Truth About It» Scenes From The Baseline: Wizards 104–Pacers 90

Maybe it’s a good omen that the Wizards won their last home game in 2010 as we go from the year of the tiger to the year of the rabbit in 2011. Great, more missed bunnies at the rim…kidding.

So let’s begin to kick-off the new year on a more positive note by looking back at some of the pictures from Wednesday night’s 104-90 win versus the Indiana Pacers that I took from the baseline.But first…

Congrats to Jennifer Lin, who was the first to correctly answer the Twitter Trivia for free tickets to the game (courtesy ofStubHub), which was:

In Wizards-Bullets franchise history, 6 players from U. of Maryland have been drafted by the team. Name 3 of them.

Jennifer’s answers were Steve Blake (’03), Juan Dixon (’02) and Lawrence Boston (’78). Len Elmore (’74), Howard White (’73) and Will Hetzel (’70) were also franchise draftees from UMD-College Park.

Pictures with captions.

This is when Mike Dunleavy Jr. knocked Josh Howard down with his laser eyes because Howard was kicking a tiny Tyler Hansbrough in the head.

I call this the Double Costanza. It’s an obscure American phrase that depicts guys who can’t jump that high off the ground, which is happening twice here with Psycho-T and Every-Once-In-A-While-Over-The-Course-Of-7-Days-Dray.

Two possibilities here: 1) Dunleavy is using centripetal force to get around Andray Blatche’s screen, 2) Andray is a stripper pole.

This is Duke’s Josh McRoberts trying to slowly back away from an imaginary bear. Hilton Armstrong is trying to run and push him toward that bear.

Isn’t it funny how at sporting events people are encouraged to yell for no good reason? (With a focus on the word‘good’.) For instance, in the picture below, the young lady handing out free Chipotle burritos withheld a burrito from this young boy until he yelled for it. But is that the right thing to be encouraging America’s youth to do?… Yelling for things? Isn’t that how we ended up with Glenn Beck?

Anyway, I‘spose, what else would people do for a free burrito at a live athletic competition where getting loud encourages the team? A talent show? That’d take way too long. Then she gave him the burrito.

This is Nick Young fighting through close to a gazillion opponents for a rebound… he had nine boards on the night, which isn’t a career high, but we’ll call it a career high anyway, because it actually is.

Nick, doing the same thing here, except against only nine opponents. Still pretty tough though.

Vodka farts are the worst… gots to air them joints out…but does Dray have to do it during the game?

When Nick Young draws a charge, it puts intensity on the faces of witnesses.

Who says American players straight out of high school don’t have European fundamentals? Here, 31-year old Rashard Lewis puts on a text book display of flopping to draw a charge call. He even yelled and stuff, I heard him. (Also notice the Sean Elliott technique with the heels of his feet over the restricted area.)

I don’t proclaim to have heard or to telepathically know the exact phrase Tyler Hansbrough was thinking here, but I’d imagine it to be,“Oh, Heavens no!!?”(said in the flabbergasted, ranging-pitched voice of a heavy-set Southern lady with flabby arms).

The trick is… and that’s just it. I wanted to start some caption with“The trick is…” but then I didn’t really think it through after that. Here’s a flying Cartier Martin.

Mike Dunleavy didn’t get the joke here. I didn’t either. Wasn’t able to hear, but I think the exact phrasing included the words“dude”,“goofy” and“white”… but not necessarily in that order.

There’s a man… he’s in this blue outfit with huge muscles, perhaps steroid/anger induced… I can’t see his eyes… and I think, I think he has a gun… and there are all these scantily clad women around…{It's pretty much a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' from here.}

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Truth About It» Considering An Andray Blatche Trade

By now you’re aware of a report out of HoopsWorld that the Wizards are investigating trades involving Andray Blatche and/or JaVale McGee.Alex Kennedy writes:

“After suspending Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee one game for an altercation outside of a club, league sources say that the Washington Wizards will consider trading either Blatche or McGee in the coming weeks. The team will gauge interest around the league and after shopping the players, decision whether or not a trade would be the right move for the franchise.”

Of course, several outlets took this to mean such maneuvers by the Wizards were spawned as a result of the fight between Blatche and McGee (thanks to Kennedy’s wording).“In wake of fight, Wizards to gauge trade value of Blatche, McGee,”went one headline from Pro Basketball Talk;“Washington Wizards Shopping Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee After Altercation,”went another from the infamous Bleacher Report.

In the interest of getting the facts closer to what seems to be right, it’s worth mentioning that on December 24,ESPN’s Marc Stein Tweeted:

“Even before McGee tiff via @MrMichaelLee, Wiz said to be disappointed w/Blatche since extension and have discussed trying to trade Blatche”

So, it’s highly doubtful that the fight actually led to trade rumors involving both of them, but it sure could have had an influence. The main factor likely revolves around Blatche and McGee not being a good fit playing next to each other (neither possesses the true post presence the Wizards desperately need), and the fact that McGee has been slow totake his development seriouslyalong with Blatche’s penchant for lazy jumpers and even lazier defense.

When asked who should the Wizards trade/get rid of,ESPN.com’s David Thorpe wrote in a recent chat session:

“Blatche is so talented, but he’s not the best guy to have setting the culture next to Wall.”

Of course, with Ernie Grunfeld signing Blatche in an extension this past summer, essentially where after this season he will still be owed just under $30 million over the next four seasons (which is still reasonable considering his talent potential), is there exactly a trade market for Blatche? Thorpe writes in response to that very question from someone in his chat:

“With a playoff team in need of a starting 4, yes I think so. Has to be a strong culture around him.”

So you’re saying there’s a chance…? Well yes, there’s always a chance.

The Wizards would be wise to trade Blatche and not McGee— at least JaVale seems to hustle more and the likelihood of him putting it together seems a lot higher right now. Problem is, with a salary of $2.46 million next season and a qualifying offer of $3.49 million for the following season (2012-13), McGee is the more movable piece.

As expected, the Washington Post’s Michael Lee has reported today thatthe Wizards are shopping Blatche, but not McGee.

So, the interest of making the preferred move, trading Blatche, some of the TAI gang and I fired up withESPN Trade Machinefor options. And please, don’t get your panties, boxers, briefs or thongs in a ruffle over any of these options, they are just for play/silly as none of us are NBA GMs (and neither are you).Here I go…

Blatche and Josh Howard to the Bobcats for Gerald Wallace

• Wallace makes $10.5 million next season and has a player option for $10.5 million the following season. PRO: He’s sort of a malcontent, but I think his defense and ability to run the floor would mesh well with team ideals. CON: That’s probably too much money to pay Wallace for comfort, especially when Howard could be worth a draft pick for a playoff team.

Blatche and Kevin Seraphin to the Kings for Demarcus Cousins and Francisco Garcia

• Sure, the Kings say they aren’t trading Cousins. And sure, he’s seemingly more of a knuckle-head than Blatche. But he’s big-body talent… and maybe John Wall can keep his boy on the straight and narrow. With Blatche and Seraphin, the 17th pick in last year’s draft, the Kings certainly wouldn’t be able to complain about the returning talentthatmuch (okay, they would).

Blatche, Kevin Seraphin& Yi Jianlian for Chris Kaman, Craig Smith& a first round pick(perhaps protected to a degree)

• Sure, the Clippers fan says‘hell no’… but they’ve got so many young players, what are they going to do with another draft pick anyway (especially considering who they’d be receiving)? Kaman’s $12.7 million salary comes off the books next season, he and Smith lumber around Washington as big bodies and Leonsis gets a precious high draft pick while the Clippers get more talent and take on less salary. Who knows, maybe Blatche& Blake Griffin can form a nice 4/5 combo (contain your laughter).

Blatche to the Rockets for Jared Jeffries, straight up

• Sounds painful, but why not (but not really)… this move would simply be a salary dump, and I doubt the Wizards could get a pick out of it (but Houston does have some extra picks from the Knicks).

From TAI’s Rashad Mobley:

Blatche, Thornton& Serpahin to the 76ers for Andre Igoudala.

This trade frees the Sixers from the malaise that is Andre Iguodala, and it allows Evan Turner (and maybe even Lou Williams) to bloom in his absence. Al Thornton is a player who is a bit more comfortable in his skin at the“3″ and the pressure to be“The Man” won’t weigh him down the way it weighed down Iggy. Blatche gives the Sixers an inside/out presence who is younger than Brand, and more prolific on offense than Mareese Speights.

For the Wizards, Iguodala can either play the“2″ with Wall or the“3″ with Wall and Hinrich, and he is a tremendous upgrade on defense. He also does not have to worry about trying to win every game as he did in Philly. He can play off Wall and do the little things.

The cons? For Philly, Blatche would go from one young team to another with a coach (Doug Collins) who will stay on him way more than Flip Saunders. And Thornton is a solid small forward who still seems to disappear and go into a funk for games at a time. For the Wizards, Iguodala’s presence might take minutes away from Nick Young and Josh Howard–two players who are starting to play better as of late. That could disrupt team chemistry big time. Then again, what chemistry?

Carl Landry to the Wizards, Jason Thompson to the Magic, Blatche& Quentin Richardson to the Kings.

Pros:The Wizards get a hardworking forward in Carl Landry who is the opposite of Blatche. He doesn’t score quite as much, but he plays hard on both ends of the floor. The Magic get a legit backup center in Jason Thompson who is a threat to score and rebound, and he’s a bit more polished than Dwight Howard’s former backup, Marcin Gortat. The Kings get a 3-point shooter in Quentin Richardson, and yet another low-post threat in Blatche to help them tread water while Cousins figures it all out.

Cons:Carl Landry has put up 20/10 numbers here and there, but he’s realistically more of a 12 and 8 guy, and that’s a dropoff from Blatche’s production at that same spot. For Orlando, Jason Thompson is not particularly good on the defensive end of the floor, which would be fine, if the Magic had someone else with size to pick up the slack, and they don’t.  For the Kings, Richardson is still owned too much money. Plus, the prospect of Blatche and Cousins playing (and partying) together is just plain scary. But what is there to do in Sacramento anyway?Unless… is Chris Webber’s bar/restaurant still there?

From TAI’s Adam McGinnis:

For record, I would not trade Blatche. My recommendation would be for the franchise to change management and let a new crew(ahem, Kevin Pritchard) decide which blocks to build with, because this staff, along with its poor track record, could be making emotional decisions at this point with Blatche. The Wizards fan base was tortured when the team gave Chris Webber away and should be leery of a similar deal. Who unnecessarily extends a player while he’s injured and then trades him before a third of the season is complete? I do not understand the philosophy or thought process at all. But since we are playing trade game, here is my deal:

Blatche& Al Thornton to the Warriors for Brandan Wright and Charlie Bell.

Blatche to Golden State would give them another scoring option on the block who has a very affordable contract. Wright could get a fresh start in D.C. and move past his lottery pick disappointment in Oakland. Bell could provide the Wizards with a decent perimeter defender and take some pressure off Kirk Hinrich. Thornton gives Golden State an athletic wing that could potentially come off the books after this season. Getting rid of Blatche in this move would provide the Wizard salary cap relief and give Wright a low-risk tryout in Washington. Bell’s contract could be valuable next season as salary dump.

The downside would be the Wizards giving up an affordable contract for cap relief while not really making up for Blatche’s talent. Golden State also might not want Blatche when they already have David Lee.

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Truth About It» ShareBullets: Charles Barkley Shake Weights Some Links

Barkley works the Shake Weight, a Wizards ticket giveaway, commentary and links…

First, TAI is giving away two tickets to Wednesday’s game versus the Pacers.The seats are good (Section 101, Row L… behind the Wizards’ bench) and John Wall is good (as in he’s back and should be playing). You can win these two free tickets by being the first to email the correct answer to the trivia question I will post from the@Truth_About_ItTwitter account at 11 am EST on Wednesday, December 29. The answer must be emailed to truthaboutit@gmail.com.

Also note:The Wizards are pulling something out of the Miami Heat’s playbook to get fans to arrive to games early (not sure if the idea actually originated with the Heat, but they did do something similar earlier this year). Starting when the doors open at 6 pm for Wednesday’s game versus the Pacers until 6:30, the Verizon Center will be offering food and drink discounts outside of section 107. {via @WashWizards}

WIZARDS-ROCKETS.

I’m not sure if it was his intended effect, but the technical Rocket’s coach Rick Adelman drew was the real“Game Changer” of Monday night’s loss in Houston… well, that and Chase Budinger. Up 10 points with about 10 minutes left in the game, a minute later the Rockets were able to cut the Wizards’ lead to seven via a JaVale McGee goal-tending call against Aaron Brooks. John Wall responded by jetting up the court, pulling a crazy, falling spin move in the paint, and somehow finding Josh Howard in the right corner for a jumper, putting the Wizards up 84-75 at the 8:48 mark of the fourth. It was time for Adelman to take his stand. The coach stomped and yelled in the direction of the referee, instigating a technical foul. Maybe he thought it was a charge against Wall (television replay seemed to indicate otherwise), maybe Adelman wanted to get his team fired up. Whatever the case was, it worked.

Wall missed the technical, Howard lost Budinger on a curl in the paint and fouled him on a layup attempt, the Wizards were stagnant on their next offensive possession and Howard got blocked by Budinger in the paint trying to return the favor (which led to Rockets fastbreak points the other way), Andray Blatche hit a soft, fading jumper (keeping the Wiz up 86-97), Shane Battier drove the lane and hit a tough shot against Rashard Lewis, Lewis returned the favor by air-balling a fading shot versus Battier, Kirk Hinrich fouled Aaron Brooks on a 3-point attempt, more stagnant Wizards offense led to a“post feed” to Blatche and an 18-foot missed jumper, and finally, Blatche lazily helped Hinrich on a pick and fade between Brooks and Battier and Lewis was slow to rotate to Battier, who hit a trey ball to put Houston up 87-86 with 6:39 left in the game.

There were still plenty of chances for the Wizards to win, but they were already so deflated by the game’s quick turnaround that it was essentially over at that point.Mike Prada at Bullets Foreverpoints out that the Wizards didn’t really execute down the final stretch, and I’ll add that in the run after Adelman’s tech, the Rockets manned up and decided to push their offense into the paint, while the Wizards settled for jumpers. Seems pretty typical for this team.

Oh, and Rockets blogThe Dream Shake certainly recognized Budinger’s effortsin propelling his team to victory.

TWO BULLETS.

It’s not all good in Wizards World, but two things I’ll note:

• I commendedErnie GrunfeldandTommy Sheppardfor flying down to San Antonio on the day after Christmas to personally tell Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee of their suspensions. I’m not sure how much that specific act means in the grand scheme of things, but it couldn’t have been handled better.
• I criticizedFlip Saundersearlier this year for his team’s lack of focus… and the fact that he likes to say,“You can’t coach effort.” Well, Flip has his team playing better lately and credit is due to him for that. They still aren’t winning, or rather, are still finding ways to lose… but they are competing more than they used to. Again, not sure what this means in the big picture, but worth a bullet point in a blog post nonetheless.

LINKS.

On Christmas Eve, I was the host over at ESPN.com’s TrueHoop and wrote two posts.One was onGilbert Arenas’ first good game in an Orlando Magic uniformin a blowout of the San Antonio Spurs and the surrounding circumstances. The other post was aboutdunks and which players/teams are doing itthe most this season. Go read them if you will.

Lang Whitaker has a good profile on John Wall.
{SLAM}

Someone recently challenged JaVale McGee to get a more mature Twitter name— not sure how much that matters, but McGee is no longer @bigdaddywookie anyways. He’s now@JaValeMcGee34

Shaun Powell lists Flip Saunders as one of eight NBA coaches potentially on the hot seat.
{NBA.com}

Wanna see what Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee were wearing the night they got into a fight?
{DC Fab}

You’ve probably read the touching story by Patrick Hruby about the boy who was helped and treated like a little brother by Gilbert Arenas after his family died in a devastating house fire. If not, go read it. As much as we, I, criticize or praise Arenas, he is a human too… a human who has always been more than willing to help out others.
{ESPN.com}

According to the reporting of the Washington Post, Arenas has evidently“cut off communication and funds” with Laura Govan, the mother of his three children, who is also supposed pregnant with his fourth child.The“report,” with sourcing from Govan’s“publicist” also says that Govan has not heard from Arenas for the entire month of December and that he left her with no money to purchase food or Christmas gifts. It all seems pretty strange (but not really considering the subjects), especially since the Govan sisters (Laura and Gloria, finacee to Matt Barnes of the Lakers) were on hand at the Staples Center when the Wizards played the Lakers in Los Angeles on December 14 (GIF evidence at the bottom of this post). Of course, their attendance at the game doesn’t mean anything.
{Washington Post}

Kelly Dwyer with excellent stuff on LeBron’s contraction talk.
{Ball Don't Lie}

Antawn Jamison rolls around on the floor for what seems like an eternity after bumping knees with Jameer Nelson… turned out to be just a knee contusion.
{NBA Facts& Rumors}

Your favorite troll, Colin Cowherd, has been nominated by Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch for the worst rant of the year… Cowherd also wins honorable mention in the same category.
{Sports Illustrated; H/TSB Nation DC}

Appreciating what might have been with Shaun Livingston through a nice no-look alley-oop pass he made in the present.
{Ball Don't Lie}

The Dallas Mavericks are fake-marketing Caron Butler’s Tuff Juice… but does Eddie Jordan get credit for coming up with Caron’s nickname?
{The Basketball Jones}

{The Govan Sisters - Laura Govan on the left, Gloria Govan on the right}

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Truth About It» The Curious Case of Nick Young’s Inability To Pass

Nick Young is one of the most unique players the NBA has ever seen.Now in his fourth season,his numbersimproved from his rookie to his sophomore year, then took a dip across the board last season, his third. Now, this season brings dramatic improvement from any Nick Young we’ve ever seen.

He’s found confidence to go along with his offensive talent, has vastly improved his jump shooting and does the other little things he needs to do to keep himself on the court. His stats, thus far this season, certainly would have kept him in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation, had it not been for the trade ofhis friend Gilbert Arenasto Orlando, thrusting Young into Flip Saunders’ starting lineup (assuming he starts more than he comes off the bench— right now, out of 28 Wizards games, Young has appeared in 27 and started in four).

But none of this exactly makes Young unique. What makes him unique is that he could be one of the worst passing guards the league has ever seen. Ever.

Let’s start by plugging some of Young’s stats this season in the historical database at Basketball-Reference.com. This season, Young is averaging 25.8 minutes per game, 20.4 points per 36 minutes and 0.9 assists per 36. His per game averages are 14.6 points and 0.6 assists.

First, the players who have averaged at least 25 minutes per game, over 20 points per 36 and less than one assist per 36 for an entire season. And I realize that this is a limited judgement of Young’s passing ability, especially in a sense that I’m predicating it on how much he’s able to score, but I do feel that part of the assessment is how much offense one creates for themselves versus for others. Also, there’s probably only a handful of non-NBA/team employees who have watched as much or more ff Young’s game over his NBA career than I have. Essentially, let’s be real… not only does Young not pass, he’s bad at passing… and I’m simply illustrating how bad with numbers.

Now, thereturns from Basketball-Reference: six players and no other guard aside from Young… Yao Ming, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Gatling, Bailey Howell, Eddy Curry and Mike Mitchell are their names. For fairness sake, I ran theper game numbers through BBR— over 25 minutes per game, over 14 points per game and less than 0.75 assists per game— and the return was even fewer players. The five others aside from Young were Chris Gatling (same season as before), Moses Malone, Gheorghe Muresan, Eddy Curry (same season) and Armen Gilliam.

As you can see, these are some historical, non-assisting numbers. Now let’s get more historical.

Through last night’s game versus the Spurs, Young has played 5,113 career minutes. He has accumulated 2,487 points and 223 assists. Plug the career requirements intoBasketball-Reference— at least 5,000 career minutes, more than 2,400 points scored and less than 250 assists and you get two players ever: Nick Young and Martell Webster.

Webster has mostly been more of a specialty player, a long-distance shooter. And Young is similarly developing into a niche-type player. He’s being used as a scorer, not a play-maker. Young does have that ability to put the ball on the floor, he’s just never used it effectively for his team.

In his assessment of the Spurs game, theWashington Post’sMichael Lee wrote: ”Nick Young failed to score at least 20 points for the first time in six games, as he was limited to just 10 points on 5-of-19 shooting. It was the first time in weeks that Young had looked so hesitant and indecisive.”

Young may have had 22 points in the Wizards’ 87-80 loss to the Chicago Bulls on December 22, but it wasn’t the type of 20-plus points that Flip Saunders desires.

“Even Nick, Nick’s been so effective, we talk about him catching and shooting. Tonight, he’s trying to do a lot off the dribble,” Saunders said after the Chicago game.“When you start doing that, that’s more individualistic than it is team-wise. And it’s easier for good defensive teams— that’s what {the Bulls} are, they’re second in the league in FG%— to lock into you. The referees were letting them grab, hold and do those things, and so you don’t put the ball on the floor and try to beat guy soff the dribble doing that. You beat them with the pass.”

Beat them with the pass, a dimension that the one-dimensional Young can’t do right now. He followed up that performance against the Bulls with a 5-19 effortagainst the Spursthat was heavily inspired by the disturbing play of Manu Ginobili.

After that Bulls game, I asked Saunders about Young’s passing/assist ability.

“It’s probably situations as far as what he puts in. You know, everyone has, as far as a role. He’s going to learn, you know … right now he’s our best scorer, the guy’s shooting 54% from the field. You’d rather him shooting than most other guys,” the coach said.

“Will he evolve as far as having more assists? Right now, he’s a scorer with a lot of tunnel vision,” Saunders continued.“And sometimes scorers and shooters are like that, especially early. We’re trying to limit his decision-making process and let him be aggressive as far as coming off screens.”

As suspected, Saunders is maximizing Young’s current potential while limiting his decision-making. And well, the coach’s methods have worked. I still recall Saunders speaking about how he loved to teach not long after he was hired. No other Wizards player has blossomed as much as Young has under Saunders.

Changes come slow and changes come drastically. Just yesterday, it seems, I was thinking Young could be out of the league soon… and I know that sentiment wasn’t unique to me. Now, Young is a piece for rebuilding. He’s a threat. His seemingly rapid, painstaking development over the previous three years has meaning. His growth, thanks to his own hard work and that of his coach, now provides more promise than ever… promise that he’ll one day shed the tunnel vision, and the horse blinders, and become a complete player. Nick Young, historically horrendous passing for now be damned, is finally becoming an NBA man.

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Truth About It» The Wizards Haven’t Partied In San Antonio Since 1999

• The Wizards played well enough withoutAndray BlatcheandJaVale McGee(due to their one-game suspension for getting in a fight with each other at a D.C.-area club) to fall just outside the 13.5-point spread by which the Spurs were favored,losing 94-80 in San Antonioon Sunday evening.
• Washington is now 0-14 on the road for the season and the team hasn’t won in San Antonio sinceDecember 11, 1999— Rod Strickland, Mitch Richmond, Michael Smith, Juwan Howard and Ike Austin started against Avery Johnson, Mario Elie, Chucky Brown, Tim Duncan and David Robinson that night and beat them 99-89.
• They never had a chance to win, but when upsets happen, you say,‘Well, that’s why you play the game.’ But I guess that only really happens when teams play like they have a chance to win.
• You’ll hear some analysis on the game say that the Spurs were a deeper, stronger team with more weapons. Sure, I’ll concede to that, but not as much as it’s hyped up to be. The answer is actually more simple than that simple analysis. The Spurs move the ballmuchbetter than the Wizards, to the tune of 27 assists to 18 for Washington. All the playersGregg Popovichplays buy into his system, they share the ball, and Spurs management has done a great job of providing Popovich with more players who relent to the team concept. The Wizards, on the other hand, seem to go after sheer talent in hopes that they can teach them to play like a team… and that can be a painstaking process, clearly.
• Not sure if it wasManu Ginobilistock-piling points on him early, or if it was just him missing shots, butNick Younghad a retro game, for him. The early futility clearly had an early affect on Young’s psyche. Heonce called his buddy Andray“Sonic” and referred to himself as“Tails”… guess Tails couldn’t make it without his hedgehog friend in San Antonio. Young went 5-19 from the field with 10 points and couldn’t do much right. His night was epitomized by the .GIF above where, after Manu had already made three three-pointers, Nick just failed to pay attention to him in any regard… more concerned with the potential screen than about the space he’d given Ginobili all night.
• Josh Howardshot 4-12 from the field and really looked to force some things on several offensive possessions. He also had a team-worst plus/minus of minus-12. Of course, here’s where the inaccuracy of plus/minus in it’s ability to give a true picture comes into play. Howard gave good energy and always found a way to get himself involved in plays. In the long run, Howard certainly deserves to eat intoAl Thornton‘s minutes… he had six rebounds in 24 minutes to Thornton’s three rebounds in 28. Of course, with the current makeup of the team, Howard looks to get more time at the two.
• Rashard Lewishad 21 points and went 4-8 from beyond the arc, but he needed 19 total shots to get there. Maybe that’s about the efficiency we can expect from him… and making those three pointers does actually make him more efficient (52.6 eFG% vs. the Spurs), especially when that’s an area where the team needs help. Lewis also got 12 rebounds and certainly seems more interested in boxing out than Blatche.
• A lot of people will surely try to analyzeJohn Wall’s return to the court, because it’s popular and brings eyeballs, I suppose, but really, this window— how Wall“looked” against the Spurs— is not really worth dissecting. His stat line off the bench: 19 minutes, four points, 2-9 FGs, no trips to the free-throw line, four assists, four turnovers, four fouls, a block and six rebounds. To me, Wall looked a bit gimpy in his knee at times, maybe it was stiff or whatever, but he did look almost as quick, noted by that sweet spin move he put on Manu before the half. About the only thing I take from Wall’s performance was that he finds ways to impact the game in other areas.
• Kirk Hinrichhad 15 points on 7-10 shooting with seven assists and four turnovers. He tried, earnestly. And for some weird reason, Hinrich’s admirable presence makes the Mike Miller and Randy Foye for the fifth pick trade seem even worse. Don’t ask why.

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Truth About It» The Third Quarter From Hell (via Phoenix)

{As it turns out, Hakim Warrick's monster jam on Yi Jianlian at the end of the first half was a sign for things to come for Washington in the second half.}

There was a battle for momentum toward the end of the second quarter during Sunday night’s Wizards-Suns game.Steve Nash had just penetrated the lane (as he did with ease all night), and dished off to Hakim Warrick (again, as he did all night) for a thunderous slam, and there were just four seconds left on the clock.  John Wall then took the ball, ran down the court and launched a shot from just inside the three-point line.

After Wall’s attempt went in off the glass just before the buzzer, Channing Frye looked in disbelief and then ran towards the locker room.  Wall briefly looked at the crowd, tapped his chest twice, and then he too ran off the court.  His shot had cut the Suns lead to three points, and momentum seemed to be firmly on the Wizards’ side.

In the first 90 seconds or so of the third quarter, it seemed like the Wizards were up to matching the Suns’ intensity.  Jason Richardson and Channing Frye both scored off passes from Nash, but the Wizards countered with scores of their own courtesy of two free throws from Wall and a dunk from Alonzo Gee.  At that point, the Wizards were still within three points.

But then the Steve Nash show really started to kick into full gear. The Wizards could not keep pace and things began to get out of hand. Nash was either scoring or dishing on every basket, and each of Phoenix’s other four starters (Grant Hill, Channing Frye, Richardson and even Earl-freaking-Barron) scored within the first six minutes.

The Wizards weren’t nearly as fluid.  Gee took and missed two three-pointers, which really isn’t his shot, while JaVale McGee and Wall took turns turning the ball over.  Andray Blatche, who started quickly with 12 first quarter points, went almost half of the third quarter before he scored a basket, but at that point, the Wizards were already down 85-73.

After calling a full timeout, Flip Saunders decided to substitute Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young into the game. Arenas (6 points and 5 assists) and Young (10 points) had given the Wizards a substantial offensive boost in the first half, and I’m sure Flip was looking for them to do the same in the third quarter.

Unfortunately for Saunders, neither player could re-create their first quarter magic.  Arenas did not score or dish out an assist in his four minutes on the floor in the third, and Young went 0-for-3 from the field and committed two fouls.  In that same span, Warrick and Richardson combined to score eight points for the Suns, and when that third quarter horn sounded, the Wizards were down 95-77. They went on to lose the game 125-108.

On the surface it would be easy to blame the Wizards’ third quarter woes on the brilliance of Steve Nash.  He had three points and eight assists in the period, and that’s not even counting the hockey assists.   But Nash played just as well in the first quarter (eight points, four assists) and the Wizards were in the lead.  A look beyond the surface shows that the Wizards lost that quarter for one main reason:  Wall and Arenas were not on the floor together.

When Wall and Arenas played together in the first half, the Wizards extended their lead from 16-14 to 26-18, and their open court style caused difficulty for the Suns.  In the second period, the Wizards weren’t able to stretch their lead as they had previously, but the duo still helped their team to score 30 points in the quarter.  The formula was pretty simple:  Wall was a threat to drive and get to the basket, and Arenas was a threat to shoot from the outside, or get to the hole if he needed to do that as well.

In that putrid third, when the Wizards only scored 17 points, Wall and Arenas were on the floor together 53 seconds total, and during the other 11 minutes, the offense was predictable.  There were forced shots and bad shots, but not enough easy shots, because the two best players were simply not on the floor.  By the time the fourth quarter started and the pair was on the floor again, the complexion of the game had vastly changed because the Suns were so far ahead.

After the game, Flip seemed to blame the Wizards third quarter play on the team’s mentality:

“When things don’t go right as a team, we get down on ourselves and let one mistake compound on another and that’s when teams go on an 6-0 runs or that 8-0 run that turns a 6-point game into a 14-point game. And then your mentality, how you play is totally different.”

If Wall and Arenas are the best players, and they don’t play together during a pivotal part of the game, it’s the coach’s mentality that has changed, not the players’.   This shift in mentality, against a Suns team just one game above .500 going into the meeting, saw the Wizards get blown out in the quarter from hell, which cost them the game.  When the Wizards take on the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow night, the failure to coach and play better will lead to a similar fate.

Wizards-Suns: Top Quotes.

{Michael Lee - Wizards Insider}

I can’t even attempt to count the number of times that I’ve seen Steve Nash play in person, but the guy never ceases to amaze me. Over the past five years, the league has been overwhelmed with talented, fast and electrifying point guards— Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry and now John Wall.

But even at 36, after a series of injuries, thousands of miles on his wheels and the loss of Mike D’Antoni and Amare Stoudemire, it’s impossible to knock Nash out of the discussion of the league’s top five point guards. Try as you might, you just can’t. He still has enough speed, and much more intelligence, which makes him a difficult cover. He carved up the Wizards on Sunday with the precision of a surgeon; dropping those passes that make you just shake your head in wonderment.

{Michael Schwartz - Valley of the Suns}

Nash became the first player in NBA history to twice record 17 assists without missing a shot since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77. Only three other players have done this once and the list isn’t too shabby: Magic Johnson, John Stockton and Mark Jackson. Nash also pulled the trick April 3, 2007, when he hit four shots and dished 17 dimes in Memphis, and before that it hadn’t been done since Stockton in 1994.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Nash became the second player in the shot clock era (since 1954-55) to post a 20 points and 10 assists game without missing a field goal or free throw, and that hasn’t been done since 1985 when Lester Conner did it.

{Craig Stouffer - Washington Examiner}

John Wall, despite bouncing back from his disappointing outing against Portland on Friday with 12 points, 12 assists and three steals, seemed like a pawn in Nash’s plan every time he guarded him. For all that Wall does getting his hands into passing lanes and disrupting as a help defender, he’s always a bit resigned to let a screen completely take him out of the play. The problem is, while Wall was trailing Nash, the Wizardsbig men froze in front of him, whether it was JaVale McGee or Hilton Armstrong or Yi Jianlian. And rotation has been an issue on defense all season. It’s not that Nash wasn’t great. But the Wizards, who were easily baited into an up-tempo game that was always going to be difficult for them to sustain, looked like orange cones the way Nash ran through them. Phoenix probably gets fewer dunks doing shell work in practice than they did on Sunday night.

{Trevor Paxton - Bright Side of the Sun}

In the midst of a third quarter run that effectively killed the Wizards’ hopes at a win, Eddie Johnson said,“And here I thought this was going to be a game decided in the fourth quarter.” I thought the same thing, especially after a nearly-defense lacking first half that had the Suns leading 64-61. However, to start the second half, the Suns, would have none of that.

And to end on a somewhat positive note, here are a couple big-time Trevor Booker slams:

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Truth About It» The Lure of Steve Nash, Suns Dismantle Wizards 125-108

{Steve Nash lures John Wall with a back dribble, then changes pace to attack the open lane while keeping the ball away from JaVale McGee with two hands before sliding in for a layup.}

This Wizards team is hard to dissect, and I don’t mean“take apart,” as Steve Nash did on Sunday evening on his way to captaining his Suns to a 125-108 victory.

The Wizards are hard to dissect in the sense of separating individual parts to determine why the team continues to lose in the worst of ways (and win by the skin of their teeth). Anything and everything could go wrong on a given night.

On offense, in general, the team wastes too many possessions with bad shots. Pretty simple to conclude that they could use a lot more discipline in this regard. On defense, it comes down to focus and will, something several Wizards have major issues with. When you combine the overall effect that has on the team with the stylings of the two-time MVP in Nash, you have a recipe for the Suns to have their way with the Wizards.

Nash was often seen casually strolling through the paint, slicing through defenders as shown in the above GIF on Sunday night. But really, there was nothing casual about it. Well, unless you’re talking about the Wizards’ defense.

Nash could perform surgery blindfolded against Washington. He’s calculating, he’s precise. One can’t help but wonder which one will come first, Nash’s retirement or Ted Leonsis changing the name of the team, because something’s gotta give. Let’s turn to the Elias Sports Bureau for support:

Steve Nash’s average of 13.4 assists per game versus the Wizards since returning to the Suns in 2004-05 is his highest against any opponent.

Enough said.

Nash came out on top in what was an exciting duel between he and John Wall for a brief spell. The Canadian finished with 17 assists to 2 turnovers and shot 8-8 from the field, netting 20 points. Wall had a decent 12 assists to 4 turnovers, but 10 of those dimes came in the first half when it still was a game, not in the second half that sealed the deal. Wall succumbed to the man whose skills academy he once attended with just 12 points on 4-12 shooting and 3-4 from the free-throw line.

The most telling sign of Nash’s effect on the game came midway though the fourth quarter. Nash went to the bench with 1:13 left in the third, his Suns holding a comfortable 16 point lead. The Suns would push that lead to 21 with 9:23 left in the game thanks to a Jared Dudley trey ball. Then the Wizards found a little moxie and energy (thanks to some beastliness from Trevor Booker), went on a 14-5 run and cut Phoenix’s lead to 12 with 5:13 left.

Maybe the sense of hope for the Wizards at the point wasn’t necessarily false, but unfortunately for Flip Saunders’ bunch, this isn’t like soccer when a player can’t be subbed back in. Nash returned and the Suns promptly went on a 11-3 run over the span of 88 seconds, Nash tallying three assists in the process. Nick Young hit an inconsequential layup with three minutes left before Nash sat down at the 2:42 mark with Phoenix up 18.

The game was put gently to bed by Nash, who served as a playpen mobile all night, dazzling the Wiz Kids with flicks of his one-handed bounce passes and alley-oops galore. The Wizards now take their 0-10 start on the road to play the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Get ready for more lessons.

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Truth About It» Andray Blatche and His Disappearing Technical Foul

{Brandon Roy reacts as referee Courtney Kirkland points toward him, indicating a foul will be called on Roy, canceling Portland's possession of the ball and an Andray Blatche technical foul.}

With just over two minutes left in Friday night’s game, and the Wizards holding onto a 73-69 lead over the Portland Trailblazers, Brandon Roy took a three pointer.

He missed. Nicolas Batum got an offensive rebound and passed to Wesley Matthews in the corner. He missed a three. Joel Pryzybilla then missed a controlled tip from point-blank range. LaMarcus Aldridge tipped the rebound, and missed, and tipped the ball again, and again, and again, just swatting with the hope that something would go in his team’s favor for a change.

The final rebound then brushed past Roy’s hands. Andray Blatche swooped in to try to gather the ball as he teetered on the baseline, but in one move, Roy punched the ball away. As it left Blatche’s grasp, Roy grabbed him around the waist with one arm to prevent recovery. The ball went out of bounds, and having last touched Blatche’s hands, referee Scott Wall blew the whistle, signaling possession in Portland’s favor. Wall’s view of Blatche getting grabbed was blocked.

Andray made a face to the ref, and during the motion of turning the other way, threw a punch into the air, which fits into the category that has earned many NBA players technical fouls this season, as David Stern is trying to crack down on such transgressions. So Wall immediately whistled Blatche for a technical foul. Uh oh. That would mean Portland could sink a free-throw, cut the Wizards lead to three, and have the ball in their hands.

Immediately, referee Courtney Kirkland ran over to consult with his colleague and subsequently overrule him. Kirkland saw the foul committed by Roy and blew his whistle as well. Since it was Blatche who was fouled, he would be selected to shoot free-throws on the other end, and his technical foul would disappear, negated from being a factor on 7-Day Dray’s pocket book.

It was a big turning point of the game. Instead of Portland getting a chance to get within one point or even tie the Wizards, they found themselves down six with 124 seconds left after Blatche calmly sank his free-throws. The Wizards would go on to win the game by four points, the same margin going into the technical foul that never was.

After the game, I asked Blatche is he was aware of the heat-of-the-moment incident:

In the end, you must give the refs credit for consulting each other and getting the call right while not penalizing someone else for their mistake. It also seems to send the message: if you complain in a technical-worthy manner, and you’re right, then the refs won’t come down hard on you… at least in this instance of the disappearing technical foul.

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Truth About It» Under The Hoop: Philadelphia 76ers vs Washington Wizards, Looking Back On The Last Win

Due to Thanksgiving holiday travel, my pictures from the November 23 Wizards-76ers game are a bit tardy. But considering the Wizards have not won a game since, enduring two embarrassing blowouts in the process, reminiscing a thrilling victory could be a good remedy for Wizards fans. Enjoy.

John Wall& Gilbert Arenas stand out during the national anthem.

76ers top pick Evan Turner trying to get one of his threes to drop during pre-game shoot around.

Wizards Rookie Kevin Seraphin is much more jovial to be around than this shot depicts.

Seraphin’s English is improving because I did clearly make out his words when he asked me about my favorite Wizards Girl from the game program.

During pregame warm-ups, I over heard Gilbert Arenas tell Nick Young that his tooth fell out. Who knows what that could mean.

Seraphin gives Andray Blatche a good spirited pat down after pre-game introductions.

And yes, JaValesuccessfullytossed this Jrue Holiday shot.

Arenas getting baseline against Spencer Hawes.

These young Wizards’ fans love them some Dray. Very cute.

Yes, that is Nick Young contesting a shot. He seems to be much better at that these days.

Welcome the Kirk Hinrich face, which is not be confused with the Mike Miller face.

Similar to Miller, Hinrich spends a lot time on the floor, but he is far less overtly dramatic with bumps and bruises than Mr. Glass.

John Wall fouled Turner somewhat hard and 76ers forward Marreese Speights, along with Turner, took exception.

A shoving match ensued, and my favorite part is that Wall did not back down to anyone during the whole incident. The fray then debated the merits of wings versus all-white meat chicken strips. McGee purportedly chose wings, Nocioni opted for the chicken strips.

The infamous flagrant foul that earned Brand an ejection and subsequent suspension.

Speights’s And-1 facial cram was too nasty not to show off.

The scrum after Trevor Booker forced, and won, a key late-game  jump ball.

Up three, eight seconds remaining in regulation, and all Turner has to do is make one of two free throws to ice the game away.

This is a picture of him clanking his second straight, which set up the play where Jrue Holiday fouled John Wall’s attempt from beyond downtown… we’re talking Woodbridge, VA deep. Wall calmly made all three free-throws and sent the game into overtime.

The Phone Booth went bonkers after Young drilled a go-ahead corner three in OT.

Arenas golf claps to the fans while Young and Dray celebrate Nick’s clutch shot.

BALL GAME! Wizards victory as Philadelphia’s final shot falls short.

The Boss Man, Ted Leonsis, throws his hands up in celebration way in the background.

Young and Arenas go to half-court to partake in some type of coordinated jubilation.

Young really is one of the most creative sports-dance choreographers that I have ever seen.

The John Wall Scream….Killa

For more pictures, check the slide show:

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Truth About It» Symbolic Red Gear& Matador D: Toronto Raptors Olé! Washington Wizards

Debating which is worse, wasting two and half hours watching that putrid Wizards defensive performance against the Toronto Raptors in a 127- 108 rout, or trying to figure out what to write for a game recap.Both seem like torture for a Wizards fan, but I will at least try a bigger literary effort than Andray Blatche does at defense. The Wizards team wore red shoes, headbands, and warm ups to honor World AIDS Week, although it was pretty symbolic of the matador D that they unveiled in Canada Wednesday evening.

The Wizards did their usual roadkill performance in remarkable fashion by giving up 72 points on 32 made FGs—in the first half!With the Magic, Celtics and Hawks already destroying the Wizards this season, you could at least counter that those are playoff teams. Not the case with a sub par 6-11 Raptors team, the Wizards were lucky to hold them under 140 points.

The Raptors did shoot a blistering 67% in the first half, yet, most of them were dunks, fast-break lay-ups and easy buckets around the hoop.  Thirty of the Raptors first 40 points came in the paint (62 for the game), and they tallied 50 points in the first 17 minutes of the game, ending up with 32 fast break points. Toronto also crushed the Wiz 52-30 in rebounding.

Andrea Bargnani looked like the version of Dirk Nowitzki everyone thought he could be when the Raptors drafted him first overall in 2006. He threw down facial dunks, grabbed offensive boards at ease, and flowed in any jumper he wanted at will. DeMar Derozan did a‘Bo Kimble at Loyola Marymount’ impression, Leandro Barbosa was Tim Hardaway in Run TMC, Jose Calderon put on a‘Fat Lever with the Nuggets’ play-making act, and Jerryd Bayless was, sigh… you get the picture.  But letJohn Wall paint it for you:

“I don’t even want to talk about it. That’s a video game stat. That’s like somebody that studied a video game so much that he knows exactly when to shot it and get any shot he wanted. That’s basically how it felt. They can get any shot any time. They were getting dunks after dunks, layups after layups and foul after foul.”

If you thought the Wizards would come out in the second half with something to prove, you were quickly disappointed as the Raptors made easy passes around the three-point line for repeated successful shots. The rest of the game was garbage time, only two late Cartier Martin threes kept the victory margin under 20.

The few Wiz highlights came on a couple impressive dunks by JaVale McGee. Wall also seemed to have some healthy quickness back after a slow start to the night— even though it was highly questionable why he was still playing so late in the game. Arenas was ice cold, and Blatche gave fuel for all of his critics with an utter slogging display that would only make his fantasy owners slightly happy.

The one play, depicted at 1:08 mark of the above video, that stands out in the abomination came  late in the second quarter after McGee missed a 5-foot turn around shot. The Raptors secured the rebound and made ONE outlet pass to Sunny Weems for an uncontested dunk. It appeared as if Toronto was running a 3-man weave against no defenders.

Flip Saunders’ infamous quote, “Don’t ever think it can’t get any worse, because it can,” once again depressingly comes to mind. It likely can get worse, but for now, this loss to the Raptors will do as the low point in the Wizards’ season. The league’s 17th ranked offense dismantled a listless and dispassionate Washington team. They were out-hustled for loose balls, lacked any concerned effort in transition defense, and made little attempt to protect the rim.

The team that could have beat the Orlando Magic last Saturday night and competed well with an undermanned squad in Miami on Monday quickly disappeared into one that looked ill-fit to compete at a NBA level.

The facts are hard to ignore as the Wizards fell to 0-9 on the road and 5-12 overall. If not for a Martin off-balanced three and Evan Turner missing two free throws over two home contests against Philadelphia, they would only have three victories. Washington ranks 26th in Defensive Rating and 24th in pointsallowed.

Young teams will struggle with good teams, and on the road in general, but there is no reason this team should be THIS bad at defense. And it is inexcusable to lay down a half-assed effort against a mediocre team like the Raptors, who were also playing without their big bruiser Reggie Evans. The preseason slogan“Back to Basics” never felt more hollow when a team can’t even consistently run back to prevent a lay-up.

Has Flip lost his magic touch with defense? I know the coaches are coaching, but are the players listening? Which party deserves the blame? Who in the locker room will step up after a dismal showing like this one? If it is Wall, will his other teammates listen and react accordingly? Can Arenas, who I have witnessed first-hand displaying leadership skills, get Blatche to play even average defense? Josh Howard could help lock down opposing wings, but is this roster fundamentally flawed at defense, especially on the interior? Does Wizards management finally deserve some scrutiny about the team makeup?

The Arenas/Wall backcourt has not had enough time together to truly evaluate their potential, and the return of Howard and Yi will help. I just do not know how many of these type of losses fans can swallow before wondering what the hell is going on and what is being done internally to fix it. Cold, out-of-rhythm offense is one thing, consistently disinterested defense is another.

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Truth About It» Wizards-Heat Play of the Game, and Gilbert Arenas To Orlando Trade Rumors

The Wizards take on the Raptors in Toronto tonight, still aiming to win their first road game of the year… and they’ll be doing itwithout Hilton Armstrong.

Ina November 24 poll, when the Wizards were 0-6 on the road instead of the current 0-8, 33-percent of voters said the Wizards would notch their first road win tonight against the Raps. My dad recently told me that he thought the Wiz would get their first roadie in Sacramento— in that case, you’ll have to wait until December 8, when the Wizards would face the Kings with an 0-11 record on the road. The NBA:Where Amazing Happens.

Anyway…

Let’s look back and break down the play of the night from Monday’s game versus the Miami Heat.This one involves none other thanGilbert ArenasandAndray Blatcherunning a pick-and-roll, one where Blatche actually rolls to the basket. Imagine that.

Also imagine something else for a second… the Orlando Magic discussing aVince Carterfor Arenas swap with the Wizards, at least this is what’s beingreported by the Orlando Pinstripped Post(h/t:Bullets Forever), also indicating that the trade could involveBlatche,Rashard LewisandDaniel Ortonas well.

Immediate thoughts:

1. I’m not surprised this report surfaced— just a couple days ago theOrlando Sentinel reportedthat the Magic would be open to making a major trade with just about any team.
2. The report seems to indicate that Orlando is reaching out to Ernie Grunfeld and the Wizards. I’d be curious to see just how stingy Grunfeld is; perhaps thinking that he might be holding the cards, I wouldn’t be surprised if he asks for/holds out for something most favorable to Washington financially. And I wouldn’t be surprised if nothing develops because of this. Orlando has no real reason to add payroll for Arenas, so Washington holds no cards, they’re just an available option. Then again, raise your hand if you think Orlando can really win a title with Carter on their roster. He’s not much more than expiring contract trade bait at this point.
3. And I’d agree with Mr. Prada’s assessment at Bullets Forever: Rashard Lewis and his contract would not be an ideal acquisition to replace a departing Blatche, even if his three point shooting would spread the floor for Wall. Lewis would be a big step-down from Blatche’s meager low post presence… imagine that as well.
4. Sending Arenas and perhaps Blatche within the division could blow up in Grunfeld’s face… but then again,“it’s a business”, so intra-divisional trades should not be the hold up for a rebuilding team like the Wizards.
5. The report says that no one knows what could be holding up the trade, but I have an idea of something that could be a factor— how much would it take to buy-out Carter and never, ever see him in a Washington professional basketball uniform?
6. If  the trade were to go down…c’est la vie… But it would  be funny (in a horrific way) if Arenas and Blatche went on to help Orlando win a title while all Wizards fans got was an injury-prone John Wall (okay, I shouldn’t even go there).
7. If Arenas ends up departing, perhaps it was a sign that Ted Leonsis really chose his words carefully when asking Washington to re-embrace Arenas… because an“embrace” is also usually the last thing people exchange before they part ways for good.
8. But viaMichael Lee on Wizards Insider, Leonsis responded to the trade rumor in an email by saying,“It isn’t true. I wouldn’t tell you if it was true but I am telling you that it is not true.”— But that doesn’t exactly mean phone conversations weren’t had and that such an option is completely dead.
9. In the end, nothing is nothing until it happens… and that’s about all one can say at this point.

On to the play:

The Setting:Arenas is at the one (1), Nick Young at the two (2), Alonzo Gee at the three (3), Andray Blatche at the four (4) and JaVale McGee at the five (5).

The action begins when Young cuts over a Blatche screen and curls to the hoop.

As Blatche rotates, he goes to set a ball screen for Arenas.

As Arenas comes off the ball screen, McGee sets a down screen off the ball for Gee on the wing, and Nick Young cuts through to the right corner to clear space for Blatche on the left.

Arenas rises to shoot, but also sees Blatche rolling/cutting down the wide open lane.Blatche is so free because LeBron probably thinks Arenas is going to fire the shot, so he’s just watching the ball and casually paying attention to his man, Nick Young. Juwan Howard, old as he is, already hedged out too far on the screen and somewhat ran into Dwyane Wade (who himself takes defensive possessions off and was probably trailing Arenas just a little too much). Howard finds himself way behind the cutting Blatche.A pass is made.

Are you going to jump LeBron? What should you do?

Nope. 7-Day Dray Dunk.

And that was your Wizards-Heat play of the night.

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