very well go up to New Jersey on Friday and give the Nets their fourth win of the season (or fifth, NJ plays the Clippers at home on Wednesday).

Washington is a bag full of potentially harmful pills with a couple good ones tossed in for kicks. Go ahead, grab one.

{post-game locker room portraits}

Brendan Haywood

On getting out-scored 30-15 in the 2nd quarter while out-scoring the Lakers by three for the rest of the game:

“I think we just basically had a couple random possessions where we didn’t get the shots that we probably needed to get. That led to some transition buckets, that led to some run-outs, them getting fouled in the open court.

Against a team like [the Lakers] that’s all it takes is a quick three, four, five minutes where you’re not playing your best, they take advantage of that and they basically close the game off that 15 point cushion.”

Randy Foye

On the contributions of Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmer in the second quarter:

“Just energy, just up tempo. They didn’t just do it today, they do it every game. Every game I watch, when those guys come in, it changes.

Usually it’s get it to Kobe on the elbow. But when those guys come in, it’s more up-tempo, shooting threes, slashing to the basket and things like that.”

Caron Butler

On what Kobe said to him after the game:

“He just told me to continue working on my craft, always stay positive, and be a great leader. To always come in here and lighten up the mood. We went through a down season out there in LA, that year that I was out there with him. It was tough and it wasn’t good for no one. We didn’t want to get accustomed to that. And obviously we don’t want to get accustomed to that here as well. So, it’s a tough season, just remain positive and try to weather all of this.”

Antawn Jamison

“We’ve been through some crazy stuff that never normally happens, but as far as the injuries and guys missing games, that’s just part of a regular NBA season so there’s no excuse at all.”

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Wizards Game 44 vs. LA Lakers Live Twitter Blog

Kyle Weidie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:42:15 +0000

6:41:17 PM: Saw a Lakers fan in Kobe jersey exit liquor store w small brown package on my way to the Verizon Ctr. Yep, this might get ugly tonight.

6:41:39 PM: RT @MrMichaelLee Antawn Jamison has a right foot sprain, but he expects to play 2night. Earl Boykins is doubtful with a left heel injury

6:43:15 PM: With Boykins doubtful, @mikejames7 will likely get some run. He said b/f game that he’ll be ready this time, Flip won’t catch him sleeping.

6:44:22 PM: RT @MrMichaelLee Flip on Kobe’s ability 2 score w broken finger: “If ur a shooter, u can have a broken arm & ur still going 2 get shots up.”

6:45:22 PM: A colleague said Kornheiser & @MikeWiseguy were both in Lakers locker room b/f game. No words were exchanged. Wilbon around too.

6:48:53 PM: RT @MrMichaelLee Is it a coincidence that Wizards are playing their 44th game the day after the Lakers visited with 44th President?

6:53:41 PM: This pro-Lakers crowd in DC brings me back to the 90s when Jordan, Bird or Magic came to town & other fans took over the Cap Centre.

6:55:26 PM: RT @MrMichaelLee Surprise, surprise. Mike Miller is starting 2night in place of DeShawn Stevenson.

6:56:53 PM: RT @WashWizards Starters: Foye, Miller, Butler, Jamison & Haywood for the Wiz. Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Gasol & Bynum for the Lakers

7:07:16 PM: I will never understand the mentality of bandwagon fans. 1 day, over half these people will talk about how they “used” 2 root 4 the Lakers.

7:12:02 PM: And we are a couple seconds from tip-off between the Wizards and the Lakers ….

7:13:30 PM: I may watch this game listening to my ipod … anything to drown these front-runners out. #whenfansarechumps

7:13:38 PM: Video: NBC 4’s Lindsay Czarniak takes Earl Boykins to DC restaurant Zaytinya, Earl likes burgers. http://tumblr.com/xpo5vf9ug

7:19:30 PM: RT @docfunk It took 3 minutes to mention Kwame Brown during the Lakers/Wizards game. 4 minutes longer than I expected.

7:21:24 PM: With 7 seconds on shot clock, Caron Butler passed to Mike Miller, cut, received ball back & then hit Haywood w assist under hoop. #rare

7:26:04 PM: With that last driving, aggressive layup, Mike Miller hits 9,000 points for his NBA career. 22-16 Wizards, 4:00 left in 1st.

7:31:32 PM: Doesn’t look good for Mike James, Earl Boykins just checked in, joins Stevenson, Butler, Jamison & Haywood. 24-21 Wizards, 2:28 left in 1st

7:37:05 PM: After 1Q, in 1st Wizards’ road game I’ve covered this year here @ Staples Ctr in DC’s Chinatown, Lakers lead 30-29. Wiz have 7 ast, 0 tos

7:48:12 PM: RT @MrMichaelLee Huh? Dionne Warrick is here? She probably knows who is going to win. Then again, don’t we all?

7:50:11 PM: When Seven Day Dray tried 2 B Man Law Blatche he ended up becoming Crab Dribble Andray. Traveling turnover. 46-37 Lakers, 6:23 left in 2nd.

7:55:17 PM: Mike Miller loves 2 jump 2 pass almost more than any other Wizard, turnover leads 2 Lakers break dunk. Flip has been talking 2 him about it.

8:02:11 PM: 1:55 left in 2nd, 55-41 Lakers, @MikeJames7 has been #FreeMikeJames on the court.

8:09:05 PM: That’s a half folks, Lakers up 60-44. LA playing like well-oiled machine, Wizards playing like oil on hands.

8:18:57 PM: #moralvictories Flip Saunders took his first timeout at the 5:16 mark of the 1st quarter, he waited much longer than usual.

8:20:27 PM: In the 2nd Q, WAS totaled just 1 assist to 7 turnovers, which led to 9 Laker points. 7 assists, 2 turnovers leading to 0 points in 1st Q.

8:21:37 PM: Bench Points: LAL: 21, WAS: 8. Lakers are 6-8 on FTs, Wizards are just 1-3.

8:24:06 PM: Second half just under way, Wizards ball, down 60-44 …

8:32:01 PM: It’s funny, the ball movement of the Lakers is almost contagious to the Wizards, but w much more talent & shot making ability. LAL up 69-56

8:36:37 PM: Another jump 2 pass, this time by Randy Foye. Wiz turnover leads to Gasol dunk, 79-64 Lakers. They must teach jumping 2 pass in Minnesota.

8:49:14 PM: Just noticed, Nick Young isn’t even on the bench for the Wizards … while his high school rival, Jordan Farmar, is playing 4 World Champs.

8:52:52 PM: Lakers up 87-72 after 3 Qs. Nick Young IS inactive, but still curious about him not even being on bench.

8:57:52 PM: DeShawn Stevenson has hit a couple 3s tonight, but no “Can’t Feel My Face” move. Blatche & Gasol are getting physical. 91-81 Lakers.

9:16:17 PM: Lakers up 112-97 w 2:14 left. Wonder how long theyll keep their starters in 2 dunk, make very pro-LA crowd happy.

9:20:06 PM: JaVale McGee, the human loss cigar checks in, looked “thrilled” on his way to scorer’s table. Checks in w 30 secs. left, Wiz down 15.

9:22:34 PM: Zip it up & zip it out, Wizards lose to Lakers 115-103.

10:58:27 PM: Flip Saunders: “One of the most amazing things was [Lakers] shot close to 60%, we out-rebounded them by 9.”

10:59:35 PM: Re: Lakers 30-15 2nd Q, Flip Saunders said Wizards didn’t “compete around the basket” & credited pressure of Shannon Brown & Jordan Farmar.

11:00:44 PM: Flip Saunders: “[The Lakers] don’t panic in situations, I’m sure they thought they were playing at home as loud as it was at times.”

11:02:52 PM: Flip on starting Mike Miller: “Cause we we’ve been getting off 2 bad starts, have another ball-handler on floor 2 take pressure off Randy.”

11:04:15 PM: Flip Saunders: “If we would’ve played as hard in the last few of our games as we did tonight, we would have had a good home stand.”

2:09:16 AM: New TAI post: The Lake Show Sets The Example: Wizards Post-Game Locker Room Portraits & Quotes http://bit.ly/9BhSUE

12:11:31 PM: New TAI post: Chris Webber’s Harsh Words For Caron Butler & Antawn Jamison http://bit.ly/9rYW74

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When Mike James Played In Kobe’s 81 Point Game

Kyle Weidie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:08:27 +0000

So Mike James has been written about a couple times lately. And with everything else that’s going on, it’s nice to talk about non-legal, non-14-29 record, basketball-related items. But first, here’s a run-down of everything that’s going on (can’t help myself) …

Such as Javaris Crittenton finally appearing in court, pleading to a misdemeanor gun possession, and being sentenced to one-year probation and a $1,250 fine all in about half-a-day. Oh, and since Gilbert Arenas has owned “hundreds” of guns, we found out about him making fun of Crittenton’s gun because it was little. Good one.

What else? Well, Crittenton’s day in court only created more contradictions, brought to you by Dan Steinberg, and not clarity. My favorite one … the idea the Crittenton dealt with fearing for his life with an unloaded gun. Can we all agree that Javaris got rid of the bullets before turning in the gun? Ok, I’m making an assumption, but that seems like where the smart money is.

And not to forget … the NY Post’s Petey Vescey has come out with a piece today that makes him the undisputed number one challenger to Tony Kornheiser for King of the Pricks. I won’t link to Vescey’s piece, but again, the magnanimous Dan Steinberg tucks Vescey’s tired act into bed with a nice warm glass of …

So [Vescey] got the date of the confrontation wrong, the fact that they drew weapons on each other wrong, the entire tenor of the episode wrong, while bringing up a complete red herring about gambling on league games. He, more than anyone else, was responsible for this entire incident being framed as a Wild West shootout rather than the ridiculous bit of immaturity that it was. And now he finds his great love for the truth has been sullied by Mike Wise. Swell.

Oh yea, Kobe Bryant and the NBA World Champion Lakers are in town tonight. Speaking of that Kobe guy … look up the box score of his 81 point game against the Toronto Raptors, which occurred just four years and four days ago today. Wonder if Kobe will drop 44 tonight.

In that box score, you’ll find none other than the Wizards’ own Mike James as leading scorer for the visiting Raptors. That night, he pocketed 26 points and dropped 10 dimes.

A while back, I asked Mike about his memories of the game, here goes …

JAMES: “Yea, I was disappointed. We didn’t double-team. We let him do whatever he wanted and he hit every shot.”

ME: Was there ever like …

“I don’t want to talk about that.

I’m going to Tweet about that one, ‘This S.O.B. asked me about …’

I ain’t even going to … I hate talking about that. Don’t you know that’s like a soft spot for me man? Because no body else on my damn team …”

[Mike said all of this while smiling and obviously wanted to speak about the game some more.]

Did you implore anyone to be an enforcer, foul Kobe?

“Yea, but I think at that time, the coach (Sam Mitchell) was more in shock. He was so much into the game and couldn’t believe what he was seeing with his own eyes that he almost forgot about coaching.”

It was a close game (Toronto went up 71-53 with 9:22 left in the third quarter) … Kobe needed to score for his team to compete.

“He was definitely hitting shots that you’re not supposed to be able to hit. He was doing things and … I remember him taking two steps over half-court and shooting, and it’s bottoms.

When the hole is that big, there is only one thing to do and that’s foul, keep fouling, foul some more, and triple team. But we didn’t do that. We felt like at the time we could individually stop him and obviously that didn’t work. And he goes down in history.”

And you’re part of the history …

“And I’m part of the history … yea, thanks.”

{video: the game}

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Reassurance Arises From Mounting Frustration: Clippers Set Wizards Out To Sea

Kyle Weidie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:00:28 +0000

In the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, the Washington Wizards tallied just 10 points on 3-16 shooting. They turned the ball over six times, allowed six offensive rebounds and only managed two assists, which is pretty good in respect to three made field-goals. The Wizards lost to LA 92-78, their 29th defeat in 43 games.

It would be simple to cite constant themes of lacking energy and settling for jumpers and conclude that this team has quit on their coach, themselves, the franchise, and the fans. But these issues have plagued them since the beginning of the season. So, and pardon me if I’ve said this before, you technically can’t quit if you never start playing.

Early season issues arose from the players’ unfamiliarity with a new offensive system. That quickly beget reoccurring situations where they should have known the system, but didn’t trust it. The most recently evolution involves one of the team’s captains ignoring the coach and running his own play with the game on the line.

What’s next? Will Flip Saunders start sending ‘read between the lines’ messages about not having adequate personnel for his system? The scenario seems unlikely, but at this point just about anything can happen. The coach, in just his first season with the franchise, has made his mounting frustration more visible as of late. Drastic change could be right around the corner, and not much can be done when a team is playing poisoned. In the meantime, abruptly ending pre- and post-game press conferences and slamming doors to the coaching quarters might have to suffice as a release valve for Saunders.

Rashad Mobley has a good piece about Flip’s mounting frustration on Hoops Addict.

And here we’ve come to the intersection of patience and common sense. I wouldn’t call the locker room wrought with cancer, but there are a couple benign tumors hanging around. One almost hopes Ernie Grunfeld cleans house as soon as possible, rip the band-aid off quickly for the sake for the players, the fans, and Flip Saunders. Then again, the decision makers should be patient, seek maximized value in return. That value could be cap room, could be a player, could be future draft picks, could be any combination of the three.

Grunfeld must be careful about who he keeps and who he moves. As Mike Prada mentioned on Bullets Forever, the building blocks are not strong, but there is a way to maneuver this team to be somewhat competitive while still remaining flexible for the future. It would be foolhardy to completely blow it up and start from scratch. Grunfeld may have made some questionable decisions, but has not proven himself to be a fool.

But until moves are made and as losses mount, everyone will be on pins and needles, from those on the court to those in the front office whose careers might be in peril because of an ownership transition. A change that could mean the end of those with complacent tenure who attained their positions because of loyalty to a former regime.

The losses to Miami and Los Angeles were two of the worst showings in a season filled with poor effort being a consistency not a rarity. Change can’t come soon enough. But the constantly moving parts on the court and off, such as today’s development with Javaris Crittenton’s gun charge, make it a deliberate process. The fact that David Stern is supposed to decide Gilbert Arenas’ NBA fate this week will help.

If one thing arises from the festering frustration surrounding the hornet’s nest that is the Washington franchise is the reassurance that not only is rebuilding the right thing to do, but it almost becomes something to look forward to. Imagine that. Hoping to be in a situation like the Sacramento Kings with a pair of young, exciting guards.

Wizards fans are reduced to the hope they can create in their imaginations, like John Wall being Washington, DC’s ‘Chosen One’. As unrealistic as those dreams may be, they are still probably more reliable and much more entertaining than what’s on the court.

{post-game wizards and clippers: the remix}

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When Mike Confused Mike With Mike: A Surprise Appearance By Mike James

Kyle Weidie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:10:06 +0000

Lo and behold, the very next game after the frustrations of Mike James were written about by myself and Mike Prada of Bullets Forever, the veteran guard’s name was called to play on Sunday against the LA Clippers. But don’t think it was because people have been calling for Flip Saunders to #FreeMikeJames. After the game, the coach indicated that part of the reason James saw action was because Earl Boykins had an issue with his heel.

Summoned to play for the first time in 80 days, James checked in with 2:33 left in the second quarter and immediately hit a runner off the glass. He also held his own against Baron Davis with effort on defense, but did make a silly, costly turnover on the Wizards’ last possession of the first half.

In the second half, James played just under 17 minutes and scored nine points, dropping two assists to two turnovers. He ended up taking the third most shots among all Wizards, attempting 11 and making four, in 19 total minutes of action. It was James, and not Randy Foye, who received the main minutes down the stretch in the fourth quarter. He and Mike Miller both led the team with +3, the only two Wizards with a positive plus/minus rating.

In his press conference, Saunders threw some credit in James’ direction. “He didn’t always play effective, he made some mistakes, but he played hard and played with energy. If you do that consistently as a team, you’ll find a way to get your way back.”

So, good for Mike, as he’s certainly become a favorite of the media and those on Twitter (such as @wzzntzz) alike. Maybe he can earn more playing time in the future, play up his trade value (in addition to his expiring contract status), and the relationship between him and the Wizards can end in a way that will work out best for everyone.

Now, it’s fitting to finish with a video of Mike reacting to the sudden post-game attention given to him by the throngs of media, how he was surprised, almost confused, when Flip called his name, and how his teammates had to alert him to go to the scorer’s table.

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Wizards Game 43 vs. LA Clippers Live Twitter Blog: Easy Like Sunday Morning

Kyle Weidie — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:13:56 +0000

12:14:41 PM: Dragging a tad on this Sunday, but I’m here at the Verizon Center ready to cover the Wizards-Clippers game.

12:16:54 PM: Happy 2 B here, but get feeling around Verizon that not everyone is exactly thrilled @ another Sunday afternoon game, against the Clippers.

12:19:21 PM: Mike James held court in locker room again today, talked about John Lucas, who is an assist. coach w the Clips & works out James in HOU

12:20:47 PM: James said Lucas is unlike any other NBA coach b/c players gravitate 2 him, opposed 2 others players usually want 2 keep distance from

12:23:29 PM: Before the game, Flip said the Clippers are a “dangerous” team b/c of bigs like Kaman & Camby rebounding & b/c Baron Davis can run the show.

12:26:13 PM: Flip Saunders said the focus in yesterday’s practice was aggressiveness, especially b/c of how Miami attacked.

12:27:47 PM: RT @rashad20 I spoke w Clippers guard Jameson Curry about getting called up from the D league. He’s nervous, but “ready to shock DC”

12:28:40 PM: Will @mikejames7 be #FreeMikeJames today? He is active as Javaris Crittenton & Dominic McGuire are the inactives for the Wizards.

12:29:33 PM: Starters 4 Wizards: Foye, Stevenson, Butler, Jamison & Haywood. For Clippers: Baron Davis, Rasual Butler, Al Thornton, Camby & Kaman.

12:30:16 PM: Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon & Bassy Telfair are inactive for LA. Officials: #22 Bill Spooner, #30 Tony Brown & #73 Ed Malloy.

12:32:31 PM: Flip was asked if he found any positives from Fri nite vs Miami. He deadpanned, “No” When asked what about Andray, Flip said “No positives”

12:33:01 PM: Flip said, “When you get beat by 25, there are no positives,” and then abruptly ended his pre-game talk with the media.

12:34:37 PM: RT @BulletsForever If ur wondering Y Flip calls so many TOs, he said its b/c he let team play thru mistakes earlier in year, but didn’t work

12:37:15 PM: When asked about Miami laughing, dunking, rubbing it in, etc. on Fri. nite, Mike James said, ‘If you don’t like it, do something about it.”

12:38:38 PM: Mike James also alluded to the fact that if the Wizards had a better record, the Gilbert Arenas guns story might have never come out.

12:40:45 PM: Antawn Jamison wants to be an All-Star http://bit.ly/6RUaPy via @MrMichaelLee, but I wouldn’t count on it.

12:41:54 PM: Mike Miller is 15 points away from 9,000 for his career. Andray Blatche is 42 away from 2,000. Over/Under on games to 2K for Dray is set @ 4

12:42:56 PM: Wizards talk about the NFL playoffs http://bit.ly/7Hrait via @MrMichaelLee

1:00:16 PM: Jamison has posted 4 straight double-doubles vs. the Clippers (avgs. of 29.3 pts & 11.3 rebs). Dude really needs a bounce-back game today.

1:09:48 PM: Alright, just about game time here in D.C., really curious to see how this Wizards team bounces back from Friday night.

1:10:28 PM: Made light chit-chat w Steve Buckhantz in the men’s room b/f the game. He said if the Wiz don’t bounce back today, it will be “quite sad.”

1:18:08 PM: Clippers go on a run, Flip takes an early timeout at the 8:35 mark. 11-7 LA. This team panics when 1 thing doesn’t go right on offense.

1:23:10 PM: Right now, DeShawn Stevenson leads the Wiz in points (5) w 6 minutes left in the 1st Q. How many times has that happened? 15-13 Clippers.

1:24:23 PM: RT @MrMichaelLee The energy in Verizon Center this afternoon makes me want to curl up in a Snuggie and take a nap.

1:35:55 PM: Once again, an opponent is moving the ball better than the Wizards. Clippers have 11 assists on 13 FGs, Wiz have 4 assists on 12 FGs.

1:37:05 PM: Clippers up 30-26 after 1 Q. Caron Butler has, per usual, forced some shots. He’s 1-6 on FGs. Haywood has 6 rebounds, 4 offensive.

1:46:26 PM: RT @MrMichaelLee Foul on Oberto! He ranks 11th in mins played (306) but 8th in personal fouls (57). He knows what he is paid to do – hack!

1:48:00 PM: Wiz mascot G-Wiz went from having #0 on his jersey, to just a star, no number after Arenas wipeout, & now has double-zero on jersey.

1:51:11 PM: Nick Young airballed a three. Shot looked bad from when he received the ball. This has likely rendered him useless 4 rest of game. 43-34 LA

2:01:46 PM: Uh oh! @mikejames7 summoned off bench!!!

2:03:13 PM: DeShawn Stevenson stands up off bench & cheers after @mikejames7 nails the floater off the glass. Sweetness. 48-42 Clippers.

2:08:34 PM: Clippers up 48-46 @ half. Although he got himself caught into a turnover @ end 2nd, @mikejames7 is smiling all the way 2 locker room.

2:10:24 PM: Wizards plus/minus leaders: Mike James +6, Mike Miller +3, Haywood +3. WAS winning rebound battle, up 24-19 (10 offensive to 4)

2:24:57 PM: RT @MrMichaelLee Just heard that Mike James was not paying attention when Flip asked him 2 enter game. Teammates had to tell him.

2:31:48 PM: The Wizards have taken nothing but jumpers in the 3rd, only made one. Haven’t scored since 11:29 mark. 57-49 Clippers. Enter @mikejames7

2:34:03 PM: @blairangela @BulletsForever @DCWIZ @SaleemTheDream Plus, Brendan is much better rebounder when he doesn’t have dreadlocks caught in fingers

2:42:47 PM: @mikejames7 with a lob layup to Mike Miller @m33m on the break! Wiz cut the Clippers lead to 66-60, 3:08 left in 3rd. Wiz on 9-0 run.

2:53:54 PM: Clippers up 71-68 after 3 Qs. It’s Kids Day here in Verizon, only fitting that Wizard who was once on SuperNanny gets run. @mikejames7

2:58:15 PM: The Wizards really know how to bumble up fast break opportunities. They should have more than 3 FB points on the day. Clips have 13.

3:09:49 PM: Jamison down, holding his ankle. Kaman landed on him after AJ got the rebound. He’s up and walking on it, so looks okay for now.

3:12:25 PM: Wizards down 83-73 with 5:04 left in 4th. Not sure if they have it in them to make that push, but @mikejames7 IS back in. Foye back 2 bench

3:23:33 PM: Your Dagger: Ricky Davis corner three followed by Davis assist to Al Thornton for another corner bucket to put LA up 88-78 w 1:31 left.

3:24:05 PM: Chances that Jamison uses ‘Groundhog Day’ reference after game: 42%.

3:24:45 PM: Your Final Score: Clippers 92 – Wizards 78. John Lucas & Mike James show each other some love on the court after the game.

4:08:19 PM: Flip Saunders cut post-game press conference short, walked into Wizards clubhouse, slammed door to his office.

4:11:43 PM: The Wizards continue 2 settle for jumpers & play without energy – signs this team has Q-U-I-T. What a disgrace.

4:12:28 PM: Multiple trades can’t come soon enough for the hapless Washington Wizards.

4:14:25 PM: Flip Saunders called the energy at beginning of each half of last 2 games “horrendous”

4:16:27 PM: Flip Saunders: “Our starters haven’t given consistent effort to start games.” #wizards

4:19:52 PM: Flip Saunders: “Our bench has talked abt wanting 2 play … they’ve had opportunities, but they continue to not produce.” #wizards

2:10:07 AM: New TAI post: When Mike Confused Mike With Mike: A Surprise Appearance By Mike James http://bit.ly/7DJjV3

New TAI post: Reassurance Arises From Mounting Frustration: Clippers Set Wizards Out To Sea http://bit.ly/8nr9GL

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A Locker Room Without Harmony: Wizards Embarrassed By Heat 112-88

Kyle Weidie — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:06:08 +0000

As you can imagine, it’s not fun to be in the locker room after a losing effort, especially after the poor showing the Wizards gave to their home crowd on Friday night. But if you like watching people and their mannerisms as I do, being in a room full of divided millionaires is great fodder for the brain, but not so much for Wizards fans.

Enough of the train-wreck analogies and how their imagery seems too painful on the eyes, yet unavoidable to watch. No, these 2009-10 Washington Wizards are like a ship going down in deep waters. The vessel is sinking fast and everyone wants to bail.

I’m not going to claim the post-game emotion was more distraught after the 112-88 loss to Miami than it has been for any of the other 28 losses this season, but it certainly was one of the most interesting, at least in terms of home games since I’m not a traveling blogger.

The post-game scene made it clear that Caron Butler going rogue on Flip Saunders was just a microcosm of an entire team trying to read the same old, tattered book, but with everyone turned to different pages.

I don’t want to portray that players are at odds with each other or that others have stopped listening to Coach Saunders. That is not what I witnessed, although I can’t speak for what goes on behind closed doors and in the minds of individuals.

The Wizards are simply not playing together. And it’s not going out on a limb to say that against the Heat, they lacked energy, heart and pride. Miami smelled blood like a jubilant young predator going for its first kill. Coming off a dreadful 104-65 loss in Charlotte on Wednesday, Dwyane Wade and company came to Washington hungry.

The Heat laughed and dunked their way to a blowout victory while throwing unnecessary behind-the-back passes and talking smack. Jermaine O’Neal even made an effort to say something in Flip Saunders’ face during one of his several trash-talking passes by the Wizards’ bench. Miami left their starters in long after Flip took his main guys out. They wanted to make a point that if the Wizards didn’t have their tails tucked between their legs already, they were damn sure going to head to the locker room that way.

After the game, Saunders said his team had “no juice,” and that they even lacked energy going into the first basketball activities of the day.

“I was concerned a little bit out of our shoot-around that we had [Friday] morning,” said the coach.” I don’t know if it was the loss to Dallas that just took it out or everything caught up to us, but we didn’t seem to have life no matter who we put in. We didn’t have mental quickness.”

A team captain didn’t quite concur with the coach. When asked about energy, Antawn Jamison said, “I don’t even think it was that, they came out aggressive, knocked us in the mouth, and we just stood there and took it.” Jamison gave praise to the Heat for their efforts, as he probably should have. Miami served as a fine example of a team that followed the instruction of their coach.

When asked about energy and focus during that morning’s shoot-around, Jamison said, “I don’t think we’re losing focus. We’re 14-27, how do you lose focus?” But the Wizards’ record doesn’t exactly support the “not losing focus” argument.

The forward also scoffed at the notion of lacking energy in shoot-around, saying that it was short and guys were into it. He instead opted to cite the aggression of the Heat as the reason for the game’s outcome.

On the other side of the locker room, Brendan Haywood insinuatingly smiled and facetiously told the awaiting media, “You guys want to talk to me? I didn’t even play.”

Haywood went on to speak like a company man, willing to comply for a new contract. When asked what went wrong, he responded, “Everything,” and then first called out his team’s propensity to settle for jump shots. And of course, on his 18 minutes of action, Haywood said, “I don’t comment on my minutes, that’s the head coach’s decision.”

What about Flip’s observation of pre-game energy? “I have no idea. Didn’t see it, but hey … I don’t know,” said the center.

Saunders did single out three players for their efforts, Fabricio Oberto for his defense in pick-and-roll situations, Earl Boykins for his energy, and last, but often least, Andray Blatche.

Seven Day Dray pulled down 19 points, 11 rebounds (six offensive), dropped three dimes and had no qualms about basking in his one day of hustle. Andray almost poetically spoke of the Wizards needing more heart and how he was personally “touched” because Miami was laughing, lobbing, hi-five-ing and dunking.

The youngster was embarrassed, saying “I felt I was the one that should of did something about it. I tried my hardest to do something about it, but it wasn’t enough.” With Blatche’s convenient excuse about his single-serving of personal motivation, one could only hope he plays every game like the other team is laughing at him.

Meanwhile, Randy Foye is perhaps becoming the most earnest guy in the locker room. He said Saunders stressed how Miami was going to come out in Thursday’s practice and again at Friday morning’s shoot-around, but said that the team just didn’t “bring it.”

Speaking of the Wizards’ offensive flaws, Foye hit the nail on the head, “With this system, when guys are open you gotta take shots. I think sometimes guys try to do, or feel, ‘This is not my shot, I’m not going to take it,’ but when you’re open, you gotta take it. When you dribble into the defense, that’s how you get turnovers and that’s how you take bad shots.”

Again, more indication of guys not trusting the system and trying to do things on their own.

Foye, like Blatche, was embarrassed, calling unprofessional the way Miami coach Erik Spoelstra left his starters in so late to get dunks and alley-oops. Personally, I can’t blame Miami. They had to vent from getting blown out the previous game, and who knows, maybe them laughing in the Wizards’ face will be a wake-up call, although I highly doubt it. This team has already slept through several morning rings from the front desk.

Caron Butler, who selectively avoids the press, mostly by his usual choice to get dressed in the training room while most other players get dressed at their lockers, did not speak with the media.

You can’t completely accuse Butler of ducking reporters with his dressing habits. The covertness of the training room allows Butler to preserve his image by making his first public appearance dapper and suited, as you would come to expect from the team fashionista. The scuttlebutt whispers are that Caron ripped his grand entrance routine from Kobe who in turn ripped it from Jordan.

This Wizards locker room is full of good guys who are just in a very bad situation. And instead of sucking it up and persevering together, they are playing without confidence in the dark as individuals with a fear of the unknown future. This team has no harmony, time to re-tune the instrument.

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The Season of Mike James’ Discontent

Kyle Weidie — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:03:43 +0000

Mike James can’t wait until the NBA trade deadline. It’s his best shot to get out of a place he does not want to be, the Nation’s Capital of Washington, DC. Although, if his $6.5 million expiring contract isn’t traded by February 19th, the Wizards will likely buy him out, releasing him to the sea of basketball free-agents, where there are plenty of fish.

James doesn’t come across as a malcontent. On the contrary, he’s an approachable, nice guy, has a sense of humor, and is always willing to talk. He’s the one Wizard you’ll likely see reading the bible before games and is often prodding youngsters like Nick Young, Dominic McGuire and Andray Blatche to attend pre-game chapel.

But make no mistake. Despite the recent release of a new book, Fight For Your Dreams: Memoirs of an NBA star, and the fact that he rarely shows his displeasure on the outside, Mike James is not a happy camper.

It’s because of his approachable demeanor why James is often seen holding court with one person or another before games, and why I never hesitate to walk over to his locker and shoot the breeze.

James has gently expressed his frustration with the 22 minutes he’s received on the season before, but tonight, he opened up with more poignant words and thoughts to a couple of us who were around before the Wizards were set to play the Miami Heat (including Mike Prada of Bullets Forever).

James said this has been the toughest situation of his career. He came into training camp in shape and says he’s done everything that’s been asked of him, but now feels jilted because he’s appeared in only one game the entire season. It is, however, worth noting that he broke his finger after his one appearance on November 6th and spent several weeks off the court.

As James continues to sit on the inactive list, the nine season NBA veteran said he feels he’s being made a mockery of, and considering the circumstances, he believes he’s the worst person on the Washington Wizards, a 14-27 team.

James said the lone bright spot for him this season was when he played against the Pacers. Not because he actually got to play in an NBA game, but because he got to be on the court with A.J. Price, his basketball protégé with whom he often speaks. James and Price share a hometown in Amityville, NY, and James hopes that someone was able to capture a picture of the two on the floor together back on that early November night.

His psyche may be in a bad place, but James won’t let that affect his basketball confidence. He still believes that he and his career double-figure average (10.5 ppg over 525 games) can help a team. He can’t wait to see an NBA court again and continues to hold onto the hope that he can earn a contract next season, however realistic that may be.

Whatever you think of Mike James as a player can be debated. But I can tell you, he’s definitely a likable guy, i.e., you can’t judge his personality solely on his Supernanny appearance as some, including myself, have done. As Mike Jones once wrote, at this point why not play the guy? The Wizards don’t have much too lose … well, except for more games, but that’s kind of inevitable, isn’t it?

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Random Posts

Reliving A Night of Rogue Tuff Juice

Kyle Weidie — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:44:41 +0000

The first three lines of Young Jeezy’s verse on “Real as It Gets,” track six on Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3:

Allow me to re-introduce myself,
at the same time re-introduce my wealth,
at the same time rejuvinate the game

This is what blasted out of Caron Butler’s headphones prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Mavericks. He danced and sang his way from the training room to his locker, a large drink from McDonald’s and five unwrapped straws in tow. I can’t testify to the contents of Butler’s cup, but would be curious if he’s sticking to the no-soda diet he started this summer.

In any case, Butler was going through his normal pre-game hype routine, hoping to leave his footprint on the night. Instead, Butler stepped in it. He tried enact Jeezy’s first line, played like he’s entitled to more of the second line, and enervated the last line.

Why keep reliving Caron Butler’s Agent Rogue act? Because in a season where just about everything imaginable has happened, when a player starts tuning out a coach, for no good reason, it deserves some extra attention.

First, let’s take a look at the final act of mutiny from the fans’ perspective, courtesy of the distinguished @macg_og:

Now, from the impeccable Michael Lee:

This afternoon, Saunders painted a clearer picture of what he wanted to see on the final play. Sounds like he wanted to work the ball to Randy Foye instead. Foye, after all, had scored a season-high 26 points and had made a three-pointer to bring the Wizards within 94-90 late in the game. [Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

Finally, to commemorate Butler’s rogue goings, a Photoshop Theory:

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Truth About It - Washington Wizards Blog

Screen Shots & Thoughts From Disgraceful Effort in New York, Wizards Selfishly Lose to Knicks 107-85

Harrington gets separation right off the bat.

And more separation …

And more separation …

Kindly take a seat Mr. Blatche.

Other reads from Truth About It:

Wizards Trade Rumors Links & Pre-Celtics Game Photos

Crittenton most definitely on the trade block

#FreeMikeJames

Amar’e To D.C.?

Do the Wizards hold the cards in dealing Jamison to Cleveland?

And now, pictures from the pre-Celtics game warm-ups …

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Got A Way To Lose? The Wizards Will Take It: Washington Falls To Boston 99-88

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Gilbert Arenas Writes Op-Ed For Washington Post: Learning to be a better role model

Learning to be a better role model

[Read the rest at WashingtonPost.com]

Random Posts

Jonathan Bender’s Ghosts of Mississippi

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Mike Miller Finally Picks His Spot: Wizards Beat Knicks In Quotes & Notes

Now, a video about Mike Miller …

Relevant stats …

Best Quotes from Wizards-Knicks …

[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

[Craig Stouffer - Washington Examiner]

[Mike Prada - Bullets Forever]

[Dave Johnson - CSNWashington.com]

[Howard Beck - New York Times]

Other links …

In any case, it’s probably best to end with this photoshop:

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The “Gil-ty” Arenas Jersey & Scenes from Wizards-Knicks Pre-game

Furthermore, scenes from pre-game warm-ups …

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Wizards Game 46 vs. New York Knicks Live Twitter Blog

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Earl of Heroics Cuts Nets With 0.4 Seconds Left: Wizards vs. New Jersey In Frames

Three Observations:

{Wizards vs. Nets in 8 Frames}

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The Gilbert Arenas of 2009-10: A Season of Video Interviews

‘The Gilbert Arenas of 2009-10: A Season of Interviews’:

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Chris Webber’s Harsh Words For Caron Butler & Antawn Jamison

From NBA TV’s Fan Night notes:

And more commentary …

NBC news correspondent Luke Russert, son of Tim Russert, joined Fan Night live in studio for the pregame show …

{Yucks …}

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The Lake Show Sets The Example: Wizards Post-Game Locker Room Portraits & Quotes

Wizards 2nd Q Lineups

>> time on court together, points scored-points given up (turnovers in parenthesis)

{post-game locker room portraits}

Brendan Haywood

Randy Foye

Caron Butler

Antawn Jamison

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Wizards Game 44 vs. LA Lakers Live Twitter Blog

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When Mike James Played In Kobe’s 81 Point Game

{video: the game}

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Reassurance Arises From Mounting Frustration: Clippers Set Wizards Out To Sea

{post-game wizards and clippers: the remix}

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When Mike Confused Mike With Mike: A Surprise Appearance By Mike James

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Wizards Game 43 vs. LA Clippers Live Twitter Blog: Easy Like Sunday Morning

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A Locker Room Without Harmony: Wizards Embarrassed By Heat 112-88

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The Season of Mike James’ Discontent

Random Posts

Reliving A Night of Rogue Tuff Juice

Allow me to re-introduce myself, at the same time re-introduce my wealth, at the same time rejuvinate the game

Random Posts

Allow me to re-introduce myself,
at the same time re-introduce my wealth,
at the same time rejuvinate the game