Comment from dlts20
Time October 24, 2009 at 1:45 PM

I also think that Flip should probably start Blatche with AJ out but I wouldnt be too upset to try Oberto. I think last game was a bit of a mirage as everyone sucked and Blatche’s scoring could help on the bench. However, if you start Oberto and we are struggling to score like last game, then MM gets in foul trouble, Flip better not be dumb in the regular season and come in with DS. If AJ is healthy then fine but without AJ I dont think you can have a lineup with Gil, Caron, DS, Oberto, and Wood. Its not enough scoring. Now if Gil & CB are hot then you might can get away with it but I wouldnt do it without them being on fire

Comment from dlts20
Time October 24, 2009 at 1:47 PM

I see Donklin, DJ, & Glenn talking about how quick Gil looks but I havent really seen it yet. Ive seen some flashes but nothing consistent and substantial. I remember I was arguing with people on the blog inluding DJ during the Mavs game on this very topic. They were all talking about how lighting quick he looks but I keep telling them that I have the Lakers game on tape where he scored 60, the 54 point Suns game, the 30 something point Bobcats game, and so on. He was way quicker in those games than he is now. He was so much more lighter on his feet then. I was listening to the game last night and on the first few plays DJ & Glenn were going crazy about how Gil was blowing by the D but when I saw it back on DVR, he wasnt moving that fast to me. It actually looked like he was struggling. Even Michael Lee after the game said he looked sluggish. If you see him in most cases now compared to what he was a few years ago, you would think that he was fat and out of shape. Thats how he looks. He looks like he’s slow & sluggish compared to that cat but we know thats not the case. We know that he’s in great shape and weigh’s less now than he did then.

He has had some good burst. I like that one drive he had against Dallas when he got the and 1 and I loved that drive & dish he had to Blatche against the Cavs but thats basicaly the only 2 plays when Ive seen a real burst from him. I think part of it is due to 3 things. His injury, his age, and rust. Will he ever get that lighting quick burst back? IDK but he can still dominate without it because he has great handles, is still quicker than most, is stronger than most PG’s, and he’s probably top 3 in the league in terms of knowing how to position his body on O to get leverage on guys and draw contact. Still, I wish we had this version of Gil with the same quickness he had back then. It might come back as the season goes on and as he plays more. It might come back next year because its year 2 of the injury or it might not come back at all. I mean, MJ wasnt the same athelete at 30 that he was at 24 but he was a much better player. Im a huge boxing fan and Mayweather isnt the same guy at the higher weights and in his 30′s as he was at lower weights and in his early 20′s but he’s a better overall fighter. I think Gil can do the same.

His quickness still isnt there though. Even after his 1st surgery he came back with his burst. Even after the 2nd surgery he came back with the burst. Remember when he was coming off the bench and then coming in the game going a 100mph? Now it seems like he doesnt have that after the 3rd surgery. He’s great off the picks because he has mad skill but just blowing by a cat one on one, he cant do that with ease anymore. He moreso just gets position on that guy. Even when people were sweating him in the SL, when I saw the footage I didnt think that he was blazing like he was 1st. Thats 1 part as his individual but overall I havent seen him play with that same team speed either. Meaning, I dont see him pushing the ball like a jet when he gets it anymore. Again, even like he did when he came off the bench after the 2nd surgery. He was non stop pushing it. Now its more of a jog & scan. Again, I think he will get faster as the year goes on and I think he’s still faster than most now but its just not the same as of this minute. The only game that sounds like he was the old Gil with his speed was the Pistons game but IDK because I didnt get to see it. I could see him turning it up because he was against his boy Bynum. I also think that if Gil has 1 lights out game then he will start playing at a faster tempo and want to dominate more.

It sucks not only because he’s passing more but it also sucks because he wants to drive more now which is what Ive been calling for him to do for the longest. Even when he was healthy he had stopped driving but now he’s back on the attack again and that will help us a ton. What I dont like is his overall shot selection now. I think its not horrible but in alot of cases he is hurting himself and the team. He’s so worried about not shooting 3′s that he’s passing up alot of open one’s. Alot of times he doesnt even look at the rim. Then he gets it back later and jacks a long 2 with a hand in his face. It makes no sense. He’s passing up on open 3′s that he can make with ease and settling for long 2′s with a hand in his face just so he wont seem like a gunner or whatever. Take those open shots.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time October 24, 2009 at 3:59 PM

I hope that Coach Saunders has the team playing possum because they look worse, not better with each passing game. There were times during the first half when everyone looked as though he wanted to play some decent defense; in the second half it looked as though everyone just wanted to get off the floor, showered, and go home.

I really don’t like Gil as the primary ball-handler. He’s a scorer, not a playmaker. He shouldn’t be wasting his energy dribbling around looking for some play to develop. When he has the ball he should be looking to score; that will open everything up for everyone else.

SI picks us to make the playoffs and get eliminated in the first round again. SI also has the Cleveland rule-benders (Shaq – he’s too big to control his movements, so we won’t call fouls on him when he slams someone; and LeBronze -let’s change the rule so that the crab dribble is legal) on the cover. We can only hope that the curse of being on the cover of SI continues.

Comment from Babakism
Time October 24, 2009 at 4:03 PM

Gil is just trying to change his identity. When you are 100% one way and you want to find some middle ground sometimes you have to go 100% the other way for a while in order to get there. For instance I stopped going to the gym for about 3 months and today was my 18th consecutive day. Gil might also be pacing himself cause he is tired of getting injured. I think once we get into the regular season and a game gets heated Gils adrenaline will kick in and he’ll look as good as new.

Antawn Jamison should use this time to practice all his trick finishes with his left hand since he can’t shoot with his right. Can you imagine Antawn improving something he is already better at than anyone in the league.

Comment from Babakism
Time October 24, 2009 at 4:05 PM

BTW dlts20 nothing wrong with your blog but I think it might be the longest blog I’ve ever seen lol

Comment from dlts20
Time October 24, 2009 at 4:09 PM

babakism, Im known for that on all the boards I go own.

Comment from dlts20
Time October 24, 2009 at 4:09 PM

ok, I just rewatched the game and 2 things really stood out if you dissected it. 1 is that Blatche has to start. Flip said yesterday before the game that they wanted Blatche to come off the bench against the Bulls so he can get use to that again since AJ will be back soon. He also said he wanted to see how Oberto does against a fast athletic 4 like Thomas. Overall Oberto played good D on Thomas just like he has all Preseason but he did nothing else. I think Flip’s comments about Blatche came before he knew AJ was going to miss that much time. Now it definatly makes sense to start Blatche. I say this because when a guy has an injury, you want his replacment to be as much like that guy as possible so it doesnt completely change everything. Blatche is similar to AJ in that he can score and he can hit the J. Oberto is nothing like AJ so it completely changes the way we play. Blatche can still space the floor and he can run the pick & pop with Gil while yesterday I saw Gil make a great pass to Oberto that AJ & Blatche wouldve shot but Oberto passed it back out. It throws everything off. Then if we did play that way for a long time, when AJ came back we would have to adjust again.

I think it makes way more sense to just start Blatche. You saw that we couldnt score nothing with Oberto but when Blatche came in, Gil started penetrating and kicking to him for the J that Oberto doesnt shoot. Blatche scored 8 quick points and it totally changed our O. It also clears more space out the paint for Wood and it gives Gil more space to penetrate. Add to that the thing I keep saying. All our young guys including Blatche will look 10x better with Gil on the floor. When Gil was out there and Blatche came in, Blatche dominated. When Gil left then Blatche struggled. To maximize everything in Gil’s absence, you might as well just start Blatche.

The other thing that stood out that I hope was just a Preseason thing was that DS was the 1st guy off the bench. No way should he be ahead of Foye. Just because Foye is Gil’s backup doesnt mean that he has to wait for Gil to sit to come in. He should always come in before DS, espicaly if youre going to start Oberto. Everytime DS came in it hurt our O. When we’re struggling to score then you need to give Gil some help and thats Foye. Its totally ok for DS to be in the rotation but he has to come in behind Gil. If MM sits then you bring in Foye. When the quater ends and Gil sits, thats when you bring in DS. Give Foye the most minutest out of the 2. Again, I hope that was just a Preseason thing because the Gil-Foye backcourt has been great so why would you break that up for DS and limit Foye’s minutes?

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time October 24, 2009 at 4:18 PM

That Bulls team just out-hustled us.

CB was a waste both on offense and defense. 33 1/2 minutes and he did nothing to justify the time.

I still don’t see Oberto getting more than a few minutes a game. Never mind he does the little things. What he does is hold people and push them around and commit fouls. He played 15 minutes and got ZEROs everywhere except fouls-4; steals-1 (he picked up a loose ball); and turnovers -2.

Either we’re not setting the picks to shake Young loose; he’s doesn’t know how to use the picks; or the timing is so bad on the pass that his man has recovered by the time he gets the ball…probably all three. He certainly doesn’t resemble Rip Hamilton yet.

With the exception of Blatche, the Wizards couldn’t throw a pea in the ocean. He was the only decent player on the court: 28 minutes, 14 points (7-12), 8 rebounds.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time October 24, 2009 at 4:23 PM

I agree 100% with Coach Saunders decision to NOT start Blatche with AJ out with the injury. When AJ returns, Blatche will be coming off the bench. There is a different mental preparation that is required to start than to come off the bench. It’s good for ‘Dray to be “practicing” coming off the bench.

Comment from GlingGling
Time October 24, 2009 at 4:32 PM

Flip turned Chauncey into a great consistent PG. I’m sure a similar transformation is starting to take place with Gil. Also in anyone remembers the horrors of… two seasons ago? when Gil got his triple-double (?) against the Wolves (?). That was what… game 11? It took Gil a good 11 games to return to form, and I think he was playing pre-season as well although I can’t remember for sure.

Let’s all give Gil and Flip a little time to work their magic. Cause it’s gonna be there.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 24, 2009 at 7:16 PM

One thing I’m wondering about, re: Andray — he started the Bulls game very strong then tailed off, and we’ve seen similar things from him in the past.

I don’t think it has anything to do with anything he can control. I’m starting to wonder whether his conditioning limits are simply such that he’s usually only good for about 20 minutes? In particular, I wonder about his lung capacity. From his build it somehow looks to me like he doesn’t have huge lung capacity.

Hey, I’m just speculating and am no doctor. Still… it happens often enough w/ Dray that I keep thinking it’s just a systemic physical limit with this person.

Comment from GlingGling
Time October 24, 2009 at 7:29 PM

Tom, he did get shot in the chest.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time October 24, 2009 at 8:13 PM

@Tom M. – Tom did you watch the game or you just looking at the stats?

‘Dray’s shot fell in the first half because he had good looks at the basket and Gil got him the ball. He took hurried shots in the second half because: 1. He thought that anything he shot would fall (maturity will fix that) and didn’t square himself to the basket on the shots; and 2. he wasn’t getting the ball with the same looks as when Gil was in the game.

Maybe you are right about the lung capacity, but I’ll bet that the Wiz medical staff would have determined that by now. I watched the game and saw no difference in his stamina from tipoff to finish. He played just as strong the entire time he was in the game.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time October 24, 2009 at 8:28 PM

Banging on ‘Dray has begun to get under my skin. He’s a 23 year-old young man who happens to have four years of NBA experience. In EACH of his NBA years he has improved both stastically and professionally and that improvement has come despite the small-man Princeton offense employed by EJ and the LOTTERY COACH that totally ignored the big men.

This is the first year that Blatche has had a coach who really gives a damn about developing his spectacular talents. Coach Saunders realizes what we have and he will nurture it.

What does everyone expect from ‘Dray. He has demonstrated consistent improvement and he is a GREAT corporate citizen. He is at every charitable event in which the Wizards participate. He is fan-friendly. He’s still a kid. He deserves better than the attacks that have been posted here…even under the guise of “but I hope he’s successful”.

Comment from dmac
Time October 24, 2009 at 9:34 PM

Gabbo what I would like out of AB is for him to seize the moment and opportunity he has. I would like to think that all the great comments about his improvement over the summer the opportunity has arrived for him to show us all the talent we know he has. This really could be a blessing in disguise. If we can get off to a good start with AB starting and MM, Oberto and Dominic coming off the bench playing their roles then we could possibly see AJ coming back as the 6th man. In actuallity with AB in the lineup we match up better with other teams. Gil may shoot a little more to help fill the void of AJ’s absence. In fact if we can get 45-50 a night from Gil & Caron then what we need is everyone else to give their best effort and we be okay. But we must not just depend on the offensive end we must do better defensively.
Does anybody think we should consider free agents, Mike Sweetney, Malik Allen, Stromile Swift, Melvin Ely, Chris Mihm, Shavlik Randolph and etc. as temporary help on the frontline?

Comment from GlingGling
Time October 24, 2009 at 11:26 PM

Dmac, we signed Oberto so we would have help on the front line. As long as Haywood doesn’t go down we’re solid. None of those guys are going to mesh with out system fast enough to be a better choice over Blatche, Oberto, or McGee (let alone better players than our guys).

So, no, we’ve got the personnel we need. We’ve got good personnel. Part of this Championship mentality is about looking inward, into what we have and believing in it.

We don’t need anyone else, and more importantly we shouldn’t want anyone else right now. If things are lookin’ real rosy at the end of the season and it looks like we’re gonna be in the top 4 in the east then, and only then, do we start looking to sign a good veteran with playoff experience.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 25, 2009 at 9:04 AM

Gabbo — I’m not banging on Dray. In fact, if you read my posts in pre-season, I’ve been saying that I’m impressed w/ his improved attitude (and his performance). Obviously, this is a very big year for him; so far, he’s showing the ability to grasp opportunity when it’s available.

What I *was* doing was speculating (as I said) on whether he has a problem that might affect how many productive minutes his physical frame would allow him to offer each game. That limit — if it existed — wouldn’t really make him less valuable or productive as a player. It would just be something to manage.

In any case, Andray Blatche has been a pleasant surprise so far. And you are right, it’s hard to keep in mind that he just turned 23.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 25, 2009 at 9:10 AM

Gabbo — one more thing. I was on a plane and driving a car while the game was on, so I couldn’t watch it alas. Otherwise I would have, and I do watch every game that’s on TV during the season.

It’s the game, not the numbers, that interest me. The numbers are just one of the tools to *analyze* games. Not sufficient unto themselves (and certainly not so at the level of a single game), yet the best single guide to team performance over a season is still the sum of the individual player performances over that season.

When I lived in DC, I shared season tix for several years. Can’t do that viably from the little coastal DE town where I live these days.

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time October 25, 2009 at 5:25 PM

The only starting lineup that gives the Wizards the best chance to go .500 or better without Jamison is

Arenas, Miller, Butler, Blatche, Haywood

I like the size and skill of this lineup. I don’t buy GABBO’s comment that Blatche should come off the bench because his mentality needs to be of a role-player and not a starter.

The only starting lineup that gives the Wizards real relief off the bench is

Arenas, Stevenson, Butler, Blatche, Haywood

The only thing that concerns me about any lineup is Flip playing too many minutes to the starters (i.e., the Eddie Jordan approach). It could very well happen if the Wiz starts mounting L’s instead of W’s.

It was very interesting reading GABBO’s thought that the Bulls just out-hustled the Wiz and thus getting a blowout win. The ironic thing is that the current makeup of the Wiz are mostly skilled players and not hustle players. Caron and McGuire are the only hustle players I can truly say; everyone else doesn’t have that mentality.

Hustle is about effort. If you think about the Wiz’s deficiencies for the last 5 years – from defensive lapses to poor rebounding – all those things are about effort. Guys put in the effort to get in shape and stuff in the off-season, however, they haven’t learned to play harder than their opponents when it counts.

The Wiz can out-gun all other teams in the league but the question remains – can we out-play the stronger teams and beat them?

Comment from GlingGling
Time October 25, 2009 at 6:18 PM

wiz_fusion, at the very least you need to add Antawn to that list of hustlers. His deficiencies on D aren’t for lack of hustle. They are because he is a hybrid forward. One that that should indicate defensive hustle is his proficiency towards double-doubles. For his lack of size at the PF position he sure pulls down the rebounds.

Consistency is also a good measure of hustle.

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time October 25, 2009 at 9:04 PM

@ GG:

I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said; however, I was trying to be narrow with the definition of hustle – which would be on the defensive end. When I think of hustle, I imagine a guy diving and flying into stands for loose balls, playing hard man-to-man D, getting steals, boxing out consistently and jumping over a taller man for a rebound – stuff like that. Also, a lot of the guys on the Bulls can’t shoot particularly well (unlike the guys the Wiz have), but they compensate for that by, as GABBO said, out-hustling the Wiz to make the game close.

Antawn is certainly the most skilled offensive player I’ve seen in a long time and you’re right that his “hybrid-ness” puts him at a disadvantage on the defensive end. The thing is – if I have to be concrete, I have to say Antawn is a skilled player and not a hustle player. I think Kobe may be the only skilled and hustle player in the league (that’s why he’s on all these 1st Team NBA and 1st Team Defensive NBA). I don’t even consider LeBron as both a hustle guy and a skilled guy.

It’s not a knock on Antawn that he’s not a hustle player – its just that by general definition, most people won’t put him in that category.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time October 25, 2009 at 9:38 PM

AT the risk of repeating myself… Coming off the bench and starting each requires that the player develop a certain mentality.

AJ will return and soon. Barring any other mishap, ‘Dray will be coming off the bench when AJ returns. Coach Saunders is doing ‘Dray a favor by not starting him in AJ’s place. He is allowing ‘Dray to become mentally prepared for his role throughout the season. Good move Coach!

Comment from GlingGling
Time October 25, 2009 at 10:43 PM

GABBO, if Flip is doing it and said that he is doing it for a reason, then I believe him. I don’t think there’s much else to it than that.

wizards_fusion, maybe MM will be a new hustle guy for us. When he dove for the ball in training camp I was pretty impressed.

Comment from ChenierFan
Time October 25, 2009 at 10:52 PM

A few random thoughts ….

Did anyone see where Michael Ruffin got waived? It good be time for him to put that physical chemistry degree to use and get a real job.

It is funny how the dominant topic on the blog is all about Andray. That speaks to what an intrguing player he is. I expect Andray will continue to improve incrementally this season has he has done his first 4 years in the league. I could see him as a 12/7 player this year, which is pretty good.

On the other hand, Caron Butler’s play in the preseason has not been impressive at all. He does not look to be playing at a high skill level. Let’s see how it goes when the curtain goes up.

I have a feeling that we will see a lot of Randy and Gil playing along side each other and they will thrive off of one another like Gil and Hughes did a few years back.

In honor of Tom Mandel, I have a poem about his favorite player – Dom McGuire.

There once was a player named Dom
Who tugged at our heartstrings so strong.
He dunks with a bang
But his jumpers go clang
And that’s why his mins/game won’t be long

Actually, Dom is getting to be a better shooter, and he is the most gifted defensive player on the team.

Comment from datonypony
Time October 26, 2009 at 3:16 AM

I feel that if Dom cannot score then he will not be in the rotation, because while he is a more than capable defender, he is no where near Big Ben defence calibre when he was at his best at Detroit.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 26, 2009 at 8:23 AM

Good work Chenierfan….

We’ll see whether Dom gets a lot of minutes. The more minutes he gets, the better our record will be at season’s end.

Comment from M2
Time October 26, 2009 at 11:38 AM

I am going to do all I can to support Andre & give him the benefit of every doubt this season in honor of GABBO…

Can’t say the same about Slick & Dom

Lets see how long I last

Comment from M2
Time October 26, 2009 at 11:39 AM

& Butler is a veteran that knows well enough to stay healthy during pre-season & fire up his ignition on Oct 27th…

Comment from Rick
Time October 26, 2009 at 12:41 PM

i’m not worried about bulter, he is a beast.

i am very interested to see what Flip’s actual rotation looks like now that the games will count.

i also see the logic in keeping dray coming off the bench. but i do think you’ll see him get starters minutes with Antawn out.

Comment from gbkdc
Time October 26, 2009 at 3:08 PM

ChenierFan, I love your poem!

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time October 27, 2009 at 12:30 AM

@ GABBO:

Wow – I don’t really know how to respond to your latest comment except I completely disagree with 100% of it.

What you said about Andray is analogous to telling a kid in school that since he’s not “smart enough” he shouldn’t be taught to think like the “smart kids” that are in advanced classes and magnet schools.

Since Gil is one of your favorite players, let’s use him for my example. Arenas came into the league as a bench guy at Golden State. Do you think that he’ll be where he is now IF his mentality is just to be a role player or if he was limited by his coaches to not explode and try to be a superstar?

I like Blatche quite a bit and I continue to think the sky is the limit for him. Therefore, it makes no sense to me why anyone would try to limit him in any way – “mentality or otherwise”. Although Andray is very mistake-prone, he has shown me that he belongs in the NBA. At the end of Blatche’s career, he is most likely going to be a role-player and not a starter for any team. However, if he played with the knowledge and passion of a starter even when his role is coming off the bench, his game will be that much more valuable.

Andray is a versatile weapon and Flip is going to use him – A LOT. I really think Andray is going to start in place of Jamison at PF and not Oberto or McGee. If Andray plays well until Jamison comes back, he’ll have earned more minutes. 12/7 is going to be real tough for Andray to maintain for the season, but if there’s one guy that is a bench guy that can do it for the Wiz, it is most likely Blatche and not Foye or Young or McGee.