WizBlog RSS FeedPHOTOS: PICKUP GAMES AT VERIZON CENTER
Here are the exclusive photos that I promised to show you all Wizards fans from the pickup games at the Verizon Center practice court earlier this week. Players were divided into three teams (black, yellow and green). The length of a game is seven minutes. Winners stay and play the resting team, and losers leave. The games lasted for about two hours.
Guess who were on Gilbert’s team?
Here is the roster: Caron Butler (SF), Dominic McGuire (PF), Oleksiy Pecherov (C), and DeShawn Stevenson (SG). Pretty good, right? The yellow team was led by guards Roger Mason and former Wizard Awvee Storey. Wizards forward Andray Blatche and center James Lang were on the green team.
Photos by Will Fan/Wizards Photos
August 31st, 2007 at 5:07 PM
nice post will it is great to see that the guys are having fun out there
August 31st, 2007 at 5:36 PM
looks like they are starting to work on the chemistry. i wander where bh or et are hanging out these days?
August 31st, 2007 at 6:29 PM
Gil looks like he caught a dose of the cream and the clear. All swole up. Nice to see that he’s got his hops again. Some shots it looks like the kid is basically levitating, like he’ll come down eventually. If he feels like it.
I like the peek at the rookies Dominator and Pesh. Both have a couple throw-downs.
Hey Will, can you get us some video of the practice runs? Ericdotcom spoiled us with the moving pictures, it would be great to get a peek in at the offseason chemistry developing etc.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:36 PM
Great photos! Looking foward to preseason…
September 1st, 2007 at 12:23 AM
Where are the big men?
September 1st, 2007 at 12:37 AM
i hear pops is a free man i wonder if we could swing him in some how?
September 1st, 2007 at 2:35 AM
wtf is storee doing at our pick up games i know he’s ex wiz and gil’s friend but wasn’t he signed by another team? milwakee i believe
September 1st, 2007 at 2:38 AM
also theres a couple of faces I don’t recognize at all, what was the full breakdown in teams and how did they do against each other
September 1st, 2007 at 3:20 AM
yeah I know third time in a row I’m posting but believe me I watched the video more times than 3. I saw skip there too (rafer alston) did he finally realize that houstons got too many point gaurds they need to dole time out to? i think I also saw ed tapscott chilling in the chair in the background watching the game. Never saw etan, brendan, jamison, songaila, nick young, hall,nick young or AD. Saw a few other faces, do some of them stand a chance of being to training camp? Pech looked like he isnt afraid of traffic in the lane and caron looks really fit. I never saw bought snatch blatche score. Maybe he doesnt score unless he pays for it heh? Ok i couldnt resist I like blatche, I just see him being outworked by pech who just got here.
September 1st, 2007 at 9:40 AM
Nice picks, thank’s Will. Nice to see the guys together again, and nice to see ‘em healthy
September 1st, 2007 at 5:50 PM
What video????????
September 2nd, 2007 at 1:41 PM
Umm…. BruceO… WE ONLY HAVE 1 NICK YOUNG ON OUR TEAM!!!!!!
September 2nd, 2007 at 2:44 PM
dopeboy we do? I thought there was two of them and the number on his back was there to show me which one, the first one or the second one. I always see the first one though. YOu know nick young # 1.
September 2nd, 2007 at 3:51 PM
Bruce — the video. Where is the video??? How to find it????
September 2nd, 2007 at 7:25 PM
i think there talking about the slide show of pics ^^^^^
September 2nd, 2007 at 10:25 PM
Hi guys. Good to be back. I also wish we could see a video or 2. Hard to get an idea of who looks good by just stills. Who’s the tall light-skinned guard?
Interesting what happened with McGuire. He was signed for the minimum, rather than the $450,000 announced. I’ll bet the league objected to the contract. Probably other teams who picked before the Wiz wanted to sign their 2nd round picks to the minimum. Aren’t NBA players technically employees of the league, anyway?
Awvee Storee? Wasn’t he kicked off his CBA team for fighting?
September 3rd, 2007 at 2:27 AM
oh snap tom I didnt know you were talking to me about a video i thought you talking to wizdotcom. It was 3.20 am. I was posting in a hurry and I meant the moving pictures. Sorry I got you so excited. I also wrote nick young twice so apparently i must have been tired. You know Im watching to see who else we might invite to training camp and other ways we can get value for our money. I know you are familiar with the NBA is full article. And you and I are both hoping to get mutumbo here. I think another thing is I am feiding to see how well they do in pick up games etc. I was comparing caron , gil and stevenson to our other players. they are physically more developed to say dominic and roger mason. I seriously think we are going to keep roger mason over donnell. I hope we pull pops here instead of mike hall and have him be a defesinve specialist. There were also a bunch of other people in this serious of pictures I wondered about, e.g whether it was standard practice to have players from other teams come down and play eg skip rafer alston and awvee storey. Also evaluating pech, nick, dominic and blatche from the little I see so I’d like more stuff towards that direction
September 4th, 2007 at 11:39 AM
Oh well — maybe there’ll be some video some day. Eric used to get us lots of simple, camera-phone video. Maybe w/ him gone, Will doesn’t have the time to get us that stuff?
Blogs thrive on new media; they are not message boards. This could be quite lively, linked-to, etc. with a bit more blog strategy in place. Social networks and new media are my business — don’t want to bore anyone here with this stuff, but I would like to see more of it.
Roger Mason, why do we need him? We got literally nothing out of him last year. He needs to go off to Europe; he is not an NBA-level player. Taylor has athleticism but doesn’t seem to be able to concentrate enough to improve his game. We would have been wise to figure out a way to keep Aaron Miles; he would have given us 10 solid minutes a night.
I don’t really know Pops’ game; obviously, he is a bigger guy than Hall, but how many 4s can we have on the team?
September 4th, 2007 at 11:50 AM
Welcome back, neal — I was starting to worry that we’d lost you.
Re: Mcguire’s contract — I thought you could sign 2d rounders to any pay you wanted? I.e. I don’t think there is a pay scale in place, so why would it matter what previous 2d round picks got?
The only meaningful move we can make right now — barring a blockbuster trade — would be if we were able to convince Mutombo to come to DC. If Derrick Byars doesn’t make it onto the Portland roster, he’d be a good pick-up too: a heck of a lot more upside than Roger Mason!! (I don’t want to seem like I’m picking on Roger, sorry, but not every college star has an nba game)
September 4th, 2007 at 1:27 PM
I noticed October 31 is fast approaching for the start of the Wizards breakout preseason-season, I was just wondering if a countdown clock could be displayed on the fron page to let everyone who is a fan know the time left before the big takeoff!I also am a little concerned that our big muscle is no where to be found at the gym or in the area. Etan and Haywood this would be ample time to work on those 50% freethrows with Copla.This freethrow problem by our big guys has been the main reason small ball was used throughout all last season in the third and fourth quarters and it needs some clarification! We have to trust you will do your part in this problem or we may have no choice but to take minutes away from you to someone who will deliver it’s deal or no deal time! Big J Jamison you definitely need to make your presence known because Chris Bosh made you look like a rookie and that is not what we want from you either so weight room is needed immediately!The chemistry will build once everyone gets in the gym and not outsiders!!!!
September 4th, 2007 at 3:16 PM
what about “pops” we need low post players bad not a PF we need a C and what is the deal with all the PF anyway how bad do you need a PF when you got like 2/3 of the team at the PF spot? an Tom i wish we could get Mutombo not because i think he could do alot but because i know he can teach the others to play if any one could teach a C to play the way EG wants them too it would be Mutombo he is like the gratest shot blocker of all time and he rebouned the ball like it was glued to his hand if you could get haywood to do 1/10th of that we would be close to a champion ship
September 4th, 2007 at 8:28 PM
Does anybody know when the GilZero 20s come out
September 4th, 2007 at 9:03 PM
Thanks Tom.
Yes, there’s no scale for anyone other than first round picks. I just wonder if some pressure was applied informally. Maybe someone who picked before the Wiz was afraid they would have to pay their unsigned guy more than $450,000 to get him to sign if we paid McGuire $450,000.
Does anyone know if players are actually employees of the league? I think that’s so. If so, the league could just refuse to sign off on a contract.
Yes, it sure seemed like we missed the boat on Aaron Miles. Is this a result of Jordan’s continuing to live in hope about Taylor?
The guy who shoots free throws well for a center is Booth. Maybe he should play the last couple of minutes in games where we know we’re going to be fouled.
Sure, sign Mutombo if we can. Then trade either of our other centers. I’m really uncomfortable with bringing back these two guys.
September 4th, 2007 at 10:57 PM
TM - Did someone say my name?
I know everyone’s hoping for more content but trust me, once Training Camp gets here you’re gonna get all the nuggets I provided. Will doesn’t need me to defend him, but you know what, I’ll go ahead and throw a shield in for him
He’s a one-man show right now and until reinforcements arrive it’s gonna be tough for him to manage the day-to-day responsibilities that come with running the team’s site and other responsibilities that aren’t seen online.
I’ve left the site in good hands and more hands are coming to help out soon. Please be patient.
PS: IMHO, blogs thrive on good content, regardless of whether or not the content is multimedia based or not. Video is nice, but a well written and thought-provoking blog isn’t necessarily “bad” because the owner doesn’t know how to host video.
September 5th, 2007 at 2:22 AM
I’ll help out. I have a pulitzer prize in literature and a great imagination. Infact my pulitzer prize is a direct result of my great imagination. Only IF i get free tickets
September 5th, 2007 at 8:05 AM
Eric — Will is doing an *excellent* job; no need to defend him. In fact, I was just musing along the lines that you confirmed. He’s a ‘one-man show’ right now.
Will — keep up the good work. You too, BruceO !!
September 5th, 2007 at 8:08 AM
I’m with neal in thinking that it is not so great to be bringing back the same two centers. But, didn’t Ernie say, right after the season, that they spent an evening together, and “now they are best friends”?
Can that have been something more than a joke? Did either of them go to Pete Newell’s big man camp? Does that even still exist?
September 5th, 2007 at 8:09 AM
Yup, it does.
September 5th, 2007 at 11:02 AM
Can we get a new fling flang Blog on this here puppy? Some moving images and the such-like? Pleasethanks?
Yes the Pete Newells Big Man camp happened this year in Vegas, and scuttlebutt was that Pesh and DMac attended — though Lexi couldn’t participate much due to sore groins.
This happened the weekend after Andray was supposed to have signed but had to delay when he was nabbed by a friendly Washington police officer. So I expect he missed out on the chance to fly to Vegas and develop critical professional skills.
You have no idea how many dangerous entendres I had to avoid to write that above paragraph. I tried to take the high road, I really did… Instead I’ll just write them all down here and let you folks sort it out on your own:
Big Man Camp.
Professionals. Pros.
Vegas.
Sore groin.
Let me finish by simply saying Video. Video. Video.
Thanks!
-doc.
September 5th, 2007 at 4:49 PM
I just finished reading the Dime magazine article on Agent Zero and its a piece of art.
Gil stated he didn’t have any business sense that’s a bunch of bologniee.Agent Zero is getting like Lebron and MJ a name that advertisers know and trust to push there product or service. Gil will be the wealthiest Wizard ever not by having business sense but by have realness something that people thrust and thats how business is done on the golf course or over dinner ! By the way very few professional atheletes will negotiates there next contract but Gil will because he knows his fair market value and all the stipulations and addendums to add for MVP or All-Star appearance made .He will save millions in lawyer fees now thats smart business sense!
September 5th, 2007 at 8:51 PM
Jordan really said that? Now Thomas and Haywood are “best friends”? If that’s 50% true that’s great news.
September 5th, 2007 at 9:18 PM
It was Ernie not Eddie — in his closing interview; I think he was joking, neal.
If Blatche missed Pete Newell’s camp because of his stupid lack of street smarts then he’s cost himself something. The kid has talent, but talent is not enough in this league — not by a long shot.
September 6th, 2007 at 8:08 AM
Looks like Mutombo will sign for another year with Houston.
September 9th, 2007 at 9:47 AM
Blatche also got scolded the other day by a judge for missing a court appointment. He’s my nomination for trade bait. Lots of other players have talent, and I think Blatche is bound to detract from the team discipline and work ethic. Play him a lot for a month and let some other team become enfatuated with him.
September 12th, 2007 at 12:03 AM
Doc,
I’ve tried “tactfully” to respond to your post like 3 or 4 times now. It isn’t working LOL. I’ll just say how funny your post was and leave it at that.