Washington Wizards Blog

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM

Congats to Gee and also Livingston

Comment from HardCoreFan
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:57 AM

That’s good news – glad they are getting the opportunity. I how AB is good to go for tonight’s game.

Keep up the hustle Wizards!

Comment from dlts20
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:23 AM

Im most interested in seeing Blatche tonight. You could tell that he was starting to get like clockwork and totally understanding when to go inside, when to go outside, and realizing that he can back down even big guys. He was getting better & better with his moves on every possesion. Now Im worried will that ankle injury hold him back some. Can he still make those quick spin moves into the post, attack hard off the dribble, and will he be as aggressive? When Singelton had his, he wasnt the same guy for like the first 5 games but now he’s back to playing well again.

Blatche’s wasnt as bad o hopefully he doesnt go in the tank for a few games but you can tell that it has to be somewhat tender. Add to that we have games coming up against really big & good frontcourts in the Blazers & LA so I wouldnt be shocked if he didnt play well but if he does then that just shows you how good he is going to be. If Flip is smart he will put him on Camby and let McGee & Singelton guard Aldridge. Lamarcus also isnt that physical so we could go small some in this game with Thorton at the 4 if needed

Comment from Jaba
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:24 AM

Oh well, IMO they could’ve signed Gee for the remainder of the season, but I guess the Wiz want to keep the options open as long as possible. Anyway, let’s get excited about the little things! There are always bright spots, even if we lose! The play of Alonzo Gee has got to be one of them. I don’t know if he’ll be on the Wizards roster next season, but he certainly is making a case for himself as an nba player. Also hoping for a strong game from Al Thornton! Let’s play hard!

GO WIZARDS!!!

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:25 AM

I hurt my ankle last Sunday (the same way Blatche did during the game against the Nugs) by playing playground ball. By Day 3, there were no ill effects. However, I foolishly decided to ride my bike indoors (on training rollers) and as of today (Day 5), the ankle is tender again.

What I’m saying is that if Blatche goes all out before his ankle is properly healed, he may need further treatment for the rest of the season. There is no pain walking on it, but with the amount of cutting and jumping and stopping on a dime in the NBA, that ankle will be tested. The thing stiffs up right before you go to bed and that’s the worst sensation because it can cause insomnia.

Comment from gray16
Time March 19, 2010 at 12:23 PM

morgan up 10-0 so far, come on yall we can do this

Comment from millie mill
Time March 19, 2010 at 3:03 PM

Wizards_fusion that post on the last blog was ridiculously funny

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 19, 2010 at 12:10 AM
the wiz is having a down season, but judging by this sports video on the clippers, well – you be the judge
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/fatal_staples_center_collapse

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 3:18 PM

Wizards vs Blazers in Portland tonight.

BIG thumbs up for ‘Dray.

Go Wiz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 3:22 PM

I agree with wizards_fusion regarding ‘Dray’s ankle. Let the man rest that thing. Let’s not have him make it worse. It would be classic Wizards luck to have him play; make it worse; and require have surgery to repair it…AND the Wizards staff would recommend having the surgery the first day of practice for the 2010-2011 season.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 3:24 PM

That onion video is a riot. Thanks for the link wizards_fusion.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 19, 2010 at 3:29 PM

Go Wiz!!! Sneak up on ‘em! Lets get a win on this trip!

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 6:37 PM

DJ, I think the game starts at 10:00.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 6:38 PM

Will you be on the air at 9:00?

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 7:54 PM

Ibaka Ibaka Ibaka…..OKC

Blocking dunks by Bosh, and slamming over their team….all star next year for sure

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 7:59 PM

And he’s a rookie from the Congo, played professionally in spain drafted in 2008 with 24th pick….who needs the #1 pick to be successful?

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 8:22 PM

OKC 71 VS TORONTO 44 at the half….plus they have Etan’s expiring contract. Lookout NBA

Comment from dlts20
Time March 19, 2010 at 8:47 PM

All I know is that Dray was playing some very smart basketball and I dont want the injury to make him start settling and taking bad shots or off balance shots again

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:15 PM

9:10 PM EST…Dave and Glenn checking in…sounding like Dray will give it a go tonight

and yes jet lag caught up to me…..I had incorrectly poisted 9 PM game time it is indeed 10

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:31 PM

why r the bulls wearing green uniforms?

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:33 PM

good question…

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:35 PM

randy wittman happy his son ryan helepd cornell win today

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:48 PM

I think I picked Cornell (for atleast one game)…..so he didn’t follow his dad’s legacy to Indiana (i think he went to indiana)

I need to go check my bracket…must be the first time in my basketball life I haven’t been on top of March Madness ;-(

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:49 PM

Milwaukee is taking the league by storm also. One player has really made a difference. They are going to win their first round game if they stay focused.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:53 PM

Is the maryland game going to get priority on the radio station tonight?

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:56 PM

9:51 PM EST…starters are in…Andray Blatche will start with Al Thornton in the front court…..JaVale McGee at center and Shaun Livingston and Mike Miller at guards….the Blazers will have Andre Miller, Brandon Roy at guards…Marcus Camby at center, Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldrige at forwards

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:56 PM

no Wizards are on 106.7 FM beginning at ten Maryland will be on 94 FM

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:57 PM

Ok, cool, thx

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 9:59 PM

so Wizards on 106.7 FM Maryland on 94.7 FM

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:00 PM

got it…lol….need to be at a sports bar for all of this action

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:02 PM

here we go gang

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:06 PM

Wow, I’m ranked 2.8 millionth in the ESPN Tournament Challenge…lol…time to retire

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:10 PM

Thx for the shoutout

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:15 PM

miller should not have passed

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:17 PM

earl biykins out kidney stones

Comment from Gilfanatic
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:17 PM

I’m just checking in tonight. I’m hoping that we’re able to end our losing skid tonight. I’m going to watch the Terrapins game tonight… but I’ll watch what I can of the Wizards game for now. Hopefully Andray Blatche isn’t going to be hurting that bad tonight. Go Wiz!!

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:18 PM

blazers forward runs

Comment from gray16
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:19 PM

brandon roy said he was going to be more aggressive from now on

i could see him going for 50+ tonight

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:20 PM

everyone’s on to AB and the reverse layups…

Comment from dlts20
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:21 PM

Man this game sucks already. Blatche looks like he’s just out there and for the 1st time since the trade, Flip looks like he didnt make him the focus due to the ankle so we might as well have sat him if he’s just going to look like he’s in a daze

Comment from Gilfanatic
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:22 PM

I was afraid of that… Andray Blatche will have to adjust to the more attention that he’s gotten due to his recent performance. He’ll need to widen his moveset so he won’t be as predictable.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:24 PM

thornton two fouls…. gee and now foye and singleton now in as well

Comment from Gilfanatic
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:24 PM

I’m a bit concerned that we might lose behind in this game too early. The Blazers seem like they’re a team that can just run us over.

Comment from dlts20
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:24 PM

Shaun needs to stop shooting so much. He acts like he’s the go to guy alot even though his J sucks

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:26 PM

nice move ab

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:29 PM

Glad to see AB go towards the rim

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:30 PM

JHoward never could jump…lol…

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:31 PM

Sit Miller down. Want to see Slick!

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:31 PM

wizards only 4 of 15 missing easy looks and not getting second chances….but the blkazres gettign to the line

Comment from argracia
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:32 PM

I really like the way that signleton goes up for every reb both on the offensive and defense end of the ball no matter if they are winning or losing. Why can’t we get a whole team to play with the energy that he brings all the time…

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:32 PM

Is Foye’s basketball IQ so bad that he has to be told by Blatche to move away so that his man can’t double-team?

Comment from Gilfanatic
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:33 PM

That was a sick move by Alonzo Gee.

I’m starting to really like watching this guy play. I want to keep him.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:33 PM

geee

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:34 PM

that was not a foul

Comment from Gilfanatic
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:35 PM

WOW!!

Alonzo Gee is in flight-session right now!

This guy is fun to watch. He reminds me of T-mac.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:36 PM

The G-MAN…I love that…but don’t we have a G-MAN???

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:36 PM

foye too much dribbling

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:37 PM

Foye needs to learn how to play team basketball.

Comment from Gilfanatic
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:38 PM

Alright. I’m off. I’m going to watch the Terrapins game right now. Go Wizards!

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:40 PM

checj back

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:40 PM

If Thornton could wake up and play like he’s capable of playing the Wiz would be a very nice team. G-MAN should be getting the most minutes at the 3-spot and Slick should be getting maximum minutes at the 2.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:41 PM

wizards actually shootign better

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:44 PM

gee has been imopressive and has shutout roy

Comment from argracia
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:46 PM

I take back my comment because I need to add Alonzo Gee in that category about going up strong on the boards everytime!

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:47 PM

I guess we’re stuck with giving Foye minutes at the point, but he sure is terrible there!

Comment from gray16
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:48 PM

i swear nick young has better handles than foye. if he had the bball iq and a less selfish mentality (although at sg he should have a pretty selfish mentality) i would say put him at point.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:54 PM

real challenge tonight with boykins out with kidney stones…bith teams shooitng in the 30s

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:56 PM

bad pass

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:57 PM

singleton good d

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 10:57 PM

Pay off Miller’s contract and send him packing…or at least stick him at the absoulte end of the bench. The guy is horrible.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:00 PM

Guys, you have got to move on offense. You just allowed AB to be triple-teamed because you are standing in place.

Come on Coach!

Comment from HardCoreFan
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:01 PM

Blazers are getting too many second chance opportunities. Come on Wizards.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:01 PM

it is not that the blazers are playing that well

Comment from argracia
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:02 PM

how can you dislike miller that much? yes he doesn’t score 20 points every game but he does a lot of little things that a great!

Comment from HardCoreFan
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:04 PM

You’re right but the second chance opportunities and the free throws are hurting us.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:04 PM

ALmost crippled yet another teammate Miller!

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:05 PM

livingstin great move but missed layup

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:06 PM

Under 30 points for the half…24 minutes. GET AN OFFENSE!

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:07 PM

Give the ball to “the man” and move!

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:10 PM

@argracia – Miller contributes waving arms, running around pointlessly, jumping up in the air to throw bad passes, not taking open shots, throwing horrible passes, terrible defense…how can we be critical??? I haven’t the slightest idea.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:11 PM

has to get better

Comment from gray16
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:11 PM

gabbo, there is no one out there to finish the half who can create except for blatche.

gee is a clean up guy, as is singleton.

livingston tries to create but you can tell he just doesn’t have it yet. right now he’s making great plays, just not finishing them.

and then there’s mr. miller who cannot create a shot and is forced into what seems to be a position only built for jumpshots in flip’s offense.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:13 PM

Gee can get his own shot and will take it to the hole…..start him

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:13 PM

I hear you gray16. I’m probably too critical…but, damn

Comment from gray16
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:16 PM

at the same time gabbo, i agree that flip’s offense just doesn’t seem like it works and seems to rely on jumpers too much. but that combined with not having the players who can create really makes the offense look bad.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:17 PM

interview now with alonzo gee

carmelo anthony gave him some encouragement

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:18 PM

Every time down the court on offense…give the ball to ‘Dray and MOVE. If you are open, he’ll get you the ball. At the very least you take your man with you and away from being able to double/triple-team AB. He’s got a tremendous b-ball IQ. He sees the court; he sees the open man; he can make the great pass…but you have to move to get open.

Comment from ChenierFan
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:19 PM

Andray looks to be at 50% tonight. He’s playing throught the ankle injury. He can’t jump worth a lick tonight, and of course the refs let him get hacked with impunity.

Alonzo is playing hard at both ends. He’s not afraid to take on Roy. Nice to see a guy make the most of his opportunities.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:23 PM

Agree with ChenierFan. But, it’s hard to watch. We have got to play the guys who might be here next year. Give them more minutes to learn. Miller will not be a Wizard in 2010-2011. He shouldn’t get 10 seconds unless there is an emergency. Play Slick. Let him make all the mistakes he has to to get some confidence.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:25 PM

have to get intoi offense earlier

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:27 PM

mcgee

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:28 PM

WTH…AB does’t miss that shot that badly. They have got to start to call the fouls.

Comment from gray16
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:31 PM

good execution in this half so far, and people are making shots

just have to set good hard picks and keep getting miller freed up and give him the green light, but still need blatche to score in the post

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:31 PM

If Miller will continue to play like that, I’ll move him up the bench.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:32 PM

this is a winable game

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:34 PM

Thornton is a total hotdog!

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:35 PM

I’m beginning to think that this Wizards team can actually play defense.

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:36 PM

mcgee good d

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:37 PM

blatche poor shooting night might be the ankle

Comment from HardCoreFan
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:39 PM

I swear ther Wizs are allowing just too many offensive rebounds by the Blazers.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:42 PM

The score after over 32 minutes would be an embarassment to a high school team.

Comment from HardCoreFan
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:46 PM

Portland is not doing any better!

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:47 PM

wizards good on d but bad offense

Comment from gray16
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:49 PM

isn’t that the same thing that got called an offensive foul on thornton in the denver game?…

Comment from argracia
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:53 PM

It’s great to seee Miller looking to always have the ball in his hands. Even if he doesn’t shoot it, you can see that in this game he does want the ball a lot more then he has in the past. Usually he just run to “try” and get open. Now he IS getting open and making things happen through shots or passes. Lets have a solid 4th and we can win this game!

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 19, 2010 at 11:54 PM

brandon roy has missed 12 straihgt shots blazers lead only shoting 29 %

Comment from argracia
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:00 AM

as well as Blatche has been playing lately, tonight isn’t his night and maybe keeping him on the bench would be best for the team right now…

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:03 AM

livingstin takes charge

Comment from argracia
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:03 AM

someone needs too…

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:05 AM

bad no call

Comment from argracia
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:06 AM

he just got nailed in the face! How can that be a no call!!!!

Comment from argracia
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:11 AM

FREEEEEEEEEE THROWS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think your 10 year old sons team is probably better at free throws than the Wiz right now…

Comment from gray16
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:15 AM

that’s a dunk you just have to allow, those types of things hurt people’s careers, just ask your teammate rudy fernandez

hope al’s alright

Comment from argracia
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:19 AM

it pains me to say, but Andre Miller is just such a smart player!

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:22 AM

singleton = 16 rebounds and counting!

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:24 AM

brandon roy, after the missed 3, is 3 for 17 from the field

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:24 AM

roy has missed 14 straight shots!

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:25 AM

what a smart play by blatche

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:28 AM

andray was fouled – no call

what in the world

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:28 AM

the body contact came before the block

Comment from argracia
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:29 AM

that was ust rough!

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:30 AM

what an unbelievable shot by roy

speechless

Comment from argracia
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:30 AM

of course he did! thats just a darn bummer!!!

Comment from DJ-WizardsRadio
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:31 AM

1 800 636 1067 for post game

Comment from argracia
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:32 AM

depressing? yeah I think thats a good word for it…I mean seriously everything that us Washingtonians have gone through this season the least that they could have done was let us come away with a win…its just depressing right now…

Comment from HardCoreFan
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:34 AM

I thought we had that one! Too bad they didn’t call Roy for walking – oh well that’s what usually happens to the Wizards. We always seem to get the bad breaks.

Comment from dlts20
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:35 AM

I just knew Blatche would suck tonight and Im not giving him a pass on the ankle either because I think it was more mental than physical. Gil is the same way. Anytime they get any kind of injury then they play soft, weak, passive, settles, and just looks like they are going through the motions. You have to be mentally tougher than that or just sit out

Comment from dlts20
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:37 AM

He just looked so not into it from the jump, wasnt playing hard, and just had that lax attitude

Comment from gray16
Time March 20, 2010 at 12:41 AM

man i saw that walk by roy from here, guess refs missed it (or just didn’t want to call it)

of course they missed about 5 other travel calls as well so it didn’t surprise me. that was a pretty horrible officiated game.

wiz can’t buy a win right now, but at least they are showing fight, that’s all we can ask of them.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 20, 2010 at 7:39 AM

I fell asleep. From what I was seeing, Livingston has the ability to go north and south, he should try it more, rather than settle for the jumper. He needs to be the leader and if guys stand around, get in their grill.

I would say start Gee at the two and see what happens, and start singleton at the three. At the least, if our offens isn’t good, we would at the least have a defensive unit on the floor

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 20, 2010 at 10:48 AM

If the player is mobile, the biggest issue with a leg/ankle/foot injury is not the pain, it’s the inability to execute the same way he would if not injured. In particular, a leg/foot/ankle injury creates a problem with shooting the ball. With these types of injuries, shooters place more weight on the non-injured leg/foot/ankle; don’t get the appropriate elevation; and, consequently don’t get squared-up to the basket with the right weight distribution. The result is a poor shooting percentage.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 20, 2010 at 11:27 AM

While I obviously would prefer that the Wizards win, expecially for the sake of the players who are playing with great effort every game, I would take the excitement that these guys bring to the game over anything that the Wizards have displayed in the past few years.

It is not a coincidence that the opposition, even though winning, is scoring fewer points against the Wizards. These guys are playing much better defense. Livingston has given the Wiz something that they haven’t had in a while…perimeter defense. I love the way that AB
“bellys-up” to to his man when his man has the ball. It just might be that we are beginning to see the end of the “matador” defense displayed in past years by players who are no longer with the team. While he still has a problem playing defense on the man with the ball, McGee continues to intimidate opponents who try to take the ball to the hole.

As many bloggers have pointed out, the Wizards are just a couple of pieces away from being very good. A 2-guard who can create and consistently put the ball in the basket is one piece…and Gil comes to mind as just the guy to fill that hole.

Comment from gray16
Time March 20, 2010 at 11:39 AM

it was also nice to see miller finally have a good game

anyone been following james anderson? if the wiz wind up with the 5th pick or worse and can’t get wall, turner, cousins etc. i say strongly consider going for this guy. he fits the shooting guard role in flip’s offense to a tee. that is of course if you hold on to flip next season.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 20, 2010 at 3:29 PM

“just a couple of pieces away from being very good…” ?? Well, I sure hope no one in management thinks anything like that! And I don’t think anyone does.

We have 6 guys under contract. One of them is a max-contract question mark. One is a significantly improving young big. Then we have a couple of journeymen at best, plus a bust and a very raw center.

We are in *total* rebuilding mode. Better to look at things for what they are.

In any case, the key question to be settled is ownership. Until that’s determined nothing strategic can really happen.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 20, 2010 at 3:38 PM

JaVale had a pretty good game vs. Portland and Singleton an excellent one. Hope we get to keep him next year.

Camby is an unbelievably efficient player. Portland shot 32% and beat us.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 20, 2010 at 3:43 PM

I *definitely* agree with Gotabig that this team plays hard and is fun to watch!

That’s the most important thing to me at this point.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 20, 2010 at 3:52 PM

gray16 — Right now, DraftExpress projects James Anderson to go to the Spurs at pick #20. His numbers are very good, and they have improved year on year in his college career — a very good indicator of success.

I don’t know that he’s a #4 or 5 pick; I haven’t seen near enough of him to know. But, like Pondexter, he really looks like a solid NBA prospect. His Sophomore numbers, for example, are much better than Nick Young’s were. Maybe he’ll drop to 30!!

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 20, 2010 at 5:27 PM

Watching a lil of the game last night…rerun on CSN, I hope someone is telling AB to can that reverse layup, it was pretty and cool and all that when he first did it, but it’s not working anymore. If his ankle is not 100%, why play? He has a whole career ahead of him, and there’s only a handful of games left. He can play/practice this summer and get even better.

I saw that comment about a few pieces away and just figured he cut and paste a comment from last year or something…lol…

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 20, 2010 at 6:28 PM

I just finished watching the replay of the game. We can look at this two ways. Either we gave the game away, or we don’t have a finisher on the team. Foye hit about three straight jumpers, maybe we should have went his way again….

Comment from datonypony
Time March 20, 2010 at 7:05 PM

Meh, wins/losses don’t matter at this point. What matters now is that the players we are going (Or looking) to keep are showing what they are capable of. I truly believe we should keep singleton.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 20, 2010 at 7:15 PM

No kidding — of course we should keep Singleton. But he’s unrestricted, so he’ll go to whoever gives him the best offer. Given how he’s playing, I imagine there’ll be a lot of interested teams.

I’m watching NO. Iowa vs. Kansas. I’m not exactly loving Sherron Collins, gray16.

Comment from gray16
Time March 20, 2010 at 7:25 PM

definitely not one of sherron’s better games, he has struggled with his shot today. but don’t judge a player off of just one game. evan turner shot 2 for 13 yesterday, but i still feel he is a great player.

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 20, 2010 at 7:56 PM

i have a question (and this is part of my fear on how you guys judge collegiate talent)

since some of y’all don’t watch college bball until march, how can you guys formulate opinions on how *good* or *bad* someone is from a game or 2?

kansas lost lol

Comment from gray16
Time March 20, 2010 at 7:59 PM

feel so bad for sherron, i was pulling for him and the jayhawks to go all the way, so many upsets this year

Comment from gray16
Time March 20, 2010 at 8:00 PM

wiz fusion, i personally have watched the entire college season, sometimes it pretty much takes a front seat to the nba for me except for wizards games

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 20, 2010 at 8:02 PM

as a follow-up to my question

i watched, on and off, scottie reynolds since his senior days at herndon high. after *5* years, i still know only a little bit about him.

i don’t think some draft websites or even player profile websites do justice on describing these players’ games, tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses.

that’s why i don’t comment on somone unless i really know about him/her.

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 20, 2010 at 8:03 PM

@ gray

thats good stuff – adding good perspective. hopefully the wiz wont be in too many more lotteries so that we don’t have to analyze the first 50 players coming into the draft lol

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 20, 2010 at 8:06 PM

oops, i think i just ruined tom m.’s fun lol

im still waiting for tom m. to announce, here in the blog, the nba’s first antartic prospect

Comment from gray16
Time March 20, 2010 at 8:14 PM

who has two thumbs and can’t wait for kentucky vs wake

this guy *points to self*

…yeah that doesn’t really have the same effect as in real life lol

Comment from gray16
Time March 20, 2010 at 8:34 PM

i have a feeling mcfarland is going to give cousins all he can handle tonight

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 20, 2010 at 9:10 PM

There’s a transition, no doubt, that makes college success something of a wrinkle when projecting nba success.

Still, good numbers in ncaa play are the single best predictor of good numbers in the nba.

Ty Lawson got downgraded for abstractions — like his “reach” — when he’d put up stellar numbers in college. Guess what? He’s putting up good numbers in the league as well.

After all, you are not really trying to judge how “good” a player is. You are trying to judge his *effect* on games. That effect shows itself (mostly) in the numbers he puts up.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 20, 2010 at 9:57 PM

With a couple of additional pieces…we could have:

Shaun Livingston – 6′7″, 185 lb point guard. Pass first, quick, focused, nice shot, can see over defenses, can post-up most defensive guards. Rapidly recuperating from devasting injury. Picked #4 in 2004 draft.

Andray Blatche – Power forward; 6′11″, 248 lb go-to guy who is demonstrating that he is a potential All-star. Very unselfish; great passer; can score the ball; virtually unstopable one-on-one on the block. Reminds me of a young Kevin McHale.

JaVale McGee – 7′0″ 250 lb center, defensive intimidator who blocks and changes shots. Needs to get stronger and needs to develop two offensive moves to go along with his dunking ability.

Missing pieces:

Gilbert Arenas – 6′4″, 215 lb 3 time All-Star scoring machine at shooting guard. If Gil doesn’t have the responsibility of running the offense, he’ll be outstanding once again.

Rudy Gay – 6′8″ 230; 17.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg at the 3-spot. Wizards have the cash and the salary cap to go after him.

Need a big, strong, defensive-minded center to backup JaVale to go along with Foye, Singleton, Slick , Thornton for bench play.

Miller, Boykins, Oberto, Howard, Ross, Crittendon – Gone

Comment from gray16
Time March 20, 2010 at 10:28 PM

rudy gay is ok but he doesn’t play a lick of defense. i’m not too high on him.

i’d rather see josh howard back, but that’s just my opinion

Comment from gray16
Time March 20, 2010 at 10:40 PM

plus if jersey isn’t able to get a big name they are going to throw a lot of money at him since he said he wouldn’t mind playing there. and if he doesn’t go there, memphis will keep him, washington would have to use a lot of money to get him and i doubt they would be willing to do that.

i don’t think he will be on this team next season and i don’t think the wizards will be missing out on something with that.

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 20, 2010 at 10:54 PM

I respect your opinion gray16…we’ll see how it turns out.

Comment from wizards_fusion
Time March 21, 2010 at 12:44 AM

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 20, 2010 at 9:10 PM

Still, good numbers in ncaa play are the single best predictor of good numbers in the nba.

After all, you are not really trying to judge how “good” a player is. You are trying to judge his *effect* on games. That effect shows itself (mostly) in the numbers he puts up.

- – -
absolutely no refute to the above 2 comments. however, i was asking how you’re able to apply the above 2 comments by just watching 1 or 2 games in the tournament to these guys since you don’t follow them from when the season started or, if applicable, previous seasons.

my point is – by getting all excited about certain players, like what jeffmalone did on opening night of the tournament, because of his overly *good* statistics and *good* effects, all of a sudden i read a quick jump on that guy’s bandwagon and why he would be a decent player to evaluate for the next level as a wizard. isn’t this behavior similar to *overvaluing* an nba player’s contract year when his stats are typically inflated because he wants to maximize his next contract’s potential? for example, in brendan haywood’s case – shouldn’t gms look at his entire body of work for the last 5 seasons to determine his next worth rather than this year? i hope the gms do. if not, then these gms are terrible and should get the ax.

bottom line is that i would need more *data points* (i.e., more games) to determine if that guy would be a good candidate for evaluation. 1 or 2 games never is enough for me to jump on anyone’s wagon – even if that guy ultimately turns into a lebron or kobe or some other nba superstar.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 21, 2010 at 8:41 AM

Gotabig, I’d love to have those 2 pieces — as they exist in your mind:

Alas, Shaun Livingston is far from the guy who went 4th in the draft. *Maybe* he’ll last physically (obviously we both hope so), and maybe the rust will come off (he actually hasn’t been playing all that well, net, although you are right that he brings something we don’t have), and maybe he can have a good, full season next year. If so, it would be great for it to be with us, although he is unrestricted. If that doesn’t happen, you are still right that we need a quality starting point guard.

I’m not a big Rudy Gay fan — but the 2/3 is easier to fill than either point or Center, that’s for sure. There are just more guys in that size range than centers, and more guys with those skills than points. We should be able to pick up a very good FA, as you are right we do have the money.

When JaVale can guard an opposing starting Center effectively, then we can begin to consider whether he can start for us (or anyone). Given how he gets pushed around, is he really 250 lbs (maybe…)? Love him, but he is still raw.

I sure hope we can keep Singleton — will depend on him. But why do you list Foye? Surely we’re not going to pick up his option at almost $5m; he’s shown he isn’t worth that. Ross will be with us for sure — he has a player option. And I thought we had an interest in Josh Howard.

Still, even going with your scenario, I don’t see why that team would win more than 40 games.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 21, 2010 at 8:49 AM

Wiz_Fus — you are completely right. I could *never* see enough college games to be able to follow players to evaluate them. I don’t have enough access, and I don’t have near enough time available.

The only way I can think about these guys is by looking at their numbers over their college careers and then hope to see them a little bit if the numbers make me curious.

I use DraftExpress to look at their numbers. They have a “Comprehensive Statistics” page for every prospect (for every nba player too). I scroll down to “Usage Statistics” and scan the WS40 column (essentially Wages of Wins measure per 40 minutes). If the numbers are above average, and if they get better year over year, then I look up at the raw numbers per 40 minutes to get an idea of what the guy does well/badly — rebounds a lot? shoots a high %? turns it over? gets lots of steals? Etc.

No one in their right mind would make decisions based solely on this kind of abstract information — but of course I’m not making decisions, I’m just a fan deciding who interests me. The teams have staffs of scouts and tons of tape!!

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 21, 2010 at 9:00 AM

W_F — in the case of Jimmer Fredette, who jeffmalone90 got excited about (is that what you’re referring to?), he has 3 years of play to offer in his favor. He improved each year, and both his sophomore and junior numbers are very good. Ditto for James Anderson and Quincy Pondexter.

Hey, they may all be busts! Who knows? And Sherron Collins may turn out to be terrific. But in his case, his numbers aren’t good and they haven’t improved year over year. I can’t find a single example of a successful NBA player with his kind of college numbers. I wouldn’t bet on his NBA career.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 21, 2010 at 9:33 AM

I wonder if McGee should be playing center? Is he more a power forward?

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 21, 2010 at 9:35 AM

Then again… my biggest fear is that we sign Al Harrington, probably the most continually over-rated player in the league. The emergence of Andray probably means we won’t pursue AH, thank heavens!

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 21, 2010 at 9:42 AM

draft express has the wiz picking Aminu/wake forest and singler/duke

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 21, 2010 at 9:45 AM

I think the wiz have learned their lessons with big contracts (i hope). whomever is signed, i’m sure it will be from a lessons learned angle.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 21, 2010 at 9:46 AM

all of these underclassmen, are they coming out of college, or is it assuming that they are coming out?

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 21, 2010 at 9:48 AM

I guess it’s about 7 am in LA, somebody go wake up JeffM, DJ, and Glenn. tell them it’s gameday in LA, and where’s our blog sheet for today….lol….

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time March 21, 2010 at 10:09 AM

Ok, very interesting article — from GS Warriors point of view — on draftable players. Guys likely to be in the early first, and guys likely to be in the late first/early second. So, pretty relevant for us too:

http://warriors.realgm.com/articles/176/20100318/a_golden_state_look_at_march_madness/

Comment from Gotabigboyoffense
Time March 21, 2010 at 10:36 AM

dcb – A power forward has to haved a decent jump shot. Have you not seen McGee’s shot?

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 21, 2010 at 10:49 AM

He does have good range with his lil floater…lol….if he has offensive players around him, he can just dunk and put in layups…IE Dennis Rodman. I don’t think birdman, etc are in the games for their jumpshooting capabilities.

I was thinking/remembering that OKC was in seattle and had some “ugly” years before they became a good team, I hope we don’t have to go through a lot of years of non playoff basketball. Seattle/OKC was last in the playoffs in 2004 or 5.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 21, 2010 at 10:58 AM

Milwaukee is really on a tear, I’m sure no one wants to see them in a few weeks. Boston beat Dallas last night in Dallas. Is Boston getting geared up for the playoffs? I think Atl is starting to fall off the charts a lil

Comment from dcbutler357
Time March 21, 2010 at 11:39 AM

Two places where skills will/can be showcased:

http://www.portsmouthinvitational.com/

The NBA Combine will be held in Chicago from May 19th-23rd, with 52 of the top NBA prospects

Comment from tyrone2000
Time March 21, 2010 at 3:44 PM

NBA players play D all the time, it’s just known that if they don’t prevent a player from scoring than everyone assumes that the player is not playing D…