Comment from SportzWiz
Time November 19, 2009 at 10:40 AM

hey guys plenty to check out from last night, enjoy the links we posted above. Also if you look on the right of the page there is now a listen live llink button. From now on just click that button and it will take you to the listen live page

Comment from Rick
Time November 19, 2009 at 12:47 PM

What a satisfying win, I love beating Cleveland!

Our schedule has been really tough so far. The only team we’ve lost to that is not playing better than .500 ball is the Pistons. And many of the teams (Atlanta, Phoenix, Cleveland, Miami) are beating most everybody so far.

That said, no team in the NBA is going to rollover, so it will take consistent effort and focus, but I think we can get on a roll going into December.

Comment from maggicman11
Time November 19, 2009 at 2:21 PM

well this is what we ahve been waiting 2+ years for. all of our guys to be healthy and for our young guys to develop. we have that (even though mcgee still needs some work). we started off slow but pulled it out in the end. I wasnt convinced tho. I believe in the wizards but if we played like we did in the first quarter with a healthy shaq and varjeo, the hole may have been to deep to crawl out of. we need to play like we did in the 2nd half the hole game. We are obviously having trouble shooting the ball for some reason. so thats when gil needs to drive and dish. not drive and hope for a call he should get but hasnt been getting. but drive and dish to haywood for a dunk or to twaan for a dunk (layup/ reverse floater type thing). Haywood is working hard down there, reward him once in a while. but not on a post up because he doesnt have any post moves. thus the drive and dish theory.

Dsteve really showed defensively this game. he has been average thus far this season but i guess when the captain is on the floor there aint no fooling around. but i still believe DOM is our best defender and would like to see him play more minutes against lebron, wade, kobe, melo, and Durant who we play tomorrow. if we can get DOM in there it takes some pressure off our slacking offense. once you slow those guys down you slow down the whole team because there teams are centered around what they can do. (although the lakers and denver are still a really good team without there main guy.

Comment from gray16
Time November 19, 2009 at 2:32 PM

i agree magicman that the team’s start was once again horrible. luckily jamison was there to help the team out. but the wizards were able to get an energy boost from at least 4 different players which allowed them to pull back, and take a BIG lead.

i think tonight was the first time this team appeared to have an identity. the first question to answer imo was who was going to be the go to guy. with arenas playing the point and handling the ball so much, he hasn’t been able to get a groove, he’s a much better scorer when he doesn’t have to handle the ball the whole time. caron hasn’t found his game yet, so jamison became the go to guy. and in most cases, a go to guy can at least keep the score respectable.

then the wizards needed someone off the bench to step up. well in the first half that was nonexistant, but in the second half they had blatche, deshawn, and boykins all step up big off the bench. the bench was the deciding factor as they were able to take the league to it’s highest point.

so now gilbert just has to get a groove going as well as caron. they just need to find their games and how it will fit the team. i said before that either the players didn’t fit the system, or the system wasn’t fitting the players, but both seem to be working out.

in any case, even without shaq or varejao, that was a great win for the wizards last night.

Comment from dubv1980
Time November 19, 2009 at 2:58 PM

I had the Kool-Aid all mixed up after the Dallas game. It had been put away far far in the back of the cabinet after our losing streak. I’m not quite ready to make another batch, but having Jamison back sure just change the way we look. Miller and Jamison were outstanding.

Comment from Rick
Time November 19, 2009 at 3:34 PM

Yeah, miller played great. though his shoulder does seem to still be bothering him quite a bit. i hope he doesn’t do serious damage by not resting it properly.

gilbert still has his first step, but when he gets to the basket the elevation is not there. either his hops have not yet returned, or his subconscious wants him to stay close to the ground to protect his knee. either way, it is making him much less effective going to the rim.

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time November 19, 2009 at 3:53 PM

Comment from gray16
Time November 19, 2009 at 11:42 AM

wizards fusion, if any cavs fans are crying about calls they need to watch the game over again.

it’s hard to get calls when all they are doing is shooting jumpshots, if they need an example just look at previous wizards games this season.

even lebron was settling for jumpers, that’s when the cavs are at their worst. anyone remember the first game against the season against the celtics? exact same thing happened, they got sucked into jumpshots.

——-

well, as i’ve mentioned several times in the past here, i like to frequent the other team’s blogs, message boards, and whatever nba related after their game against the wiz to gauge what they’re saying. i can tell you right now that the “Tom Mandels of Cleveland” are yapping about free throw disparity. they don’t care to acknowledge that the cavs took j’s all night long and the wiz went into attack the basket mode after miller and jamison saved the wiz from falling into another slumber before the half. educated basketball fans know this – and many of their fans are falling into the trap of “we are an elite team and we are expected to get calls no matter what”.

okc is next, and i am beginning to love russell westbrook as a player. he’s darn good for being a 2nd year guy and he can be a perennial all-star PG in the west after nash and kidd retires. his consistency impresses me.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time November 19, 2009 at 4:20 PM

Hey… watch that!!

Good to get one — now we need a bunch of them!

(I’m in the airport in San Diego between planes, enjoying the free Wifi.)

Comment from maggicman11
Time November 19, 2009 at 4:28 PM

Hey given that we just played the cavs, has anyone heard anything about shaq not showing up because of the controversy between him and Gil?

Comment from SportzWiz
Time November 19, 2009 at 4:51 PM

hey maggicman just an fyi i commented on that last week and we arent going to have any conversations on the blog about that…

Comment from SportzWiz
Time November 19, 2009 at 4:53 PM

In other news did anyone else know that earl boykins benches 315 pounds?

(video posted above)

Comment from Dakota Wizard
Time November 19, 2009 at 5:07 PM

DJ-Wizard or anybody for that matter anything on Miller and his shoulder? he was awesome last night! can’t afford to lose him right now especially with AJ coming back

Comment from Aj
Time November 19, 2009 at 5:13 PM

Great win last night, Im really excited about this season. Big ups to miller, jamison, boykins, and blatche.

Comment from maggicman11
Time November 19, 2009 at 5:26 PM

sorry sportzwiz, i must have missed it last week.

Comment from maggicman11
Time November 19, 2009 at 5:33 PM

does anyone know if foye was still sore yesterday or if flip just didnt wana mess up the chemistry

Comment from SportzWiz
Time November 19, 2009 at 6:02 PM

its all good…it happens

Comment from dcbutler357
Time November 19, 2009 at 6:31 PM

Ok, I deserve my hand smacked, but I listened to ESPN during the game last night, just to get a feel for what the “outside” world was saying about us.

All in all, it was “constructive” criticism. Van Gundy was saying that it could take Gil all year, before he reaches the level of play, that he had prior to the injury. The also mentioned that he does need to dish it when teams collapse on him. They were really giving praise to the wizards, in a way that it didn’t “shock” them that we played that good of a game. They really sounded like two unbiased coaches, calling a NBA game last night. Thumbs up

Lets get em, one game at a time

Comment from Wizards4Life
Time November 19, 2009 at 6:57 PM

we have a good test comming up next game should be able to tell some of what we are made of with the spurs on the road thats not a easy place to win and we need to make sure we go in and play a full game but last night was a good game and i hear u guys about shaq not there and AV not there but no one said a word when we lost in the playoffs with our guys being under man with our best player out a win is a win not matter who is on the floor

Comment from dcbutler357
Time November 19, 2009 at 10:11 PM

A.I. talk has him at a possible new home with New York….with his “personality”, he will destroy any team in the NBA right now. He needs to be humble and see where he can help with his play, and not so much whether he’s starting or playing the majority of time. If a team is a contender, and he’s selfish, it’s not a good match. But in New York, what do they have to lose??? (but I guess he was in the same situation at Memphis)….After saying that, He needs to go sit down some where. After his storied past, you would think he’d be more humble by now….sad

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time November 19, 2009 at 10:31 PM

Hey Gil/Zero/Agent Zero/Whatever…are you reading this? If you can kick it in gear soon, we are going to have one Supa Dupa playoff team.

Coach Saunders, respectfully, …Gil is NOT a point guard. He is a 2. Give him the ball and set him free. Use Earl or Randy at the point and move Gil to the 2 whenever you rest Mike M.

How about moving Gil to the 3 on offense when we rest Caron and have Mike M. in the game. Mike M. can play the 3 on defense and Gil will kill the opponent’s 3 with quickness when we have the ball.

Comment from neal
Time November 20, 2009 at 12:28 AM

It looks to me like Saunders still has not settled on the guards that will be in the rotation permanently. Is Boykins now the backup 1? Will Stevenson still be the backup 2 when Foye returns? (I think Foye’s D is about as good as Stevenson’s.)

What does seem clear is that Saunders is not devoting much time to develop players. He wants to win now. Young, McGuire and McGee will just have to wait.

Any news on Miller?