Washington Wizards Blog

Comment from Wizards4Life
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:25 PM

crazy move i dont think this will help us at all.. might kick us in the butt when we dont have anyone on the floor to run the team in the 4th qt..

Comment from jdmek9tec
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:28 PM

I hope they play for us tomorrow, that would be great. I wanna see. Exciting lineup

PG-CRITT
SG-Young
SF-Mguire
PF-Dray
C-Mcgee

thats our future lineup! SICK!

Comment from TAG FLIP
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:32 PM

I’m shocked to see AD go. i liked him in his 3+ years with us. He will be missed. Let’s hope he doesn’t come back and burn us later on in the season.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:37 PM

A great opportunity for Antonio to back up the best 1 in the league (maybe the best player in the league) and contend for a title.

A great trade for NO; they dump a mediocre player and get a topnotch backup point guard; plus they pick up a 2d round choice from a crummy team — i.e. probably a high choice.

For Memphis, the trade was… who cares.

For us, this is a terrible trade. James isn’t nearly as good a player as Antonio, and Javaris Crittenton has shown literally *nothing* in 722 minutes. He’s “athletic” says the press release — so was Donell Taylor.

Comment from Phemy
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:38 PM

Yeah, I’m with tagflip.

Hard and very surprising to see AD go. I always liked him, as a player and as a person. And i thought he did very well the last game, slowly getting back to 100%… sure he had “bad luck” with the injuries and he’s getting “old”, but c’mon…

..and now, wow. Not sure what to think about the trade since I don’t know much about these other two guys. But it feels kinda awkward.
Well, let’s see how it works out…

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:39 PM

But… there is good news, ok?

We’re going to win 25 games and have a high draft choice; I hope we get Stephon Curry, who will be a beast in the league.

Comment from Jason C
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:40 PM

Much as I hate to see AD go, he only actually fufilled his role in 2005 as the real back up to gilbert. As much as I thought we overpaid for him, he more than made up for his contract last year. I’m happy we’re gradually getting younger in each of the 5 positions, but still would like to see a movement towards defensive minded players. As a whole I like this move, as we need to move some of our larger contracts.

Comment from TAG FLIP
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:42 PM

Will these 2 guys be available for Boston tomorrow night? If not, then hopefully I get to say for Bridge every time Stewie (Pech) scores:

I GET BUCKETS SON!!

Naw but seriously, I’m excited about the trade. Like I already said, I’m gonna miss Antonio Daniels… he was a great player for us. I can’t exactly say the same for Dee Brown, he didn’t necessarily bring the same type of intensity Roger Mason did the last couple of years, but I liked how he helped establish the tempo as a starter. They both still will be missed. I’m excited about acquiring some fresh faces in DC.. it will only get better once Agent Zero returns

Comment from aznzero
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:45 PM

mike james is a younger player and alot quicker than antonio. he plays pretty good defense from what i remember when he played alot. but we will see what happens. But Crittenton has potential for being a good player.

Comment from LilGil
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:46 PM

Wow, I sure didn’t see that one coming… Anyway sad of seeing AD go, I really appreciated the work ethic and the seriousness of the man. Still some young blood could be helpful eventhough I’m starting to question myself about some of the moves in this organisation and while we’re at it as Ivan wondered “what does that mean considering Gilbert???”…. Anyway I hope this deal isn’t as bad for us as I feel……

Comment from wizfan0
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:49 PM

i like the trade for crittenton
but what about the conditional pick how bad does the wizards record have to be so the wizards keep it

Comment from aznzero
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:51 PM

i hope they are in the lineup tomorrow. james will make a quick impact right away. and i think it will be exciting to see javaris develope.

Comment from wizkid034
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:53 PM

wizfan0…the conditional pick was the pick that Memphis gave us for the rights to Juan Carlos Navarro. It was never really our pick anyway. We would have gotten the pick this year if Memphis was 17th or better in the league this year. That will probably not happen so it is a good deal for us in that area.

Comment from aznzero
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:53 PM

i have a feeling this is one of those trades were people are saying it was bad then later on they are gonna be like ernie made a good trade.

Comment from Bridge
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:56 PM

“…Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has acquired guards Javaris Crittenton from Memphis and Mike James from New Orleans in a three-team trade. As part of the deal, Washington sends Antonio Daniels to New Orleans…”
________________________________

Comment from FantasticWiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:58 PM

The audio from Ernie Grunfeld Press Conference has been added on the top of this post.

Comment from rgz
Time December 10, 2008 at 2:58 PM

Weren’t both Mike James and Antonio Daniels born in 1975? Crittenton is on his second year, and could be part of the Wiz’s future.

The conditional 1st rd pick goes back to Memphis.

To Antonio Daniels, thank you for all the hard work, blood and guts though no glory for you in this town. I am hoping that you will be traded back to San Antonio sometime in the future so you can be back with your boys.

Comment from millie mill
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:03 PM

I think Mike James contact ends at the end of this season. Daniels contact ends in 2010. that also might have played a role in the trade. Crittenton- I think the coaching staff will turn him into a combo guard.

Comment from okabiro
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:03 PM

I think this could be a good trade. Crittenton is a first round pick that never got a chance to prove himself. Maybe he’ll be able to prove himself when he gets a little more playing time.

Mike James doesn’t seem like that great of an addition, but we didn’t have to give up that much to get them. I loved AD and hope him all the best in NO.

Comment from Phemy
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:06 PM

…mh, and I somehow think gil won’t be coming back sooo soon… mhmh

Comment from okabiro
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:08 PM

As far as I know, Mike James makes about 6 million this year and has a player option for about 6 million again next year. I’m doubt he would give up the money next year, so we have him for at least two years.

Comment from wizkid034
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:12 PM

How do I feel about this trade? Medium, right now.

AD will certainly be missed, but not for his on-court exploits. Rather, his ability to be an on-court coach will be missed the most. That being said, he has not been the same AD all year. He would have continued to be a trooper, but all the while nagged by injuries.

Dee brought a new energy to the starting lineup, and I thought he was just starting to be productive in the new role. That being the case, I think that Juan is much more valuable to us. Last night was a perfect reason. The guy is a PRO and a tenacious defender. He can sit for games a time, be put in for a few minutes and have an impact. Dee just was not as successful at hitting the ground running.

As for what we get, I am not sure what to think about James. I know he has been a pain in the a$$ for us the last few years. I thought he was younger(he is 33). I think he has an expiring contract, which could help. Bottom line is that when James as given a chance(2005-06) he succeeded to the tune of 20.3 ppg.

Crittenton I like…A LOT! I liked him back at GT, but thought it came out WAY too early. He should have stayed for at least another year. He has not really gotten an opportunity to do his thing, but he will here. I like the future with Gil, J-Crit and NY in the rotation…that is a ton of scoring.

Time will tell how this trade ends up. I think the Hornets were helped a lot, Grizz not so much(save a salary dump) and the Wiz were helped also. If nothing else, this should provide a kick in the butt to get things going.

When will Gil return? That is my only lingering worry.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:14 PM

If the info on hoopshype is correct (and it usually is), Mike James makes about the same as Antonio, and he has a player option for next year — he’ll pick that up, I’m sure. No difference between him and Antonio in cost or length of contract.

Antonio is one year older than Mike James. He is also a *much better* player. No one in their right mind would trade Antonio straight up for Mike, and we didn’t. We traded Antonio and a more or less valueless draft pick and, in effect, the rights to Dee Brown (wch we had to give away to make the deal) for Mike and Javaris Crittenton.

Straight up, I’d rather have Dee Brown than Javaris Crittenton. That should tell you what I think of this trade. For that matter, straight up I’d rather have DerMarr Johnson than Javaris Crittenton.

Could I be wrong? Of course! I have a picture in my mind in which Dee continued to develop and became an effective specialist in the league. He has more than enough talent to do that. I have a picture in my mind that Crittenton just stays the marginal player he is now. If those pictures are accurate, we made a terrible trade. If Crittenton gets a bunch better, then the trade is… ok (given we still lost AD for a much less good player in MJ).

Comment from koop1122
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:16 PM

Hello everyone… i just joined this blog and i’m huge Wizards fan. But i like the trade with the situation the Wizards are in. AD is solid and a great teammate but he’s running out of years and is getting banged up. I’ve always liked mike james… he’s tough on both ends of the court and then we get another combo guard in crittenton who could fit in well in our system.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:17 PM

One thing I think this trade does is put DeShawn on the bench for a lot more of every game. Given that he is playing terrible ball right now, who knows why, we could actually get a little bump. Don’t confuse that with long-term value.

Comment from SportzWiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:18 PM

Mike james will wear 13, javaris will wear 8

Comment from wizkid034
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:33 PM

I believe both James and J-Crit will pass their physicals and be on the bench for the Boston game.

I would not expect either of them to play very much on Thursday. I actually look Taps to start NY and D-Steve in the backcourt. Juan will be the primary back-up. I think that James will be 4th in line and J-Crit will be 5th in line.

It is entirely possible that one of them will be inactive, giving Pesh and chance to do something.

Starting Lineup on Thursday:
PG Stevenson
SG Young
SF Butler
PF Jamison
C McGee

Comment from aznzero
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:35 PM

hey tom,

i actually liked demarr. he used to tear it up in high school around the dc area.

Comment from wiz123
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:36 PM

while we are at this topic, i was actually hoping we could pursue azubuike from golden state. they definitely have tons of swingmen…and i believe we could use him. Azubuike has a manageable contract. not too sure how we could land him, but i was thinking pech might entice them with this ability to rebound and shoot the three.

hopefully, this trade is only the start of something bigger/better?

Comment from Wizards4Life
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:39 PM

noooooo Mike James took my number i dont even like the guy…. i want AD back

Comment from wizkid034
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:41 PM

There is a lot of “it depends” when talking about whether or not this trade was a good one. I, for one, think a trade NEEDED to happen at some point here to help jump start this team.

I had Pesh pegged to be shipped out, but he has very little trade value.

Bottom line is that AD lost his starting job when he started missing games with nagging injuries. Those WILL continue this year and beyond…believe me. I loved AD and wish him well. But I look at it this way. Mike James is healthy and he put up decent numbers when he was given a chance in Toronto in 05-06.

I am going to wait until I see how these guys end up “fitting in.”

I just thought of what could be the best part of this trade…more minutes for NY! (I really hope he starts on Thursday)

Comment from millie mill
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:47 PM

wizkid034

That’s a good idea for stareing line up for Thursday’s game. I hope they go with that.

Somehow I don’t feel that EG is finish.

Comment from aznzero
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:51 PM

i have the same feeling millie

Comment from wizkid034
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:56 PM

Did anyone else listen to the audio from the press conference? In response to you millie mill, I think it was Ivan that asked EG if he had anything else up his sleeve.

EG made a joke about how he is wearing short sleeves…but he said, nothing more today but tomorrow or the next day…who knows?

I definitely think he is not done. I am sure he is shopping names all around. Names I am sure he is discussing include Pesh, D-Steve and Etan.

Untouchables include Young, McGuire, McGee, D-Song, the Big 3 and Dray.

Comment from Da_Big_Taba
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:56 PM

azn ero mike james isnt younger than daniels…. they were both born in 1975

Comment from wizkid034
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:57 PM

I have a feeling that D-Steve will be moved before the trade deadline. I think the Wiz want to start NY alongside of Gil. Unfortunately, Stevenson is not helping them by SUCKING!!!!

Comment from koop1122
Time December 10, 2008 at 3:57 PM

i like that lineup too wizkid… but i think if they are not going to play mcgee much as a starter they should start dray and have mcgee come off the bench and play against 2nd string centers. we know he can bring some energy too

Comment from AUNDRA
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:00 PM

The party is not over Ernie you are showing alot of disruption and I like it! This is definitely a excellent trade with Mike James a guy who can score 30 points very quickly and Young Stud in Crittenton has opportunity to spread his wings and lift off just like our own Agent Zero did at his age! I am now waitng for Part 2 of the trade and trade and that is Etan /Pecherov for young proven talent! We are now building for the future because change is just part of the business and business is about to get VERY GOOD!

Comment from Saosin507
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:01 PM

Another worthless trade. Congrats. Anyone else tired of us being an average team at best? Maybe if they ever traded for anyone or drafted anyone that actually helped…

Comment from millie mill
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:05 PM

I think everyone that thinks this is a bad trade are going to eat there words by the end of January.

Comment from aznzero
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:08 PM

millie

i think we are on the same page today haha

Comment from neal
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:10 PM

A very good move, I think. Could only have been made because that draft pick is worth a lot more to Memphis than to us.

Essentially, we got Crittendon for Navarro, which is probably a good deal in the long run. And James for Daniels, which is definitely a good deal. James is better on both ends, except for assists to TO ratio. And Daniels is getting to be injury prone.

Tapscott is very personable, and seems to be thinking a little deeper than Jordan, or at least he comes across that way. The most important thing is that if the players think they can be a better team with him as coach, they probably will be.

Comment from wizkid034
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:18 PM

The thing that has me feeling good about this trade is not particularly the specific players, but my confidence with how Taps will handle them. This is why I do not expect to see either of them much, if at all, on Thursday night.

In the presser, Taps was asked how he planned to work the new guys into the rotation. His response was essentially, “I look forward to getting to know each of the guys and seeing how they think they fit into what we are trying to do.”

I do not think enough coaches approach things this way. It should be a combination of what the player thinks they do well and how they fit, and how coach feels they will fit.

Again, I am not even sure they will even be able to play. AD has 48 hours to report to NO, and they do not play til Friday. There is a chance that he does not get there and has his physical before Thursday night. Until all the physicals are taken, nobody can play.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:20 PM

I really am going to take a wait and see approach to this trade for the Wizards, as far as New Orleans it is a great fit for them getting AD, and thank you AD for your time here with the Wizards. Memphis have no idea what is taken place there, sorry to see Dee go, but bringing in 2 more guards the Wizards had no choice.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:22 PM

Deshawn scoring has been off, however in this defense he really played good defense against the Pistons and went hard on the boards.

Comment from wiz-skins07
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:31 PM

Tom,

Stephon Curry?

Do you think he’s gonna be anything else other than a scorer…I mean your really critical of the WHOLE stat sheet not just the points..

BUT I wouldnt mind him either…but we do have Nick..who has been playing good this season..

Can Stephon run the point?

Comment from wizkid034
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:35 PM

wiz-skins07, I agree.

However, I do not want any part of Curry, if I am the Wiz. Instead, I would like to look at taking Hansbrough.

Psycho-T is a PF in the NBA, but he IS going to be a HELL of a player in the League. I am love the way he plays.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:35 PM

I really hope that Juan continues to play well and keep the pressure on the coaching staff to give him quality minutes and if so plan to lock him up to a decent contract to stay with the Wizards.

Comment from aznzero
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:36 PM

jeffmalone

DeShawn played well last night on D but dont forget the other nights especially when Brandon Roy drove past him everytime last week. I think his injury is really slowing him down and needs to rest.

Comment from gbkdc
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:37 PM

I just want to say THANK YOU to Antonio Daniels. You will be missed! Same to Dee Brown, thanks for all your speedy energy when we needed it! Good luck!

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:39 PM

gbkdc-well said and aznzero I cannot forget the entire season when it comes to Deshawn however at the very least against the Pistons it really seemed he was into the game on both ends, and in other games I had not seen that. So that was good to see.

Comment from wiz-skins07
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:42 PM

wizkid034,

Hansborough?

If anything he’s gonna be a RICH mans Songaila…same body, jumper, all Hanborugh has is explosiveness..thats why he’s a gonna be a bit better.

BUT I wouldnt mind him either….He’s not gonna be anything special..

Why dont we look at Blake Griffin, or Ty Lawson..he’s having a HELL of a season!

Comment from aznzero
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:42 PM

i agree jeff. some games he brings something and others he just hurts us.

Comment from Jaba
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:45 PM

This is the man we’re getting, folks…….Have a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIXwkkZyi9k

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:46 PM

Guys I do not see us as a lottery team, sorry just dont see it. I think we will have a better idea by the trade deadline and when Agent Zero’s return. And in this crazy eastern conference we are still alive and well for a playoff spot!

Comment from M2
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:52 PM

Tom with all due respect you know nothing about Crittenton…
This is nothing but good.
- AD has been hobbled of late & James is fresh & much more capable of getting buckets. I love AD & he runs a mean play but… I can live with James for a season or so & his potential upside (might bring some scoring punch off the bench because only a couple seasons ago he could get you 20 a night)
- Dee over Crit is just hillarious…

- & Steph Curry will be no better than JJ Reddick if he gets any minutes.
He will get manhandled in the league. For little guards to succeed in the NBA most of the time they need to be built like running backs (or at least defensive backs).
God Bless Steph & I love to watch him but I’ve seen this show before, he’s too slight (might work if he was 6′6″?)…

Comment from Trumptite414
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:53 PM

Are some of you people on drugs? I appreciate AD for his veteran leadership but let’s be real people he was a career backup. He was not even average, ther’s so many backup PG I would take before him Delonte West, Luke Ridnour,Barbosa,Earl Watson, just to name a few. Glad to see him go, now as far as the trade, Ernie Grunfield this is your don’t let me catch you in the street notice!! Mike James belongs in the D-league, and Crittenton is young with some talent but where are you going to play him? He’s not a pure point and you can’t start him over NY so what is his purpose on the team? The best thing for the wizards would be to trade stevenson beacause he gives you nothing but terrible shooting and silly hand gestures, also I hate to say it but trade antwan while his stock is high for a younger taller legit 20ppg 10rb PF

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 4:56 PM

jaba-I wish all on the board will view your youtube post on Mike James in a word, WOW, again I am going to take a wait and see approach to this move, the only thing I will say is that EG has been right more times than he has been wrong, but man is he rolling the dice on this one.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:01 PM

Well, we’ll see who out of college next year does well as a pro. Not much point in speculating about it. One thing is for sure, tho: Stephon Curry is fun to watch right now!!

M2 — what makes you like Crittenton? Can’t be anything he has done in the league, because he hasn’t done anything. In fact, he has made very little of his 722 minutes. So… must be his record in college? And Dee? What about his record in college? Player of the year, and so forth? Again, we’ll see.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:04 PM

Ok, I’ll admit it — I am reacting emotionally, and it’s all because Dee had to be released. I do want the kid to succeed, and he did seem to be doing very well with us, as Ernie said. “We didn’t want to release Dee, but we had to.”

This trade could work out ok if James takes a bunch of DeShawn’s minutes. He is almost certain to be more productive than DeShawn is right now. I hope Crittenton turns out to be a player in the league, but that is really an open question. Maybe he will, but at this point there is no particular reason to be optimistic.

Comment from wiz-skins07
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:05 PM

Tom,

He is VERY fun to watch..i’ve only missed one of Davidsons games this season and that was the one agasint Layola…

he’s a MONSTER…I doubt he will be any better than Nick though…Stephon is too small he’d have to have atleast decent point gaurd skills to make it in this league…

Comment from Wizards4Life
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:08 PM

we do not just need points we need people who can pass the ball if you just wanted points just put in Nick he can shoot and not pass all day long and when gil gets back if he ever dose we are going to have 5 people who can shot one ball and 100000000 problems on D

Comment from wiz-skins07
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:08 PM

Maybe point gaurd skills like Juan will do..

Talkin about Juan..he had a MONSTER game yesterday..when he is in the game he seems to find easier shots for everyone..and if you’ve noticed MOST of JaVale’s alley-oop dunks were from Juan…

Comment from jmpalomo
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:11 PM

Time to let the “puppies” play.
Deshawn is next to go. His low salary and 3 point shooting is going to be great trade bait.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:11 PM

Can Mike James and Gilbert exsist in the backcourt together? James is a shot first point guard, I hope this really works out for us, and we did not add another ball stopper. We also have a great team locker room, time will truly tell on this trade. Tom I have to agree with you, Jarvis has done nothing in the NBA, he really should have stayed for at least one more year, he has freakesh athletic ability and that is his upside and a really good handle. I saw him when he was with the Lakers and there was no room for him there, it was almost as though the Lakers showcased him in the Pre Season and Summer League, and when he was traded to the Grizz, you really woud have thought he would have broken out with some quality minutes, so again I will wait and see. If you look on the surface of this trade just on potiental then we got better, but the players will dictate that.

Comment from wiz-skins07
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:13 PM

jeffmalone,

Gil is PG
Mike is a PG

I doubt they’d EVER be on the floor together…

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:15 PM

M2 — why don’t you tell us what you like best about Crittenton?

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:15 PM

wiz-skins07-I totally agree with you on Juan maybe he finally gets it, and much like Roger Mason this is a tear from him to blossom, Juan brings passion and heart on the court and that is one thing you cannot measure. I really hope he has a place in the rotation for the remainder of the season with quality minutes, he really has developed his handle and not jacking shots and running our offense. He and Nick play well off of each other as well.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:17 PM

wiz-skins07 please check out the link from jaba on Mike James, just hope his attitude has improved

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:18 PM

JeffMalon — here are some numbers on Javaris Crittenton.

I like his rebounding (7.7 per 48 minutes). But I don’t like the 4 turnovers per 48, or the 3.7 assists per 48 (for a point guard?), or the .444 adjusted FGA, or the .67 FTA, or the 1.3 steals (65% of the rate of an average point guard).

I really don’t care if he is “freakishly athletic”. The game doesn’t go to the guys who jump the highest, it goes to the team that plays overall the best (wch is what leads to having the most points).

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:22 PM

Tom-again I agree with you on Javaris, again I really hope he gets it, he and Mike James. Again this to me is a gamble and I hope it is one that works out for the Wizards, I am of the wait and see variety on this trade.

Comment from Reuben
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:22 PM

Im surprised to see Antonio go but I think this trade really helped us. Did we waive Dee because we have too many guards?

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:24 PM

We had 15 on the roster so Dee became a victim of the numbers, so we had to waive him, and Dee all the best to you!

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:25 PM

Tell me fans, “How did this trade help the Wizards”? I am on the fence about it…Maybe you guys see something I don’t.

Comment from AUNDRA
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:29 PM

Wizards fans we still need a defensive presence on the court with fantastic swag and thats the role we brought Stevenson here to do initially.He rarely makes bone head turnovers and he always checks the Kobes and Lebrons of the World so thats important. Mad Dog draw back is his excessive three pointers and his now limited mid-range game plan. The free throws are 67% compared to 80% last year so there is definitely a confidence issue there so make your 300 before and after game to sure up problem! His toughness is second to none and he rarely gets injuried so he is durable and we need any and all healthy bodies right now!

Comment from Trumptite414
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:29 PM

I understand that everyone in here is a fan but, are you blinded by your alligence to thw wizards? Dee brown was a bum the man was not even in the league las year. He got the ball up the court fast and had a good college career but he just didn’t cut it in the NBA. Mike James best year was with Toronto when the team was bad and he had no choice but to put up a lot of shots, I would be greatly disapointed if he stays with the team after this year. Javaris I would like them to keep and give him so time to develop, but the wizards definetly need to make a few more moves.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:35 PM

Aundra-you nailed it

Comment from ericw
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:39 PM

hasn’t stevenson been playing through injuries? thats not really a healthy body… he didn’t do so hot checking AI either and this year he hasnt been able to stay in front of ANYONE. i’d be glad to see him go, i think myself and many others are really confused why he continues to get minutes. and i’m glad to see AD leave and us get a young player out of it.

Comment from ericw
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:39 PM

i just like cheering for young players though too.

Comment from ericw
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:40 PM

caron and mcquire can check kobe or lebron just as well

Comment from SportzWiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:41 PM

As I stated in an earlier thread I can’t tell you much about Javaris Crittenton cause I haven’t seen him play.

I can tell you that this is the guy the Wizards would have taken if Nick Young wasn’t available two years ago.

They are extremely high on him. He is a guy they see down the line in their future and they got him for a memphis conditiional pick that might have turned into cash considerations down the line and probably had no value in the near future.

Comment from Da_Big_Taba
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:45 PM

yeaah we really don’t need stevenson. trade him and etan thomas for another sf or big. we need to give nick young more pt.

jeffmalone i think this trade helps the wizards because we get rid of an aging & injury prone daniels. he isnt as reliable as he used to be. the only thing i liked about him was his passing. we are thinking about the future. hopefully crittenton will help us. all i know about this guy is that he is really athletic. maybe he will help push the ball on fast breaks. the dude is 6-5

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:50 PM

SportzWiz-I do remember the Wizards wanted Javaris was high on the draft board, but that was with Coach Jordan rght? Again I will take the wait and see on this one….I hope both players come in and tear it up for the home team, and really add something to the bench. I am sure Mike and Javaris can score, however my hopes are for them both on the defensive end.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:52 PM

So this should be fun to watch the Wizards do not have a convential point guard, we will have to see how it all works. I know in Coach Jordan’s offense it was said time and time again we did not need a traditional PG, well I guess we got our wish (of course if we are still running Coach Jordan’s offense)

Comment from Big Dogg
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:56 PM

Aight yall. I have been reading the comments all day and now I have decided to speak my piece. I am going to hate to see AD leave. He was an extension of the coach on the floor, but i know he was an extension of coach jordan on the floor, not Eddie Tap. If you watch the games, AD always wants to slow up the game when the other players are trying to run. I think he’ll do good in tha N.O. Now, my question is, when did we become the resurrection city for players!? Why have we been picking up players that no one wants!? Juan was at the end of the bench for the pistons. JC got little tick in Memphis. I like his game but he couldn’t take time from lowry or mayo. and Mike james was in the dog house for the hornets. Why do we think we can make treasure out of another teams trash!?

Comment from AUNDRA
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:56 PM

I like CB3 assisting the ball and doing his mid-range,dunks and three point game plan and not worrying about checking the Lebron Monster all night . I
would rather leave that to the defensive specialist and thats Stevenson’s role it hasn’t changed. Dmac is still wet behind the ears plus he only gets 17 minutes per night to see if he will be productive or not! In time he will be able to put in 20 to 30 minutes a night but not now! Dmac needs to bring more energy and work on the things he did against the Pistons and make his freethows over 80% then he will be ready to go full time or 25 minutes a game! Dmac has to show consistency first and then we will see him doing the defensive specialist full time!

Comment from edry09
Time December 10, 2008 at 5:59 PM

First of all THANK YOU to Antonio and Dee (even if he didn’t had the time to bring something consistant to the team).
For the rest, like everyone I am shocked to see one of our court voice leaving but we must admit that he (antonio) gets older and he is more than ever an injury prone!!
I can’t make a comparison about who is better between antonio and mike but I know from him that he is a solid offensive and defensive player with a good basketball experience. So I think he can bring something interesting and lead the point successfully for the Wiz (until Gil returns).
Concerning javaris I don’t know many things about him but I heard his name 2 years ago when he came at DC during the draft practice. EG is looking at him since a long time!

I wonder if they are going to make any other trade!? We need a good center who can play D and score in a night basis. The only I know available for a trade is Kamam, he has a good size and avarage about 13ppg and 10rbd…what else??

We can trade Thomas and Deshawn (or even Mike James if he doesn’t fitwith us) for him.

Let’s see.

Comment from wizbulletman0
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:01 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySkkeM9XYcQ&feature=related

Some highlights of JC

Comment from Big Dogg
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:01 PM

We’ll have to see how this works out. Only time will tell. Did EG get these players to package them for someone else? who knows, but i really can’t get excited right now over this trade. I like the potential of JC and Mike James can play too but if they couldn’t get burn on another squad, why do we get excited. Let’s get a player that other squads actually want.

Comment from slwiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:02 PM

I have nothing to say and everything to say. I just don’t know how I’m going to watch Dee in his next NBA team without a blog cast!!! This has been so helpful. I’ve learned about an NBA team of players through this idea!! It’s wonderful. When I started who the heck were the Wiz players? And now the names just roll. Gil, Brendon, DeShawn, CB3, Jamison, JaVale, Dom, Andray, Darius, Nick, Pesh, Etan, Juan and yeah I think Pesh will get some minutes! I’ve met some pretty supportive fans!! GlingGling was the first to notice slwiz. Bridge and Neal who are so passionate, Tagflip and gbkdc. Phemy. Anzero. Wizards4Life. Tom and Neal and Jeff. Too many to name really. SportzWiz who one of these days will get to go with the team to away games!! DJ and Glen!! Glen took my first radio phone call in; how cool!! And DJ you have so MUCH enthusiasm on your broadcast!! I’ll never forget “Coming courtside from the Verizon Center, it’s the voice of the Wizards” and then hearing that voice!! They got a good one in you!!

I’ve been forced to keep my mouth shut and oh yeah, you should see the folders I’ve got on my hard drive!!! “Comments not posted” LOL and I’ve gotten to see more of Dee through audios and videos and photos. I can’t tell you thank you enough for all the media stuff done for him.

Comment from wizbulletman0
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:05 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tyv6dE8QZw&feature=related

Some more

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:05 PM

Well, I’ll say one thing — it’s been an interesting day in Wizards-land.

wiz-skins — Stephon Curry is about twice as productive in college right now as Nick was in college. He weighs 180 pounds at 6′3″ (Juan is at 167 pounds). Mark my words, he is going to tear up the league.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:07 PM

slwiz, hopefully you will stay on board and still root for the Wizards and of course Dee Brown when he lands on his next team.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:08 PM

slwiz — I know you are an Illini and Dee fan primarily. If you drop out, we’ll miss you!

I hope Dee catches on with another team — not so easy at this point in the year. I was very happy w/ the way he was developing as a Wizard, and I’m going to miss him too.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:09 PM

hey everybody — give slwiz some love here. He’s been w/ us since the summer and been a terrific contributor here. Stay w/ us slwiz!!!

Comment from Big Dogg
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:10 PM

By now some of yall know i’m a fan of Blake Griffin, but Steph Curry is a beast. I saw him destroy my hoyas in the tournament. But I don’t know how he’ll do in the league. For some reason i see him being instant offense but along the lines of being a suped up Juan Dixon (young Juan) or a suped up Eddie House. He has a couple more deminsions to his game but that’s who i see him being in the league. Blake Griffin is who i would want to see here, if I had to pick.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:11 PM

slwiz-this is for you my all time favorite team was??? Bardo, Liberty, Battle, Gill, and Anderson, met Kendall Gill a number of times and talked about those great days in college.

Comment from AUNDRA
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:13 PM

Tom
I see where your going but there is no way we have a chance at getting Stephon but the idea was refreshing.
I would like to thank Wizbulletman 0 for the youtube footage of Crittenton. He looks like Agent Zero Rebooted! He has all his moves and everything, it is scary! I hope he can bring it from the start and just explode out of the blocks so all the naysayers can shut up and become his#1 fan!

Comment from gbkdc
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:13 PM

slwiz, I was wondering if you would stick around! Please do!

Comment from Big Dogg
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:32 PM

Here’s the clip of Nick Young & Javaris Crittenton trying out for us:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2yZ3KEHcwo

Comment from slwiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:51 PM

I’ve written alot and am trying to break it down so you all won’t get overwhelmed by my reaction!! LOL My first comments are positive if you want the negative (within tolerance) let me know and I’ll try and share that too as my mind and heart allows. Thanks for wanting me to stay, too!! I know how I felt when Neal and Bridge and GlingGling needed a break away from the blog!!

I take it this means Dee is no longer active as of the release. He’s not going to see action against Boston, tomorrow, right?

I don’t really know enough about professional basketball but maybe Jeff or Tom has some knowledge. You, too, SportzWiz. I know he has an agent. So will he possibly be offered a different NBA team; or go with Europe? I know when he played with Galastaray several USA players came around this time?

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:51 PM

Here’s an interesting stat: over the first 11 games of the season, played w/ EJ as coach, the team had a negative differential of 97 points overall — about 9 points a game. Awful.

In the 8 games since Tap took over, we are 3-8, but we have a *positive* differential of 23 overall — almost 3 points up per game.

That’s a very nice improvement. Despite the wins not coming as we’d want.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:53 PM

Oh, Dee will be able to make a good living playing basketball — and his 20 games in the NBA, pretty productive games, will help get him the next gig.

Whether it’s in the league or not, who knows, but his career as a pro has just started, slwiz. Not to worry.

Comment from SportzWiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:53 PM

slwiz, I just want to say that you don’t have to be missed. As a sports fan since the age of three I have grown to love many players and just a few teams. However when one of my beloved players leaves to a new team i still cheer on that person and keep cheering the team.

So while Dee has left us I hope you can continue your support of the Wiz and support Dee. Believe me I wish him nothing but the best. He will be missed by this entire organization. A true class act in every sense of the word.

So I hope you will stay with us on the blog and cheer on the Wiz while cheering on Dee in his next pursuit in life.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:55 PM

slwiz-maybe he can catch on in Chicago, would be a nice story, Kirk will be out for a while and he and Rose would really be a blaze in the back court, but in the end I agree with Tom, his time with the Wizards really help showcase him to the NBA and for him it should really work out.

Comment from slwiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 6:57 PM

So Jeff you’ve met Kendall Gill. My roomate and I were very lucky to go to the Illinois’ “Night of Legends” alumni game. They were ALL there that night. The Flyin’
Illini, the ‘04 team and many others! Back then in ‘89 we got the Illini games on CBS and I watched them.

Even though I live near the Assembly Hall my roomie is handicapped and we never went much. I have had trouble with crowds and didn’t want to deal with all those people. This year, though, we’ve got tickets and we’ve seen the Clemson game and will look forward to going to see Ohio State and Purdue games.

I believe I should also let you know I’m a female!! Fooled ya didn’t I. So glad to know even us ladies can bring some professionalism and basketball knowledge to the blog!! Keep hangin in there Bridge, gbkdc, and Millie Mill!! Any other ladies ready to step out and introduce themselves!! LOL

Comment from neal
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:03 PM

I was surprised to see EG cut Brown instead of Dixon. We all pretty much know about Dixon. But Brown is still improving, as he gets more confident. He’s hampered, however, by not having been drafted in the first round.

This makes us thin at PG, which is what Dixon should be considered now. I hope he is consistently better than my impression of him.

I imagine Crittendon was obtained for potential. I’m sure EG figured he was getting a potentially big contributor w/o giving up one.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:05 PM

slwiz-man or woman,lol….You bring alot to the board and you fooled me like Sam Bowie being picked before Jordan, lol. Yes I was a huge fan, heck even wanted to go there and play ball because of that team, especially when they would play Indiana or Michigan. Yes all of the ladies on the board are great fans and passionate about basketball and the Wizards, and for the record the guys on here not too bad either! (guys that was for us, lol)

Comment from slwiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:09 PM

Thanks again for letting me know Dee will be okay in the professional league. You know just this morning I was writing him a nice supportive letter that change could be coming; maybe he and JaVale might go to the bench because Darius and Juan are stepping up. You know, that that change could be good and he could see that through.

I didn’t know yet about the trades when I wrote that. Part of why I got slammed so hard for him and of course he’s “our boy”. But I believe, no, I just know, he’s got skills for the league and basketball. I’ve seen them in person!! So you think the scouts have seen his good abilities? He’s not a scorer for now nor will he grow but he’s mighty on that break and if he’s got a big to get him going on the break wow; wouldn’t that have been something to see; him and Brendon. He and JaVale had it; that chemistry, but it was more off the bench.

I just think more time was needed for him to develop with this team. Just not enough time in the organizations time schedule. Just made me mad. I believe the All Stars are figuring out how to play with the role veterans and bench rookies. They just couldn’t figure out how to play with Dee and JaVale yet. Hopefully Juan and JaVale can light things up!! And this new player, James will bring size and scoring that Dee just didn’t match up with CB3 and Antawn to show. It would have come though; I truly believe that.

So, it’s on me to be there to see what the Wiz can do!!

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:12 PM

slwiz — cool! We need women fans, so *please* stay w/ us.

neal — I doubt they ever considered cutting Juan, given that he has a veterans minimum salary, wch is partly payed by the league and given his local ties.

Above all, however, his last two games would have made cutting him look pretty strange. He basically won last night’s game w/ his play. This is from someone who doesn’t think that overall Juan is a productive NBA player. But, you can’t deny what’s in front of your eyes.

Btw, neal again, I can’t imagine why you think Mike James is a better player than Antonio. No way, he is a below average player and Antonio is well above average. Now, if you think Antonio is over the hill, that’s different — but why wouldn’t Mike be in the same boat? They are about the same age.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:13 PM

It seems obvious to me that the trade was about Crittenton; it’s just that someone wanted Antonio, and that made it possible to craft the deal.

Comment from slwiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:15 PM

I’ve not really read too many earlier comments; need some time still to adjust. But I did notice some links for the new players. That’s nice. You guys all seem to be able to “let go” so easily. Of course maybe it’s just being Dee’s fan. You know I’ve only met him once in person!! But his blogs are so informative and so is his music. Maybe that’s why Gils blogs are so supported.

Drat, gotta go fix supper for my roomie. I’m thinking about changing my gravatar to include her, too. Would that throw you all off too much?

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:22 PM

Tom if you listen to EG, he really made it seem like Javaris was the key to this (I totally agree w\ you) I do wonder about Mike James? slwiz whatever you do with your window (gravatar) it will be ok,lol. I have to fix mine also, so if anyone can send the instructions I would appreciate that.

Comment from airdrakos
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:25 PM

Hey everyone !

This is my first post here….I was shocked seeing AD leaving DC and Wizards , he was great the first year we signed him . I hope he wont kick us in the butt ( yes we deserve it after resigning injured arenas and giving the sack to Eddie ) when he returns as a hornet . My belief is that wizards need a change . A major one . Finishing last in the league and hoping for the best in the lottery isnt the best . Finding a coach that ll teach wizards some defence and make us again a playoff team which ll be able to win Cavs ( hell yeah cant wait for the moment i ll watch Lesteroids James walking off the court with his head down…) is our ultimate goal . Also we should check our roster. The bench at this moment isnt deep enough and we our starting five players seem to be incapable of carrying the team on their shoulders while Gil is still on the mend . We resigned Arenas and Jamison . I wonder if anyone in this team has given any serious thought on it..Arenas underwent a third knee surgery and he hasnt played for nearly 2 years while Jamison seems to struggle. Not to mention Deshawn…
Anyway , i hope Wizards find their way and get out of this mess as soon as possible .
Best regards
A Greek Wizards fan

Comment from ChenierFan
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:29 PM

Here’s my reaction to the trade:

HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY!
HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY!

Let’s face it, it has been downright painful to watch Deshawn and Dee labor each night with scattershot jumpers and impotent playmaking. Is it any small wonder that we were always down by 8 after 5 minutes every game?

Ernie gave Dee a chance, and it didn’t work out. Good luck to him. Antonio this year was like having a coach on the floor. Too bad we needed a player on the floor – he didn’t get out of 3rd gear all year long. He couldn’t penetrate like he used to and his defense was poor. But thanks for your 3 years of service. Good luck to you too.

We got Mike James. Didn’t this guy average 20/game a couple of years ago? That is production with a capital “P” (That rhymes with “T” that stands for “Trouble” [for our opponents]).

We got Javaris Crittenton. This guy is off the charts athletic. He can penetrate at will AND finish. Since he is only 20 he will need Coach Taps to give him some confidence (like he has with Andray). Just because this is his third team in his first 2 years doesn’t mean he is a bad player (does the name Chauncey Billups ring a bell?)I expect this guy to contribute, maybe not right away, but down the road for sure.

This trade makes us way better. The backcourt was our weakest link. We needed more firepower and athleticism in the backcourt and we got it.

Way to go Ernie!

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:31 PM

Suns and Bobcats trade, Jason Richardson to the Suns, Diaw to the Bobcats, wow

Comment from TAG FLIP
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:31 PM

I’m thinking the Wizards starters for tomorrow, if James and Crittenton don’t pass their physicals, will be

PG – Juan Dixon
SG – DeShawn Stevenson
SF – Caron Butler
PF – Antawn Jamison
C – JaVale McGee

I like this trade further in the sense that it will allow Juan Dixon to further increase his role in Ed Tapscott’s offense. His presence was surely felt in last night’s Detroit game.. I mentioned it after the game last night, +33 with Dixon on the floor. Now, I’m not saying we’ll be +33 every game when Dixon plays, but his presence like I said is felt greatly. I’m glad EG was able to sign Dixon and bring him back to DC, because when he was here from 2002-05 he was still a rookie/young player, the same way Nick Young is now. Now he’s journeyed around and has transformed into a “rookie veteran” (if that makes any sense). With Juan now being a veteran at least in my books, combined with the addition of the veteran Mike James… LOOK OUT NBA!!!

Comment from slwiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:41 PM

Impotent playmaking. You are calling Dee an impotent playmaker. Lets call a spade a spade. If CB3 and Antawn would have been running the Princeton offense the way it was designed and not shooting those “non rhythm” jumpers Dee’s playmaking would have been fine. They did not allow him to lead them. Plain and simple. Now you are rid of him. Hope you are satisfied. Better for the Wiz. Better for him.

I know this to be true because look at Juan. Off the bench +33. They ran the Princeton with him. They passed; they screened for Darius and Blatche. I will not accept negative comments to Dee at this time. Or anytime. I will fight with every breath I have because I saw them IGNORE Dee and not pass him the ball. That is not TEAM basketball and it happened more than once. You do not ignore your rookies; especailly starters. Talk about embarssement. If I started with 3 other players and they had stats like Deshaun, Dee, and JaVAle; I’d be hididng my head.

Learn from this ALL STARS. Play with all the team and not just the vetererns.

And the reason I gave in an earlier post. I don’t think they realize what they did. They have had such a horrible season, lost there two starters and had to shoulder the BIG burden of keeping this team together.
They are wonderful ALL STARS and with learning from this they will continue to lead this team into WINS and the Playoffs.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:46 PM

TagFlip-even if both players do past there physicals, are you thinking one of them would start?

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:48 PM

I feel against Boston we will see more of the Blatche and McGee line up, to combat KG and Perkins.

Comment from slwiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:52 PM

About AD he’ll see some action and maybe be the influence CP3 needs!! Ach…. another team to try and watch!! LOL You’ll keep the blog cast informed on his status, too, I’m sure!!

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:55 PM

Raja Bell and Sean Singleton, also to the Bobcats as well

Comment from slwiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:58 PM

….Was a teammate of Caron Butler during he 2002-03 season in Miami…

Uh need I say more about playing with a team mate, LOL Just saw that background!!!

I wouldn’t see why he wouldn’t start if he’s physically ready. He’s a vet and probally could know what CB3 does and might fit in!

Comment from slwiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 7:59 PM

Who is Memphis? I know New Orleans is Hornets.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:00 PM

slwiz-Alot of people ask that question,lol. They are the Grizzlies, a young team has Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo and that’s it.

Comment from okabiro
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:01 PM

http://www.washingtonwizardsblog.com/2007/06/08/pre-draft-workouts-day-2-part-i/

-Gilbert gave JC his shoes when JC busted his during the pre-draft workouts….

Comment from TAG FLIP
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:02 PM

jeffmalone – no i dont think so, not right away at least. i think maybe after awhile Tapscott will use Mike James as the starting PG. I don’t foresee Tapscott making NY the regular starting PG until Gil returns.. NY is your consistent spark of the bench, don’t do something to mess that up. 59 bench points against detroit. our bench has been something of an afterthought in recent years. this is the year that, once healthy, we can make a TON of noise. i guarantee you, with a healthy gilbert arenas, and if no one gets hurt down the stretch (knock on wood), we can be a very lethal team.

Comment from slwiz
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:03 PM

Thanks! Do you know the search words for where the teams are listed in the power rankings? that’s it, i’ll try “power rankings”1:)

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:05 PM

Source: Suns get Richardson from Cats
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: December 10, 2008, 6:22 PM ET
Comment
Email
Print
The Phoenix Suns have completed a deal with the Charlotte Bobcats to acquire high-scoring swingman Jason Richardson, according to NBA front-office sources.

The multiplayer deal will require the Suns to part with forward Boris Diaw and defensive ace Raja Bell, two mainstays from the team that averaged 58 wins over the last four seasons under former Suns coach Mike D’Antoni.

The Suns will also receive a future second-round pick from the Bobcats and forward Jared Dudley while sending Sean Singletary to the Bobcats.

Senior writer Marc Stein covers the NBA for ESPN.com.

Comment from wiz-skins07
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:32 PM

Tom,

What do you think about Hansborough?

I think he’s a rich man’s Songaila..just b/c of his explosiveness…

Comment from Reuben
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:39 PM

wiz skins, hes MUCH more than a rich mans Songaila he has a much better game all-around. He is also taller and stronger.

Comment from wiz-skins07
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:42 PM

taller?

maybe by 1/2 and inch..he’s got a jumper so does songaila…Songaila hustles and does all the dirty work..rebounds…much like Hansborough..

Comment from Reuben
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:48 PM

But Hansbrough is clearly much more dominant and hes smarter and has a larger variety of moves

Comment from wiz-skins07
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:49 PM

TRUE…

Comment from Da_Big_Taba
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:56 PM

i really like hansborough. he’s a warrior

Comment from Reuben
Time December 10, 2008 at 8:59 PM

Hansbrough will probably be a bust or a big time player

Comment from dmac
Time December 10, 2008 at 9:16 PM

thank you eg for making a move. i appreciate everything ad did for the wiz. but something had to happen. i like eg style because he makes the move when you least expect but also when we really needed to make a move. with gil out and very little offensive production coming from the backcourt of dee brown, antonio daniels and deshawn stevenson this was a intriguing move.
i have seen a quite a few 1-8 and 1-9 and 2-10 games from ds.
even though mike james is not a prototype point guard he will fit well with ds because teams know that you just can’t let mike james shoot without a hand in his face. mike is very streaky and the type of guy to get six or seven threes on any given night. when he had the ball in his hand at toronto he lit it up from the point guard spot. that is what we miss by not having gil in the lineup to fill the hoop up. mike james gives us a bonafide number 3 scorer behind caron and aj. as much as we look forward to getting gil back hopefully by mid january. javariss c. gives us the opportunity to see if he can be our point guard for the future. i liked what i saw from him at ga. tech. at memphis he was not going to get much of a opportunity with mike conley/kyle lowry splitting the pg duties. at 6ft. 5in.jg gives us more size and a defensive presence at the one spot. he can also play the 2. but we still got nick. could be a nice rotation for the future with jc, nick and gil.
another good thing is that we don’t have antonio’s contract on the books anymore.
as we all are entitled to our own opinion this move by eg gives us some hope because for the most part we can’t do that much worser than we have. hopefully the piston game can usher in some form of new beginning. many of us believe we have some good talent on our team. it is kind of sad that a move like this did not happen before ej was let loose. but now for those us who believe that eg is a good judge of talent we will now see what becomes of this latest move. the other thought i had was that mike james will help us not miss roger mason as much.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 9:29 PM

Hansbrough seems to be playing off the charts this year, except for rebounding (don’t know why…). But… will that translate to the league? I don’t know.

Draftexpress compares him to Songaila; that makes sense to me. I can’t see him being as good as Kevin Love, who was picked in the lottery in a deep draft. Draftexpress projects Hansbrough to go at #21 next June.

Comment from gbutler79
Time December 10, 2008 at 9:31 PM

Why is Avery Johnson not on our sidelines? Gil’s return will not save this team. We have enough talent to easily compete in the East. No offense Tapscott. We need a Coach.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 9:49 PM

Antonio’s contract and Mike’s contract are almost identical — how do you think we were able to make the trade, dmac? And they are both through next year (AD has the year, mike has an option for it, wch he’ll certainly take).

Mike James has bounced around; I don’t know how much we expect from him. Ernie wanted Crittenton, and he got him. We’ll see how that turns out.

We have an overall positive differential in the 8 games since Tap took over. It’d be better if we were 5-3 instead of 3-5, but we were jelling as a team. To be honest, I don’t think this trade will help *at all* this year. Crittenton is not someone ready for prime time, and James is a definite downgrade in production from Antonio.

As to the “James can really fill it up” stuff, maybe we should remember where our problems have been. Closing people out. Defending.

You don’t win in the NBA by outscoring the other team; you win by rebounding better, not turning the ball over, and defending better. That gives you additional possessions which you use to score *efficiently* and win.

Antonio is a little better than Mike at everything right down the line (including scoring *efficiency,* tho he shoots much less) and a lot better at avoiding fouls. Net, he is a significantly better player.

But, Antonio didn’t take minutes away from DeShawn — if Mike does that, we might be ok.

Comment from getabigboyoffense
Time December 10, 2008 at 9:54 PM

I’d been lobbying for AD to join ET at the end of the bench for weeks…now I’m lobbying for ET to join AD anywhere else…EG, trade ET for a future pick and give Pech some playing time.

How anyone could think that this is not a great deal for the Wiz is beyond me. We got rid of the anchor and we got a 21 year-old, first-round pick 6″4 point guard who loves to run. If coach T treats him like he treats the other young players we have a lot to look forward to in the coming years (JC, NY, AB, NM, JM…all in their early 20’s and getting playing time to develop). This guy can handle the ball and he can elevate. He is not afraid to take the ball to the hoop or create contact on the drive. Ernie wanted him earlier, but didn’t want to give up the draft of JM; and now we have both JM and JC. Nice work Ernie. We were only lacking a good point guard to turn some of those earlier close loses into wins. Let’s see how it goes over the next few weeks. No matter what, the future looks brighter.

Go Wiz!

Comment from getabigboyoffense
Time December 10, 2008 at 10:04 PM

Tom M,

Sorry but you DO win in the NBA by outscoring the other team. As a matter of fact that’s usually how you win in most sports (golf excluded). I’d rather see a run and gun, last basket wins game than some low-scoring disaster. For that matter, so would the NBA. Most of the rules that have been introduced in recent years (for example allowing ZONE defense) have been implemented to encourage scoring.

I have never seen an NBA game where the winner was declared because they suceeded in”rebounding better, not turning the ball over, and defending better.” even though they had the lower score.

Come on, statistics are interesting during the off-season when we’re arguing who we should trade and who we should trade for and who we should draft, but during the season the game is played on the court.

Comment from Reuben
Time December 10, 2008 at 10:21 PM

Ricky Rubio will probably be a great NBA player but we dont really need a pg

Comment from getabigboyoffense
Time December 10, 2008 at 10:49 PM

Hi Reuben, I know that you are not claiming that Rubio is the next Maravich, but I just saw some comparisons of Ricky Rubio to Pete Maravich and I had to comment.

I looked at the on-line videos of Ricky. Based on those videos (which I assume are his highlights), anyone who compares Ricky Rubio to Pistol Pete Maravich never saw Pete play basketball. Pete could do things on a basketball court that NO ONE else has ever been able to do. It was a shame that in his prime he played with horrible teams. In his fading hours he played with the Celtics, but his showtime was just about over. Absolutely the most entertaining basketball player ever. You want to see basketball at its best, watch this ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y5KAaercTI . How’s about these career numbers:
G 658 FG% .441 3PFG% .667 FT% .820 Rebs 2,747 RPG 4.2 Asts 3,563 APG 5.4 Stls 587 Blks 108 Pts PPG 24.2

One of the top 50 players in the history of the game., and one of my personal favorites. Hello, Ricky fans!!!

Comment from AUNDRA
Time December 10, 2008 at 10:54 PM

I just hope the team comes in focus and doesn’t have the DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS effect against Boston. There point guard is outstanding with his penetration and dishes so we have to get our mindsets ready to play!The Three Head Monster is very good also! The big guy in the center maybe a problem for thin Mcgee so I hope Maucho Man Songalia is up to the task!We need the bench to duplicate itself once again . Lets see what we can do with the new offensive arsenal at the helm!

Comment from neal
Time December 10, 2008 at 11:21 PM

Re. who is untouchable: No One

Guys that I think will be here when we play for the championship: McGee, Blatche, Butler, McGuire, Young

Other possibles: Arenas, Songaila, Pecherov, Crittenton

Comment from getabigboyoffense
Time December 10, 2008 at 11:26 PM

I got energized watching the old Pete Maravich highlights and I’m wondering which players the bloggers would rate as the best ever at the five positions. My top 4 choices at each position would be:

1 – Oscar Robertson,Magic Johnson, Bob Cousey, Pete Maravich
2 – Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Jerry West, Rick Barry
3 – Julius Erving, Bob Petit, Charles Barkley, Billy Cunningham
4 – Elgin Baylor, Kevin McHale, Dolph Schayes, Scotty Pepin
5 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell , George Mikan

Comment from getabigboyoffense
Time December 10, 2008 at 11:30 PM

Any one of those fantasy teams 1-4 could beat any of the others on any given night. Love this game. It’played on the court.

Go Wiz!

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 10, 2008 at 11:33 PM

getabigboy — obviously, you win by posting a bigger score than the opponent. You just don’t get there by hoping to outscore them.

FG %, Rebounds, steals, lack of turnovers, etc. — these things are correlated w/ winning basketball. The teams that do those things better have better records, full stop.

The teams that have guys who can jump through the roof have holes in their roofs.

Again, I point you to what Chauncy has done for Denver vs. what AI has done for Detroit. No, it’s not an accident, and it’s not ‘chemistry’ (a mythical notion).

Put together players w/ better numbers and you get a team that wins more games. Antonio is just plain a better player than Mike James (that’s why NO wanted him). We wanted Crittenton and were willing to do the other part of the trade to get him. If you think Crittenton is ready for prime time, e.g. 20 minutes a game, why don’t you tell me what *in his record* gives you that idea? Is it his low FG%, his lots of turnovers, his low number of steals, his bad FT% — which of those do you like best?

Comment from Bridge
Time December 10, 2008 at 11:34 PM

Comment from John50
Time December 10, 2008 at 11:40 PM

HI GUYS WELL I WONT SAY MUCH BUT GOOD LUCK TO BOTH AD and DEE BROWN I REALLY, REALLY KNOW THEY BOTH WILL BE SUCCESSFUL W/THEIR ENDEAVORS. THEY BROUGHT ALOT TO THE TEAM-AND WILL DO SO FOR OTHER TEAMS> DEE , YOU’LL BE BACKIN ROTATION SOON-I KNOW!!!

Comment from John50
Time December 10, 2008 at 11:46 PM

THIS IS WIERD LOL, BUT I WAS SHOT AN EMAIL FROM BRIDGE ON THIS SITUATION…SINCE SHE’S IMPATIENT, (AND HER COMMENT IS IN ‘MODERATION’), SHE ASKED IF I COULD POST THIS FOR HER:
[**REMEMBER, THIS IS BRIDGE'S COMMENT**]
_______________________________________

I’ll say what I said when the news was out about EJ (which is): the NBA is a business, so it’s like “go-figure” when things like this happen, but I’m a big fan of AD so I was: 1) shocked (first of all); and 2) sad, not just for AD, but also for Dee Brown – - I could’ve cried though about AD.

…But like with Tom and some others said, I DO think that the Hornets is a great temporary ‘home’ for him because they aren’t a bad team at all. If anything, I was excited for AD because I thought that they would’ve kept him around to maybe be an assistant coach or (what ‘Tap’ was…is (??)) Director of Player Development…Or maybe my views aren’t really realistic because it’s only something that I would’ve done. He just seemed like such a good guy who was always ready to cheer his teammates on, both on and off the floor and his basketball knowledge is just off the charts. Some people would argue that his presence was nothing, but in my opinion, it was everything – - facilitator of the floor; tough; great with free-throws (remember last season, I swear he only missed like one); could’ve indeed chose to shoot the ball every touch he got, but didn’t because he was always involving his teammates – - let me stop before I go on forever. The Hornets are LUCKY to have him and I wish him nothing but the best – I know I’ll see him coaching…AND PLEASE FOR AN NBA TEAM!! (because I think that in one interview he said that he wouldn’t want to coach for the NBA). If you reading this AD: PLEASE CONSIDER DOING SO – THE NBA NEEDS YOU!!

Comment from John50
Time December 10, 2008 at 11:52 PM

[**BRIDGE CONT.**]

As far as Dee, I could admit that I was a bit skeptical about him; said that I’d prefer Juan and Demarr before him; said that he was TOO fast and looked like a ‘hot-head,’ but I’m pretty hard on people, at first. After a while though, he started to stick out IN A GOOD WAY. You could tell that for every game, he was just ready to go out there and play – to give his all, and he ALWAYS DID. I think that I was also very hard on him too because in my mind, AD was ALWAYS Gil’s backup – I wasn’t ready to accept anyone else. Dee is great though and I finally know why he’s so popular down in Illi…he’s hungry and he’s good to his fans. I have no doubt that he’ll be picked up, so Dee, if you reading this: KEEP YO HEAD UP. Hey, I’m short too, but POTENTIAL is what makes us short people colossal – - remember that…

And Sl(wiz); I call you Sl because I kinda got a nickname for everyone on here – - if you don’t stay (because I feel where you’re coming from), you won’t be forgotten. As a matter of fact, I look for your comments because 9 times out of 10, they are so positive and kinda like a breath of fresh air. I also KNEW that you were a girl – seriously …I just…knew. I feel where you’re coming from because, even with me being a SUPER fan, I can admit that my enthusiasm to watch these games fell kinda drastically now that AD is gone. When the reports came out, I was in complete denial…I was like “NOOO; this got to be some ‘yellow journalism’ [s-word] going on right now…” Just don’t forget us ok…
Don’t like the trade though, but maybe in the future (at some point when I’m no longer watching), this trade will prove me wrong??

Olé to my boy TF: I GET BUCKETS SON!!

I’m tryin’…I think I need a drink, and I don’t even drink…

- Oh, and thanks J50 for this favor

Comment from getabigboyoffense
Time December 11, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Hi Tom M.

Love your posts. It keeps things interesting and gives me fodder for posts.

If only statistics won bball games, you’d have your dream job in the NBA. I would have loved having you as my student manager when I coached. You are a master of statistics, and I would have used that input to prepare for game day…BUT, game day is GAME DAY…Statistics be hanged at that point. When they throw up that opening tip the game is on the court where chemistry is the boss…not stats.

In the NBA, where every player is exceptional (only the best make the cuts each year), how you incorporate the skills of the players on your team…how you determine your rotations is important. Statistics are important only insofar as we create the team…who we hire. You are ignoring the chemistry of the game; the flow; the fun; who we play at what point of the game; how we force the opposition to match up against our lineup. While your statistical analysis of our personnel might be right -on, it has no bearing on our use of that personnel to compete successfully in the NBA.

Keep it coming. Even though I frequently disagree with you, I read everyone of your blogs. That’s what this is all about!

BTW, I am in my 60’s and anytime you want to go one-on-one or shoot horse for a few bills, just let me know.

Go Wiz!

Comment from Wizfan4life
Time December 11, 2008 at 12:52 AM

Wow….I am really surprised by this trade….I do think Daniels was given less minutes this season (in my opinion he should have started over dee brown). I think this is probably a bad trade for the wizards though because it means potentially less minutes for Stevenson and possibly NY……I think we should have kept dee brown…with time he could have improved….I do like Crittendon though, great potential!

Comment from GlingGling
Time December 11, 2008 at 1:09 AM

slwiz, I feel for you. I’m not happy to see Dee go. He is straight up a wonderful guy. He has heart at an elite level. He’s also a good baller. I like him and as Tom says, he’ll find a job. Don’t let the haters get to you slwiz.

As for the rest of it. I agree with the folks who aren’t upset about AD leaving. In the short term it’s a great move cause I think AD is gonna be hobbling around for a while. Clearly the Wiz are looking for something short term to pump some life into the team.

As for the rest of it, I don’t know jack about the players other than there stat lines. That don’t tell me much, I’ll watch them play and see what I think. I suggest to everyone to see how these players fit into the Wizards organization before committing huge amounts of energy to either touting or tearing down these guys.

Movement is interesting. New dynamics are fun.

Comment from lenman
Time December 11, 2008 at 1:18 AM

Not a bad move, worth a shot to see if the young player’s athleticism makes him a good basketball player.
I’m glad Antonio is getting a shot with a contending ballclub. He like the other veterans are top flight, class acts.

The bigger question is with another young player what will be the organization’s committment to player development. However, with the schizophrenic playing time allocated to Javale AS AN EXAMPLE, I’m curious if this group even has a clue with respect to long term player development. Javale is not playing with the confidence and passion that he was two weeks ago.
And that is a shame because he has to be one of the most important pieces of your future.

The larger issue is what is the overall objective of this organization. Is it;

(a) Sign, Play a bunch of older decent ballplayers and win just enough games to be respectable, fill the arena most of the time and lose in the first round ( we got this one down pat).

EACH WIZARD SEASON IS THE SAME, REMINDS ME OF THE MOVIE GROUNDHOG DAY. MORE OF THE SAME, EVERY YEAR.

Does anyone honestly think that this team is a going to make the playoffs and if by some miracle they do, beat Boston or Cleveland in the first round.

(b) develop a team through rebiuilding with talented young players (and accept the lumps and bumps of a systematic rebuilding process). Teams like Atlanta, Utah, Orlando, the Lakers and Portland paid the price and now are reaping the rewards. They played their young guys, let them make mistakes and now they have teams that will be extremely competitive for a long time.

Please, could someone go find a mentor for our younger pivot players, like Patrick Ewing is for Dwight Howard in Orlando and Kareem is for Andrew Bynum. What about a guy like Alonzo Morning to come work with our bigs.

MAKE THE COMMITTMENT TO PLAYING YOUR YOUNG GUYS SIGNIFICANT MINUTES.

(c) entertain the fans (the major reason to go without Gilbert is to watch JaVale or the other team).

The most viable option for this squad is to package Antwain, DeShawn and our first round lottery pick for either a two guard/athletic three and a backup point guard. The reality is this with Antwain here, none of the young guys are going to get enough time to develop. Antwain is such a good player that he would be difficult to relegate to a sixth man role like he had in Dallas. I realize Antwain’s recent comntract makes him a difficult player to move.

D) If we don/t trade our pck for a player, I don”t see how you can pass on Stephon Curry(if available). Unlike JJ Reddick, the kid is a combo guard that can play both the point and score. He also can get his own shot and is a good passer. Some of the bloggers have been touting Tyler Hansbrough as a lottery pick (you got to be kidding). He lacks the athleticism and has limited range on his shot.

E) As much as I love to se Gil play, hold him out until next season. There is no point to risking further injury on a non-playoff season. You also free up additional playing tme, becuase we know if Gilbert comes back he is going to play 40 minutes.

Last night was a good win but lets keep it in perspective. Detroit is a team in significant disarray. We are 4-15 and havent went out west yet or played Boston or Cleveland. Even if we play .500 ball, the rest of the way we end up with 36 wins. The most important thing is for young player development. wITH THE RETURN OF Brendon, Gil, the steady play of Caron and the growth of Andray, Javale and Nick and another piece through trade, we could be right at the top in a couple of years.

Comment from eden
Time December 11, 2008 at 1:36 AM

sad to see daniels go… dee brown was not good so that was a good drop

i think it would be smart for EG to package dshawn and jamison for a very strong 4/5 position and start developing blatche/mcgee at the 4/5 so that when arenas comes back we will have a new and improved line up.

Not sure if this trade will do much but being 4-15 we had to shake things up. Given, it wasn’t really AD’s fault being injured, but I think it was more to clear up salary space in the future.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 11, 2008 at 4:52 AM

Man I wish we would have done this trade, from the Washington Post:

The Wizards have the NBA’s least-productive back court and have been looking to improve it all season. In fact, according to several league sources, the Wizards and Chicago Bulls nearly had a deal worked out in October that would have sent Daniels and Etan Thomas to Chicago as a part of a package for Larry Hughes, a former Wizards guard. The deal collapsed after Hughes injured his shoulder.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time December 11, 2008 at 5:02 AM

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Who’s Blogging» Links to this article
Thursday, December 11, 2008; Page E05

PERSONNEL DEPT.

Wizards: G Juan Dixon is expected to make his fourth start of the season following the trade of Antonio Daniels and release of Dee Brown, who had started 11 straight games. Dixon came off the bench to score a season-high 16 points on Tuesday.

Comment from Jason C
Time December 11, 2008 at 7:03 AM

I think the important thing is we’re doing the reverse of what the franchise used to do, which is moving our older aging players for younger / more athletic players. I’m not that old but I remember the days of trading sheed, big ben, c webb, and rip for older players that never panned out. Whether or not we can land that stud 4/5 down the road will be the key.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time December 11, 2008 at 8:23 AM

Jeff Malone,

YOU’RE FUNNY….LOL…….

Good point JasonC., the whole city was sad after those moves…and guess who was the GM.

I wish everyone the best in their future endeavors (NBAers and Bloggers). Does anyone think EG is throwing a party over the moves that he made? He is simply doing his job, whether we agree or not, I’m glad EG is doing SOMETHING. Just like everyone was pleaing for a change of some sort, WE GOT IT and there may be more. So beware of what we ask for, we may get it

And at the end of the day, we may need what we ask for…..hmmmmm

GO EG, GO WIZ!!

Comment from aznzero
Time December 11, 2008 at 8:37 AM

lets go wiz!

anyword that our new guys will play tonight or is antonio still waiting to get his physical?

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time December 11, 2008 at 9:54 AM

getabigboy — back at you; I enjoy your posts too. And… like you I’m in my 60s too!! So, it’d be a slo-mo one-on-one, huh?

Stats only help you look backwards, judge where a player has been and what he is now. Nothing prevents a player from improving. And, yes, the NBA is the best of the best, and everyone can ball. Any player can have a big night.

Still, here’s what a long look shows: after their 3d year, very few players improve. That’s why this year and next are so important for Nick and Dominic, and why this year (effectively his 3d) is critical for Andray.

Players put up very similar numbers in the nba year after year — unlike for example major league baseball where guys tend to go up and down. Don’t know why this is so, and obviously there are exceptions, but it is characteristic of the league. One thing you learn is that coaching really doesn’t have that much of an effect on wins and losses. If the same players put up the same numbers as they move from team to team, then it ain’t the coaching that is making the difference betweens wins and losses, it’s the players.

Turning that around, Doc Rivers didn’t suddenly become a great coach last year after being a terrible coach when they were winning 20 a season. He got Kevin Garnett, P.J. Brown, James Posey & Ray Allen — those guys’ll make *me* a good coach!

Sports, and esp. the NBA is tremendous fun. It’s the *game* not the stats that keeps us glued to the TV set and calls forth these intense emotional responses — like mine to a trade that cost Dee Brown his NBA job.

But, stats — analytical thinking one might say — that’s fun too. At least for me. A different kind of fun, and *a lot less important* obviously than the game itself. Still… definitely fun.

Along those lines, if you haven’t read The Wages of Wins, I recommend it, along with Dave Berri’s Wages of Wins blog.

To quote you: “Go Wiz” !!

Comment from aznzero
Time December 11, 2008 at 10:03 AM

hey getabigboyoffense,

let me get in that game of horse i dint get my name Azn Zero for nothing.

Comment from Agent0
Time December 11, 2008 at 11:28 AM

Honestly, I don’t know if that was the best thing to do. I don’t think letting AD go was a good idea AT ALL. I don’t know if this is true or not, but in MY opinion, I think Tapscott just did this just to get attention. I really do think that. OK, maybe it wont be so bad, but the main thing which really confuses me is…why waive your starting point guard? This is going to come back and bite us in our behinds. Dee Brown was exceptional. There is a reason he was starting point guard. He was strong, played excellent defense, and we all know that he was lightning fast. But he did was he needed to, which was to help set up other players..basically assists.

We dont need scorers, we need people to set up our offense. So yeah, we had those 2, and we just lost them. Its already frustrating enough with our record being shoved in our face almost everynight, but this is NOT going to help our team any more than it already was. Stupid move.

But what’s done is done. Can’t do anything about it anymore. Best wishes to AD though. I know he is going to be greatly appreciated in NO.

Also, we hope for a quick, but FULL recovery for Gilbert. Patience will pay off in the long run. We dont need someone who will only play a couple games and re-injure himself and be out for the season again. It’s just not worth it.

But anywho..best of luck tonight against the Champs. We don’t need it though, seeing as how we did what no other team did last season, so I’m not the slightest bit worried.

Comment from bolortugul
Time December 12, 2008 at 4:52 AM

acTually, we don’t need these guys. we need points. This trade was terrible for us and great trade for NO

Comment from dmac
Time December 12, 2008 at 9:47 AM

I know we played the Champs last night. Yet it seems like the hardest thing for us to accomplish is to win two games in a row. When we lose games like this it shows you why they blame the coaches. Coaches are suppose to prepare our players not just physically but more importantly mentally.
The majority of our games are lost because we lose focus. Those fundamentals that teach how to block out and don’t give up offensive rebounds. How to keep players from just spotting up shooting 3’s. Working the intangibles. Hustling, playing smart, not being selfish but actually playing together as a unit.
All I am asking the Wizards for Christmas is a two or three game winning streak.
I’m not asking for a new electronic gadget or anything
just a winning streak. Is that too much to ask for?
If know one can see that DS needs to hit the bench and let Nick start is literally blind. I think DS has only had two good games all year. i don’t want to hear how he handles the ball good helping the point guard. Sit him downnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. If he shows in practice and playing time off the bench that he can get his starting spot back then let it be. Right now he can’t hit the side of a barn.

Comment from Saosin507
Time December 12, 2008 at 2:54 PM

wow. we. suck.

Comment from Agent0
Time December 12, 2008 at 4:27 PM

OH WOW. I couldn’t agree more dmac. We need a streak of some sort, even if it may only be 2 games.

But wow…DS is crap right now. We aren’t getting anything out of him. We REALLY do need points, but we can get that from other players. We we need from him is assists. That is what he’s out there for…to set up other people. Right now, he does no such thing. Loosing AD was bad enough, but getting 2 guards that did absolutely nothing in their debut isnt looking good for our future.

I honestly thought that Dee Brown made an excellent starting pont guard. And I think that AD at shooting guard would have been phenomenal. The 2 together would hae made things happen. But oh well, we might as well just dig ourselves even deeper into the whole then we already are.