Comment from AUNDRA
Time October 16, 2007 at 12:58 PM

The road will be our home the first month of November so this is where we must get our grind on.Yes we will not get all the calls and yes the fans will be nasty so get used to it!
Who ever made our schedule out must don’t care to much for us so we really have to earn every play from the start. The road is where we get down and play smarter, harder,and faster because we have to survive to win away from Verizon Center! The grind is for people who are suffering a loss whether its financials, emotionally or personally.We have to play hard for Etan because he wants us to and he wants to return on a team with a tough winners outlook. This is your opportunity to show the fire that duels within! Good Luck

Comment from dcdds
Time October 16, 2007 at 1:17 PM

so far so good i think the wiz look much improved, hopefully ej’s rotation will be better this year also. chicago will be a good test as we always have spirited games against them ever since kwame and tyson used to try to prove who the real number one pick was, that translated into a rivalry of all things, so im sure they will play with more spirit than some of our earlier preseason foes. go giz

Comment from LilGil
Time October 16, 2007 at 1:19 PM

I hope chi plays with the usual starters you know, so that we can get a serious look at our team’s value on the road!! Chicago’s tough so we’re gonna have a hard time but improved a lot since last time these two teams met (101-68 in favor of chicago) so there might (well I hope….) be some kind of surprise in their eyes as we’ll go through the game!!

Comment from Gilbert0
Time October 16, 2007 at 3:33 PM

Wizards are looking good this year. We need to keep up this kind of teamwork if we are expected to win in the regular season.

Comment from Gilbert0
Time October 16, 2007 at 3:35 PM

Also visit:http://www.wizardstalk.com/Washington-Wizards-Forum/ for more good Wizards discussions.

Comment from middletonss
Time October 16, 2007 at 3:44 PM

Can you belive the Wizards have the lowest points allowed at 76 points a game. I know it’s preseason but that’s somthing to be proud of. GO WIZ!

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 6:48 PM

greetings from united center..BLOGCAST starts at 8:30….Gilbert and Antonio set to play tonight

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:01 PM

starting lineups posted above

Comment from oldphoneman
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:03 PM

I have two tv’s on here in my bedroom up here at the Mason Dixon line.One of them is a giant 40 some odd incher (wizards will be on that one)Thank God comcast comes up here…Gotta watch the baseball playoffs. I turn the sound down on the playoffs…This time of year the Wiz is my team, even though it’s an exhibition game….I hope they turn Gilbert loose tonight and he shoots for a better average….Love watching the new kids, and Andray

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:08 PM

oldphoneman…comcast is not carrying the game…audio will be on the web washingtonwizards.com..and you are right about the new kids..Pech Young McGuire and of course Dray are going to be factors

Comment from oldphoneman
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:24 PM

DJ Wiz…I just found that out…I do have the Dish and it says that the game will be on Ch.751 at 8:30..I’m keepin my fingers crossed, because sometimes the program guide is wrong or there’s a conflict of interest where i live…I’m 85 miles from DC and sometimes have to watch the Pa.teams, not often though…At any rate .During he season I se pretty much all of the games……Go Wiz!

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:28 PM

yeah Chicago tv is doing it..and thanks for jumping on

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:30 PM

anxious to see the Wizards against the Bulls…Bulls will not have their full lineup but they always play hard

Comment from oldphoneman
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:34 PM

DJ Wiz, It’s on!

Comment from neal
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:35 PM

I’m glad to see Stevenson and Butler are sitting one out. But I’m surprised Hall gets the start instead of McGuire.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:37 PM

hall is from Chicago so I think that played into it

Comment from wizardsallday
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:40 PM

at least we will see Hall some more in this game

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:50 PM

nice recovery by mason on D

Comment from oldphoneman
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:52 PM

Loie Grillo never gives Eddie a break. I wonder if deep down thy are buddies, going to the same high schoola and all

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:52 PM

wizards havinbg trouble with full court press

Comment from natsdude562
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:53 PM

hey did u hear anythin yet on the release of the new Gilbert Arenas shoes in the DC AREA???

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:57 PM

natsdude ..my bad i will check before friday

Comment from wizardsallday
Time October 16, 2007 at 7:58 PM

Haywood free throw shoots are coming along

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:03 PM

haywood has really been working with shooting coach dave hopla

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:14 PM

not a good start…really cold shooting…bulls defense did seem to frustrate us.. antawn jamison did go off wincing..we’ll update when we have it

Comment from natsdude562
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:15 PM

ok…thanks…where will i be able to find out if you do find out…do u want me to email u my email address wats ur email???

thanks

GO WIZARDS!

Comment from LilGil
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:19 PM

Well our defense is better but just not better enough to avoid their quick passing on offense to end up in the net you know. Offensively speaking the shots are not falling and their defense is pretty much containing us right now…

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:21 PM

jamison mild left ankle sprain will not return

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:22 PM

Hey Dave, listening in and I was wondering if Gil has been having any problems in practice with his shooting because in his first two games he was 3/21, and then again today he started out 0/4 from the field.

Comment from AUNDRA
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:23 PM

This is a battle now both teams are shooting in the low 30 percent. This is where we get our grind on. Lets see who is tough now!

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:25 PM

2nd unit in for the wizards

Comment from gil4MVP
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:25 PM

oh men were losing right now, thanks for the audio. : )

Comment from AUNDRA
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:27 PM

Gil always starts slow then heats up or is on fire from the start. I feel it’s just a mental block he must break through and once he breaks through loook out!

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:28 PM

yeah but it has been all 3 games so far

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:28 PM

oh no blatche injured? and jamison too

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:29 PM

blatche just went off limping….we’ll update when we have it

Comment from LilGil
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:30 PM

Speaking about Gil,don’t you guys remember how horrible he was on the road during last season’s first month,well I think as AUNDRA pointed out it’s some kind of mental block you know, so lets hope he gets quickly out of it!

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:30 PM

yes i definitely hope so!

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:37 PM

hopefully gil can hit a shot from the field before the half now that he just entered the game again

Comment from LilGil
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:37 PM

By watching the action again, Blatche sprained his ankle, let’s hope it’s not too serious…I don’t like the way this game is going so far, neither the way we’re shooting… 25%!!! nor the fact that Jamison and Blatche might not come back on the court tonight due to stupid sprained ankles…

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:39 PM

gang has not been a good night…no way to sugarcoat it… jamison and arenas combined oh for 7…..bulls are only shooting 38% but wizards 7/28…injury update blatche left ankle sprain expected back

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:40 PM

thats good news

Comment from RDN
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:40 PM

Im sorry, but where to I go to listen to the audio feed once I’m on the Wizard’s website? Thanks

Comment from wizardsallday
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:40 PM

that good to hear

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:41 PM

but the lingering injuries to daniels, jamison, and blatche are never good

Comment from gil4MVP
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:42 PM

injuries means more minutes for the rookies. but i hope everybody is alright.

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:42 PM

young looks very sharp tonight

Comment from gil4MVP
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:44 PM

i know, Nick Young is stepping up.

Comment from LilGil
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:44 PM

Wasn’t Young trying to get some kind of a fancy dunk on this fast break action a minute ago when he finally went to the line for 2?

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:44 PM

Weird game — we’ve got 4 guys who are 8-10, and the rest of the team is 0-20. Weird.

Comment from gil4MVP
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:45 PM

good move by Arenas, iniciating contact.

Comment from wizardsallday
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:45 PM

great last mins push by the wizs

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:46 PM

young was fouled going for a dunk

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:46 PM

tom you are right..weird game best way to put it

Comment from AUNDRA
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:49 PM

39 Chicago 34 Washington at halftime. The Wizards cannot hit there 3 pointers they are 0 for 6. If someone gets hot from long range we can win this game. Agent Zero has been acting the basket and drawing fouls which is very smart!

Comment from LilGil
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:49 PM

Haven’t they dropped like 3-4 three pointers from the right angle each time after some quick ball movements ?! We gotta do something about that.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:50 PM

still love watching mcguire’s approach to the game

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:51 PM

Dave, I was wondering if Gil has been having any problems in practice with his shooting because in his first two games he was 3/21, and then again today he started out 0/4 from the field?

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:51 PM

aundra good point on gilbert’s drives

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:52 PM

shapiro 1991..have not notcied gil shooting problems in pratcice…. but you are right about the stats

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:52 PM

gil struggling to find a rythym

Comment from natsdude562
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:53 PM

wait r u Will Fan??? DJ WIZARDSRADIO?????? and wat bout those shoes wats ur email…

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:57 PM

dj wizards radio..i am dave johnson..the radio announcer

Comment from natsdude562
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:58 PM

ok…………………………………….where should i email u bout da shoes….? srry 4 botherin u

go wizards

Comment from gil4MVP
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:59 PM

dang thats a lot of shoes. hard to believe how well Arenas plays so hard in the court with little sleep. where does he get his energy.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 8:59 PM

gil we’ll unveil 20 different addidas shoes…you can find out about the 20 themes on gils blog

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:00 PM

natsdude does that answer your q about the shoes…apparently the info is on gils blog

Comment from AUNDRA
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:00 PM

McGuire has 3 blocks 0 turnovers 1 dunk and he looks tough and ready to get down!I wish he could hit a couple of threes to go along with thoughs stats.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:01 PM

Good run to end the half on a positive note and well within reach.

McGuire, Mason and Pecherov keeping them in the game. Pech having trouble from the field but has 4 rebounds, a block and an assist and is 4-4 from the line. McGuire seems to be really active, with 3 blocks.

Songaila is having another bad game — 4 fouls, a turnover and only 1 rebound.

Great to see Roger playing well. As neal said the other day, the more minutes he gets the better, as we have to hope he develops or we are in some trouble at the 2.

Andray hasn’t played much for some reason.

Comment from LilGil
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:01 PM

So do I AUNDRA, so do I…

Comment from natsdude562
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:04 PM

actually it doesnt…lol…….it has da sked.on their release dates…but he said they are being released in different cities on different dates…so are all the home games release dates for shoes in DC AREA….like rockville, dc, fairfax,…etc…also r they gonna be availble like in CHAMPS SPORTS and SPORTS AUTHORITY and DICKS SPORTING GOODS or r there certain stores…

Comment from AgentArenas
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:04 PM

and Gil is still playing why???

Comment from gil4MVP
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:05 PM

maybe Gil himself wants to play.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:05 PM

indeed good run wizards were down 13

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:11 PM

blaathce is back…nice fade away by arenas

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:12 PM

nice… arenas hits a field goal, then leaves the game haha

Comment from wizardsallday
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:18 PM

nice block by d-mac

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:18 PM

what a BLOCK by McGuire

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:22 PM

yeah that was amazing

Comment from gil4MVP
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:24 PM

Chicago is a beast, i wonder if we can match them with the “Big three” in the regular season.

Comment from natsdude562
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:26 PM

dave u read my comments yet??????

Comment from FLOYDBT
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:27 PM

wow even if we lose what a wonderful defensive performance by mcguire he seems like a promising NBA player

Comment from AUNDRA
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:28 PM

3 pointers Wizkids 0 for 9 tells it all. Jamison I hope his ankle is Ok. Reported mild ankle sprain. Chicago have agreat defense.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:29 PM

nice pass from blatche in the lane to pecherov for a jumper on the wing

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:30 PM

jamison will be okay…

Comment from middletonss
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:32 PM

The wizards have 12 blocks. WOW

Comment from natsdude562
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:34 PM

does anybody know anythin on release in DC AREA OF GIL 20′s….

Comment from shapiro1991
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:36 PM

5 blocks by mcguire… ridiculous

Comment from LilGil
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:38 PM

At least this game shows us (again) how great Mcguire is and is going to be goig through the season!!

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:40 PM

you have to go to gil’s blog for info on the shoe release

Comment from wizardsallday
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:40 PM

like how nick play so far

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:42 PM

5 blocks for mcguire

Comment from natsdude562
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:43 PM

ok….but do u know if at the home games that is when the shoes will be released in DC AREA because thats like 6 times…so is DC AREA gettin 6 types of shoes

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:46 PM

Looking at the minutes, they are playing more of their veterans and starters than we are, but still… no excuse for that 3d quarter.

Chicago has had *a lot* of high draft picks in the last few years, and their GM Paxson has overall done a fantastic job. I think they’ll have a good season.

Comment from LilGil
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:47 PM

Natsdude562 right now nobody has real details about he whole gil 20′s thing. It was advertise as 20 different shoes in 20 different cities that’s all I can tell you…

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:48 PM

natdude
There are going to be 20 different versions of my shoe next year. Most of them are limited editions. I have 18 different color ways and then two “inline” versions, you know, that meet all the uniform standards of David Stern and the NBA.

GilIIZero Release Dates
1 Scores for Schools Foundation Kickoff Event
That’s my foundation that I have in D.C. I give $100 for every point I score at home.
2 Cust0mize vs. Warriors Nov. 23, 2007
B Diddy will like these.
3 Agent Zero vs. Cavs Dec. 5, 2007
When LeBron comes to town, my feet will be ready.
4 Vote for Gilbert vs. Suns Dec. 7, 2007
That’s for Vitamin Water. It’s a whole little campaign we’re doing.
5 NBA LIVE 08 @ Heat Dec. 13, 2007
This is my first away shoe. Coming out right in time for the holidays. I might push the release date up though because the game comes out on October 2.
6 DC Football vs. Heat Dec. 29, 2007
That shoe is coming out on a Saturday, and it’s inspired by the Redskins. That’s for all the Redskins fans because they play the Cowboys on the following day, a Sunday.
7 Coke Zero @ Hawks Jan. 11, 2008
Visit Coke Rewards for details.
8 Halo @ Nuggets Feb. 8, 2008
The game is coming out on September 25, so maybe we’ll move this release date up.
9 Black President @ Suns Feb. 10, 2008
I got 54 against Steve Nash last year, so you know I’m going to come out with a shoe in Phoenix.
10 Looney Tunes – BUGS @ Warriors Feb. 11, 2008
This is coming out only in kids sizes. So all infants and boys under the age of 10, this is for you. This one is for my son.
11 Looney Tunes – TWEETY @ Clippers Feb. 13, 2008
This one is also only in kids sizes and is for my daughter and other little girls.
12 SLAM Magazine @ Knicks Feb. 19, 2008
New York Citaayyy.
13 THREEZERO @ Rockets Feb. 26, 2008
This is a company that’s in Asia that makes toys. So they’re going to have a a 24″ vinyl figure toy of me with the shoe and it’s going to be released in China. So this shoe is going to come out in Houston vs. Yao.
14 Cuba @ Heat Mar. 21, 2008
I know a lot of people don’t know, but I’m mixed with a little bit of Cuban, so this is for all the Cubanos. I’ll also wear it in Chicago, because there are a lot of Cubans in Chicago. I don’t know how, but trust me, there are.
15 Channel Zero @ Blazers Mar. 25, 2008
This is the “Don’t watch me, watch TV” shoe. Greg Oden is out, so Portland might get that taken away from them. They might get it taken away, I’m not sure. Portland fans, that’s a question mark. I’m sorry. It’s a nice-looking shoe too. I might have to switch it. That might become Denver with A.I. and Carmelo. We’ll see.
16 Gilwood @ Lakers Mar. 30, 2008
This is the first time I’m going back to L.A. since that 60-pointer. So those colors are the Lakers colors.
17 UNDRCRWN vs. Heat April 4, 2008
Wow, four releases against the Heat. Damn. Somebody likes the Heat at adidas. Check out UNDRCRWN’s home page.
18 Hibachi ??? ???
This is the Benihana collab. Time for you all to decide. Should I drop this shoe in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Memphis, Orlando or Philadelphia? Tell me what city should get it.

Comment from natsdude562
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:50 PM

ok…thanks…so more info u think will come out soon

Comment from wizardsallday
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:50 PM

we not out of this game

Comment from GrifonRacing
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:54 PM

What is the score and time left?

Comment from LilGil
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:54 PM

-Natsdude keep an eye on Gil’s blog and you’ll get all the info you want!!
Yeah we got knocked out…. It looks like the bulls are just having a good time out there, making great passes in the paint, deflecting every single wizards pass…. Damn….

Comment from natsdude562
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:56 PM

k…..thnx

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:56 PM

natsdude i hope that is what you were looking for….good games from pecherov and mcguie..and nick young showed his ability to create

Comment from wizardsallday
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:57 PM

yea not good D in the second half

Comment from GrifonRacing
Time October 16, 2007 at 9:57 PM

Is the game over? What was the score?

Comment from middletonss
Time October 16, 2007 at 10:00 PM

I was thinking the same thing as Tom they seem to be playing there vets alot. Good we get to see what our subs really get to do.

Comment from wizardsallday
Time October 16, 2007 at 10:02 PM

76-94

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time October 16, 2007 at 10:02 PM

thats it from chicago..keep blogging..i will check in tomorrow

Comment from wizardsallday
Time October 16, 2007 at 10:03 PM

76-97

Comment from AUNDRA
Time October 16, 2007 at 10:05 PM

Chicago has excellent bench like I said before but the three pointers did us in tonight.
0 for 14 the Wizkids couldn’t make one at all. Hopla lets get busy!!

Comment from middletonss
Time October 16, 2007 at 10:05 PM

Good game Young, Blacthe, Pech, and D-Mac (14 blocks I’m still blown away)

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 16, 2007 at 10:11 PM

Young played his best game so far. The rookies were solid and so was Blatche.

Mason faded out of sight in the 2d half. Brendan didn’t have much of a game, and of course Gil and Antawn had nothing.

We did have 14 blocks, but… we also had 21 turnovers and only 11 assists. Of course, if you make a total of 21 buckets, you can’t have a lot of assists.

Ok, we had a crappy game — on to the next one.

Comment from WizardsDotCom
Time October 16, 2007 at 10:56 PM

Great job Dave, as always.

In the 100+ posts here, did natsdude562 ask one question relating to the game?

Good to hear the young’uns played well. As for the TO’s and FG%, bad games come, all you can hope is that they go (away) quickly.

Looking forward to visiting the old stomping grounds and seeing the GIANT HDTV on Friday vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania)!

Comment from Wizards4Life
Time October 17, 2007 at 12:06 AM

nice to have the post agian i was on the radio but its hard to follow if i cant watch the game so i cant say much about the loss but i know Gil is making me crazy i wish i could see him get a string of shots to fall for all of us at the this point not only his self and AB got to love that kid and Nick was on and i think that fear of the NBA is leaving him and he is starting to find that grove were he can slide in some points with out all the fancy moves i would talk about Dom but i think we have all hyped that kid for what he can and has done so far

Comment from BruceO
Time October 17, 2007 at 1:14 AM

i’ve been saying this for a while. how sure are you guys gil will be ready to play. knee injuries mess up your game. look at jarvis hayes. I’ve been saying this for awhile gil’s been jarvis hayesing around. I’m still not convinced he’s fully athletic or whether he can have the same offensive output as last year.
I looked at the stats but knew the game wasn’t televized in dc. I’m encouraged by some of the young players stats. Nick young produced offensively so I’m glad he got a groove, but from what i gather it wasnt against a starter. Atleast he got enough minutes to work out of his funk. I saw that he was making alot more mid range jumpers instead of long distance shots which isnt his range yet. Thats what I recommended. Dmac contributed in different categories but didnt do much offensively since all he got was one dunk to give him a fg of 1-5. I’ve been saying he needs more offense.
Blatche is producing offensively which is good, and hes confirming that he can pass. He also reduced his TO which were bothering him. OP is rebounding well but had a bad shooting game. Still got points at the line. Haywood again modest numbers but hes solid and better at the freethrow line now.
Songaila is suffering or maybe it was old team blues, Jamison had bad numbers, Gil I don’t know what to say about that, I would be concerned if I was the team, who cares if hes putting up good numbers at practice.
I’m pretty much watching gils offense , nick’s offense, blatches offense, pechs shooting and rebounding, haywoods freethrows, dmac’s offense. Maybe its the fact we;ve been focusing on defense during training camp so less attention is paid to offense for the time being, thats why noones in the flow

Comment from neal
Time October 17, 2007 at 7:52 AM

Did you see how much coverage the Post gave the game. I think I’ll write in and demand equal coverage with the war. We count too.

I’m disappointed most that the D apparently wilted in the second half.

Anyone know how Hall did?

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 17, 2007 at 8:53 AM

Here is the box score, neal:
http://www.nba.com/games/20071016/WASCHI/boxscore.html

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 17, 2007 at 9:11 AM

Guys who were in our top 8 last year played under 80 minutes last night.

Guys who were in the Bulls top 8 last year played over 120 minutes last night.

Their rookies played 77 minutes. Our rookies played 95 minutes.

I’m not worried about the loss, but I am starting to worry about our starting guards!

Dominic McGuire reminds me a little of Tyrus Thomas, except I think he may turn out to be a better player than Thomas. Same freakish athleticism, same limited offensive game. What a draft pick: Thomas was taken #2 overall, McGuire #47. Wow.

Comment from middletonss
Time October 17, 2007 at 9:27 AM

If you are not the Washington Redskins you don’t count. I really found that out last season the Redskins beat the Saints the same day Gilbert scored 60 points on the Lakers and guess who got the most coverage.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 17, 2007 at 9:28 AM

With Blatche sliding over to the 5, our PF rotation has become less of a problem. Songaila is *not* playing well, but Pecherov is playing above expectations. He had 5 turnovers last night but otherwise his stats were great. So one or another of the East Europeans has the 4 position covered as AJ’s backup.

Goes without saying that Blatche has been effective. What’s curious and interesting is that he may wind up playing minutes at the 5 and the 3 instead of the 4, where we more or less expected to see him.

Dominic — ink him in behind Caron. And when his offensive game develops, he is going to be something else.

I suppose it’s too early to worry about Gilbert, but I’m doing it anyway. Ditto DeShawn. Antonio has been solid. He missed his only two shots last night, but he still contributed. For two games in a row, Roger has started out strong then faded badly in the second half. Donell… what can you say? He is on some other planet.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 17, 2007 at 9:45 AM

(Sorry, but when I’m nervous, I get analytical — and this team is making me nervous, both because of Gil and – in a good way – because of the young’uns’ potential)

Here’s what’s odd: I don’t think we can count on Nick for much this year, but *if* he were to get it and develop, he could make a *big difference* to this team this year.

Tribute to Ernie: we have 4 guys 22 and under who could wind up being all stars.

Weirdly, we are weakest at the easiest position to fill: shooting guard. How much more than Mason would JCN have cost us? How much better would we be? Would we be better at all?

Comment from WizardsDotCom
Time October 17, 2007 at 11:20 AM

I wouldn’t worry too much about Gil/DeShawn too much yet Tom (a little is allowed of course – you are a fan!) =) Unless anyone is out there limping, I’ll save my reservations/concerns for the first month of November, especially when it has to do with veteran players.

Don’t know about JCN vs. Mason being a fair argument – it was pretty clear that JCN didn’t want to player here, or rather REALLY wanted to play in MEM.

Comment from BruceO
Time October 17, 2007 at 12:41 PM

mason got one year contract for close to 900K. San antonio offered three years for 3M. So there wasn’t that big a difference in price but longer commitment at this salary rate from san antonio.
Everyone says don’t worry about gil he isn’t limping. I’m not worried about his movement, I’m worried his performance is going to be indicative of the fact he just came from knee surgery. If he’s not making his shots in competitive games I have to be concerned as to when thats gonna come. Right now hopefully we have enough time before the actual season starts for him to get his groove back. If I was him I’d really try to do that because you can never be too sure its going to come.
About the chicago game deshawn, caron didnt play. Jamison got hurt early but he wasnt shooting well anyway. So alot of our starters didnt play much. So I focused more on matchups. Glad our big men did better than aaron gray and joakim noah. I still see those guys potential. Dmac will be a good backup to caron. Both will wear down the opposing SF. He needs more offense to get to the type of game shawn marion/ gerald wallace types have. I’m not sure if hes as good a rebounder as they are right now.
Pech and Blatche have great skills. I was really liking pech and the fact he works hard. In a few years he’ll be a matchup problem just like dirk is, and just like bargagni is beginning to be. Pech at PF and Blatche at C will be great. (if only we could add bynum). If they could get to dirk/ darko type strength they’ll be solid.
Nick young should be playing more in the mid range like rip hamilton. To score within the princeton offense might take him some time to get used to. If they set some plays up for him he can do well cause we do need a volume scorer from the SG. Theres alot of those available playing backups in other teams like phoenix and lakers. I’m glad he scored alot. If he keeps it up we can look forward to seeing him on the floor alot. He’ll be good before the end of his rookie contract though.

My overall over-riding thought though is I’d be worried about gil and some of our other starters, who knew they’d be my main concern. I know we want to get our backups minutes to get used to playing, but we should have some game here or there were our starters get to carry starter minutes to evaluate them better

Comment from neal
Time October 17, 2007 at 1:57 PM

It wasn’t clear to me that Navarro really didn’t want to play here. I don’t think he turned down an offer from us. I wish Grunfeld had known Navarro was coming before Young was drafted. In that event I wish Pollin would have bitten the bullet and paid the extra luxury tax to get him. But after drafting Young I can’t argue with resigning Stevenson instead of Navarro. And in retrospect, they must have been expection good things from Mason in order to pass on both Navarro and Aaron Miles.

Yes, I love it that Blatche is playing well at center. Gives us a way of giving him minutes w/o sitting Songaila. And now the question is will Blatche back up Butler as well as Haywood. Is he a better SF than McGuire?

I’m a little worried about the starters too. But I hope they all average less than 30 minutes per game, anyway. If the second unit plays as well as the first, let them play half the time.

Comment from WizardsDotCom
Time October 17, 2007 at 2:13 PM

neal – good call on the money issue. I forgot about the demands JCN probably would’ve made. That said, I still don’t think Washington was his first choice for a destination and a trade would’ve been likely regardless.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 17, 2007 at 4:22 PM

Except that for some reason we *had to* get rid of him, it was we who had the leverage in the case of JCN. He was in no position to make demands – for $$ or otherwise. If his goal was to play for Memphis, he wasn’t going to get there by re-signing with Barca.

I’m assuming that the reason we *had to* was $$$, but perhaps there is some other reason. I think that what we got for him was ludicrous, and when the day comes that we receive it, we’ll see whether I’m right.

Late 1st round choices are not very valuable. Take a look at their history of sticking in the league. A low % make it, but all of them get a guaranteed salary. 2d round choices in the 30s are, to me, a better value.

But this is spilt milk — nothing to cry over.

Comment from WizardsDotCom
Time October 17, 2007 at 4:33 PM

TM – they’re valuable not necesarily to use, but to package in case you need to sweeten a deal….

Comment from GrifonRacing
Time October 17, 2007 at 10:31 PM

Like Neal said…. if Mr. Navarro had only let his intentions be know prior to the draft things may have turned out differently. Declaring he was coming over pretty much tied Ernie’s hands at that point. His timing was perfect if he didn’t want to play here and horrible if he did.

Comment from GrifonRacing
Time October 17, 2007 at 10:44 PM

Three of our starters have acheived All Star status for their first times with the Wizards…. We have the highest scoring “big three” in the league….. We are now playing “some” defense ….. Our young players have been playing very well… And we have been to the playoffs the last three years after a very very long drought. You guys are like my wife…. if there is nothing to worry about… create something LOL. Mr. Arenas and Mr. Stevenson are pros and will be just fine.

Since the only other televised preseason game will be Friday…….. C’mon 31ST!

Comment from stevevu
Time October 18, 2007 at 1:44 PM

ej and eg follow the philosophy of taking the best player available in the draft regardless. knowing navarro intentions earlier would not have changed their draft pick since the way the draft turned out nick was the best player available in their eyes. knowing wouldnt have made them draft sean williams, jason smith or javaris.

Comment from BruceO
Time October 18, 2007 at 2:44 PM

even I would have gotten a better deal for navarro than they got. He set a certain price with us that we werent able to pay. He figured about 3M was his value. Is he kinda proving that might be true? yes. But did we get something worth three million in return? Not even close. we might get something in a package deal from that extra draft pick or use it to leverage our finances in the future. Memphis got a really good deal, and they owe us more than they gave us. If i couldnt get value i’d say screw you navarro go back to barca. No reason to improve any team anywhere in the NBA cause he kind find his way back to the east coast.

Comment from GrifonRacing
Time October 18, 2007 at 10:18 PM

Mr. Navarro knew exactly what he was doing. I think you are right, Bruce, we should have let him go back to Europe.

Comment from BruceO
Time October 19, 2007 at 1:56 AM

the only positive thing I find from the navarro trade is that gasol gets to stay in memphis and they don’t trade him to chicago

Comment from GrifonRacing
Time October 19, 2007 at 10:57 PM

I agree Steve. The people that we drafted would not have changed no matter what Mr. Navarro did. What Mr. Navarro effectively did was to wait until after the draft to say “Hi guys I’m here”. That tied the Wizards hands. Not in the fact that they had to decide where to place him on their team, but, what the heck to do with him. Mr. Navarro knew that Memphis was hot for him, and, the Wizards had luxury tax issues. A poker player would say “the odds were with him” going to Memphis. Of course that is exactly what he and Mr. Gasol wanted. No doubt the two had more than one conversation about playing together in Memphis. Had he “decided” to come to the NBA pre draft the Wizards would have had a lot more time to consider “package trade” options, and, a few more teams could have developed an interest in him. I’m not discrediting Mr. Navarro one bit. It was a brilliant business move.