Truth About It» ShareBullets: You Can’t Get On Antawn Jamison’s Level

Parties, commentary and links…

Antawn Jamison is on his own level and you can’t get on it,atleast that’s what the promotional party flier above seems to indicate. Jamison’s level these days involves sitting out the past 13 games— likely the rest of the year— due to a broken pinkie finger; and he has to watch the 15-58 Cleveland Cavaliers all the time, which probably isn’t that much different than watching the 18-55 Wizards. Jamison’s level also involves getting paid over $13.3 million this season, which is a pretty nice level regardless of the environment. Back to the promotional flier… Jamison’s level will evidently be on display this Thursday at the Shadow Room, as he is welcomed back to D.C. with a party the night before his Cavs take on the Wizards. Speaking of the Shadow Room, that’s the venue where Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee once got on the level offighting with each otheroutside the club on Christmas Eve. The Wizards are just a classic team, on so many levels.

In other team party news,Josh Howard, who has appeared in 409 minutes over 18 games this season, has lent his name to the Wizards-Heat post-game party at Oxygen tonight. The most recently injured Wizard, Trevor Booker, had provided his name for use as well. Wale will also be performing… I still wonder if heroots for the Cavaliers and/or Nuggets.

Links.

Washington will likely bewithAndray Blatche as they play the Miami Heat tonight andwithoutTrevor Booker, who could miss the last nine games of the season with a crack in the bottom of his right foot. It all sounds rather splendid.
{Washington Examiner}

The Wizards’ final record this year notwithstanding, or maybe it is, will people really look back and care if John Wall averaged at least nine assists per game during his rookie year, keeping him in company with Oscar Robertson, Damon Stoudemire and Mark Jackson?
{Wizards Insider}

I provided some thoughts about John Wall for a Dime Magazine piece.
{Dime}

If you’re one of the few people who have attended a Wizards game this year, you probably noticed that guy on the cheer squad— or whatever it’s called— dancing and doing crazy things around the arena to get the crowd hype.It was inevitable that a story would be written about him. David Rowell of the Washington Post does a pretty good job of doing so.
{Washington Post}

Read more about Othyus Jeffers.
{Ridiculous Upside}

Jimmer Fredette is like Gilbert Arenas?(So says Bethlehem Shoals)
{The Atlantic}

Is it legal for an NBA player to pass it to himself off the backboard?
{TrueHoop}

Great (long) article about shady high school basketball in the state of Florida, Miami to be exact.
{Miami New Times}

Awesome aerial photography from’round the globe.
{Twisted Sifter}

Source

Truth About It» Wizards-Jazz: My Post-Game Confession

I did NOT want the Wizards to defeat the Jazz last night.  Not at all.

I didn’t realize my thought pattern would veer in such a direction as John Wall was ran roughshod over the Jazz to the tune of 24 points in the first half.  It was refreshing to see Wall put the shorthanded Wizards squad on his back and decide he was not going to let them lose.  Jordan Crawford had been assuming that role of late, which is fine and much appreciated, but it’s better to have the No. 1 draft pick (aka the“Game Changer”) assume that role too— and for the first two quarters he did just that.

Even in the third quarter, as Crawford and JaVale McGee combined for 13 points, helping the Wizards maintain a 73-63 point lead, I continued to hope Washington would be victorious.  Wall had fallen off his torrid pace, but Crawford was finding ways to score, McGee was ruling the paint as he had against the Warriors, and even Cartier Martin came back from the dead to hit a timely three-pointer. The little-used, but desperately needed (on this night, at least) Martin made hisfirst shot, a three-pointer, in the second quarter, but missed his next five shots, four of them from deep, before making his next shot, a three late in the third.

Not only had the Wizards put together three quarters of decent basketball, but they were playing strong on the road as they had done against the Los Angeles Clippers last week and against the Golden State Warriors the night before. I was encouraged that the dismal team I had been writing about all year was showing late-season improvement, and I couldn’t wait to write about it.

Around the 5:13 mark of the fourth quarter my thought pattern changed drastically.  The score had been stagnant for about a minute, 82-75 in the Wizards’ favor. The brand of basketball turned from crisp and calculated to panicked and sloppy.  Then Crawford missed two long jumpers, and the third pick in the 2010 draft, Mr. Derrick Favors, scored five straight points for the Jazz to pull Utah within 82-80. The Wizards hadn’t hit a field-goal, much less scored in five minutes. Because of Favors, the momentum that neither team wanted for two minutes was in Utah’s favor (sorry, I simply could not resist).

My brain immediately assumed the worst for Washington, thinking about articles I could write relaying how devastating a loss to Utah would be on the heels of the losses to theClippersand Warriors that ended in similar fashion. Words formed in my mind about how yet another road loss would upset and frustrate youngsters like Wall, Crawford, Seraphin and McGee, and how such futility could only build character and experience for next season.  I even thought about writing a piece encouraging Flip Saunders or another Wizards player to throw anAntawn Jamison-like temper tantrumin the locker room. Scattered honey-dew melon or not, someone needed to get desperate and angry enough to snap the team out of their road doldrums, I thought.

These diabolical plans and more all started after just two minutes of stagnant basketball from the Wizards that was countered by inspired basketball from the Jazz.  Washington has been playing poorly— mainly because of inexperience, injuries and occasional bone-headed plays— for so long that it has become easy (bordering on lazy) for me to slam the team and focus on the negative aspect of its performances.  Even when someone does play well, andI choose to focus on it,I am still put in the position of trying to find the good in a loss, and what I end up writing feels hollow (please still read them though).

The momentum the Jazz built halfway through the fourth quarter continued until the end of regulation, then the Wizards took it right back in overtime.  With 4:26 left, Crawford jumped the passing lane, stole the ball and dunked it home. On the next possession, another steal for Crawford as he swiped the ball from Gordon Hayward, sprinted the other way, drew a foul, and then hit both free throws to put the Wizards up by seven.  Maurice Evans proceeded to hit big shots from both the three-point and foul lines. Wall hit three free throws as well, and the Wizards held off the Jazz 100-95.  I was not a happy blogger.  I felt like a villain who had successfully mapped out his plan for world domination, and Superman swooped in, stole my plans, and forced me to do the“right” thing.

All the lazy, negative (and sometimes correct), sky-is-falling articles I really wanted to write were now replaced by positive, encouraging thoughts.  I mentally re-visited the concept of a Wall-Crawford backcourt beyond this season. Thoughts of writing how much I loved McGee putting together two strong games came to mind.  I even noticed Coach Saunders cracking a bit of a smile on the sidelines (as did Kyle Weidie) and considered that something to sprinkle into a feel-good article as well.  Yes, the Wizards were still 2-37 on the road. And yes, they were still lottery-bound. And hell yes, the talent injured players far outweighed the healthy ones not named John Wall.  But on this night in Utah, against the Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams-less Jazz, the Wizards ended their road losing streak and put it all together.

I wasn’t up to writing that type of article, and I was irritated that the newly resurgent Wizards had even put me in a position to do that.  Plus, I wondered what would happen if I wrote a sparkling article about the Wizards, only for them to get blown out at home on Wednesday against Miami (no shame in that) and at home again on Friday against Cleveland (shame would definitely bea factor).  As rosy as my post-Jazz article could undoubtedly be, I’d have to tear it all down and revert to the negative, moral victory articles that have become the norm over the past month or so.  Who wants to be jerked around like that?  Why not continue to insert sarcasm and bitter feelings into my articles, and justify it by saying I’m a passionate fan/blogger who just wants what’s best for the team? Based on what I’ve seen on twitter, read on the interwebs, and occasionally heard around the Verizon Center, I’d be in good company with that line of thought.

Besides, March Madness has me in an NBA draft state of mind, and players like Arizona’s Derrick Williams, North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes, and Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger have all shown that they have NBA potential.  The more games the Wizards lose, the better their chances to get another game changer (NBA lockout permitting of course).  Another high draft pick would bring Washington closer to that belovedOklahoma City Thunder model of success,which would mean a shorter rebuilding process. But none of this would be possible without more losses, and by defeating the Jazz, the Wizards had foiled both my article and my personals visions for their grandeur.

I chose to sleep on it. On Tuesday morning, I came to my senses and realized my task is to write about what’s going on with team— win or lose, good or bad— and my personal feelings, biases, wishes and desires really have nothing to do with it.  I could have just ignored that I ever felt like this and written an analytical article about last night’s gamethe way Mr. Weidie did,but that felt awfully disingenuous.

Instead, I decided to write about my temporary trip to the Dark Side to see if anyone else had joined me there.  I’m hoping other Truth About It readers and followers made that same short-lived trip, so that the comments section will be filled with co-signs and understanding remarks.

But if you want to criticize me and hang me out to dry the way I did to the Wizards last night, I totally understand that as well.

{The author of this post: Rashad Mobley is from the Washington, D.C. area and has been covering the Washington Wizards with credentials for three years.  To learn more about him click here.To follow him on Twitter: @Rashad20.}

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Truth About It» ShareBullets:‘Our Time’: Great For VCU, Not So Much For Wizards

Screen shots, commentary and links…

My column last week in the DCist got delayed due to my account, so it was posted this morning for you to kindly read. It’s all about howthe“Our Time” motto worked out for the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, but not so much for the Washington Wizards. And as evident by the posters above from the crowd seen on television at VCU’s big win over Kansas yesterday, it was clearly a theme that resonated from when Rams coach Shaka Smart outlined it for his team at the beginning of their season. So a big congrats goes to VCU… go check outmy DCist column… and the below screen shot captures how the ticket that I purchased in Las Vegas last July (while I was out there for the NBA Summer League) for the Kansas Jayhawks to win the NCAA national title feels.

Wizards-Warriors.

So the Wizards lost again on the road last night to the Golden State Warriors, 114-104, dropping them to 17-55 on the season and 1-35 on the road. The young, depleted Washington squad did not pay enough attention to shooters (Dorrell Wright went 5-11 from three-point land and Monta Ellis went 4-6) and were out-lasted by minor mistakes and a Warriors team with many more offensive weapons. Ten of the Warriors’ 11 3-point makes were assisted upon (Golden State missed 13 threes), while Washington went 4-16 from deep with all of those long buckets coming via assists.

John Wall, who finished with 18 points on 5-16 shooting with 12 assists and three turnovers, contributed 0.95 points per possession used. Jordan Crawford, who finished with 11 points on 5-21 shooting with seven assists, three turnovers and five rebounds, produced just 0.53 PC/PU. On the other side, Ellis, 37 points on 14-24 shooting with 13 assists and two turnovers in 48 minutes of action, had a PC/PU of 1.34 and Wright, 19 points on 6-14 from the field, had a PC/PU of 1.22.

JaVale McGee had an excellent game with a career-high 28 points (thanks to 9-12 from the field and 10-11 from the free-throw line) to go with 18 rebounds and five blocked shots. He really used his length to his advantage against Golden State, often securing defensive boards with two hands and long arms. But until some of the Wizards’ young guns get more horses to ride with, there will be a lot of games like this where they try valiantly, but fall short in the end.

NOTE:
PC = Points Contributed: Pts + Ast*2/3– AstFGM*2/3
PU = Possessions Used: FGA + TO + Ast*1/3– AstFGM*1/3 + FTA*0.44
Stats fromHoopData.com

Links.

After a poor game versus Denver, Nick Young had a decent start versus the Warriors, but got injured again.
{Wizards Insider}

Love the faces of Yi Jianlian and David Lee in his poster of a JaVale McGee dunk.
{TwitPic via @WashWizards}

Ted Leonsis vs. The Washington Post with fair commentary from Jamie Mottram.
{Mr. Irrelevant}

And a good response from Dan Steinberg, who was a target of Leonsis discussed in the above link.
{DC Sports Bog}

Omar Samhan talks about playing in Lithuania and Arvydas Sabonis.
{SLAM Online}

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Truth About It» Trevor Booker Shows His Full Repertoire In Mile-High Denver

I didn’t catch Friday night’s Wizards-Nuggets game live, but I did DVR it, so I was able to watch the game at my own pace the next afternoon. While I was watching, my wife happened to walk in, and without even looking at the television she asked me,“So how much are they getting killed by this time?”. I sheepishly answered that they were being“killed” by 24 points, and she just shook her head and left.

That pretty much sums up how it feels to watch and then write about the Wizards these days. There are instances like this pastWednesday night against the Los Angeles Clipperswhen the Wizards’ young players seem to put it all together and play competitively, and then there are other nights when flashes of individual brilliance are overtaken by yet another defeat.

Friday night’s 114-94 loss to the Nuggets was no different. The Wizards dug themselves in a hole with some cold first quarter shooting, they fought hard to close the gap, but in the end, the Nuggets were too experienced and deep for the Wizards.  But if you’re looking for positives, rookie forward Trevor Booker put on a clinic on both ends of the floor during the third quarter. He demonstrated that, even when some veterans get healthy and back on the floor, he needs to still play substantial minutes.

11:34 -- 3rd Quarter

Flip Saunders called an isolation play for Booker in the post against the 6’9″ Kenyon Martin. Martin is known for his physical play on both ends of the floor, and this looked to be a challenging post-up for Booker. He faced up like a player of his ability should when attacking the basket, started right, then quickly spun back and executed a perfect jump hook over the outstretched arms of Martin to cut the Nuggets’ lead to 17 points. This prompted Wizards announcer Phil Chenier to say that Booker needs to get more touches down low.

9:45

The Nuggets then turned the ball over, and after receiving a touch pass from Jordan Crawford, John Wall led the Wizards on a 3-on-3 fast break. Yi was in the middle of the floor, and Booker ran up the left side of the floor, seemingly looking for an alley-oop.  Wall decided to take the open shot, which rimmed out to the left side, where Booker correctly positioned himself.  In one motion, Booker jumped up in front of Nuggets guard GaryForbes and tipped the ball in with his left hand, which is his strong hand.  It is also worth noting that when the Wizards fast break off of a missed basket, Booker is often even with or ahead of John Wall. One can’t help but think back to Booker’s introductory press conference, when he spoke with great pride about his speed. He definitely relishes putting it to good use.

7:24

Booker got caught in a one-on-one defensive matchup versus the lightning fast Ty Lawson. Lawson took  one quick dribble to the right side of the floor, and Booker used his speed to beat Lawson to the spot.  Lawson attempted to change direction, but lost the ball out of bounds.  This may not seem like a significant play, but when you consider Lawson’s game (much like John Wall’s) is based his ability to blow by other guards, let alone forwards, Booker’s defense here was impressive— it didn’t hurt that JaVale McGee was right behind him to clean up if necessary.

6:18

Booker set a pick on Lawson and then received an immediate pass from Wall as he rolled to the basket. Instead of hesitating or wasting his dribble with lateral movement, Booker went straight to the rim and found McGee for the dunk, but unfortunately he banged his knee in the process.  He limped noticeably up the court, but gave Flip Saunders the thumbs up sign so he could stay in the game.  So if you’re scoring at home, that’s a drive, an assist and toughness displayed in a 30 second span.  Already short on man-power, Flip ended up taking Booker out of the game a few moments later.

2:12

Booker again found himself isolated defensively on one side of the court, but this time it was against Nuggets forward Al Harrington. Unlike in the previous isolation, when McGee was clearly lurking behind Booker, McGee was too far over to have an impact on the play.  Harrington drove to the basket, got one step beyond Booker and tried to score, but Booker timed his jump perfectly and pinned the shot against the backboard. Theball eventually went out of bounds off of Harrington. His speed and quickness did not come through for him as Harrington went right by him, but Booker did not quit on the play and his timely jumping ability saved him.

1:57

On the very next possession after Booker’s block, the Wizards called another play for Booker in the post— given he scored with ease on this play earlier in the quarter, I found it odd that they waited 10 minutes to run it again. This time Booker was matched up against the 6’10″ Harrington. Booker took a few dribbles to establish deeper post position, and then launched yet another left-handed jumphook that went right through the net.

1:29

The Wizards called yet another post play for Booker, but this time he caught the ball closer to the three-point line. He took a few dribbles, fought through the physical defense from Harrington, and got in position for yet another jump hook.  This time Chris“Birdman” Andersen was watching intently and came over for the help block attempt. But Booker shot the lefty hook higher than the Birdman’s reach and the ball gently rolled in.

59.6

Off a Nuggets turnover, John Wall was zooming down the court on the fast break. To his far left was a streaking Jordan Crawford, and to his far right, lagging a bit behind, was Nick Young. Booker was just inside of Young, but it seemed like that was the type of play where Wall would try to find one of his shooters. Instead, he flipped the ball back to Booker, who attached anddrew the foul.  I don’t know whether Wall made that pass because of the relatively low degree of difficulty, or if he was simply trying to reward Booker for his hard play during the quarter, but it was significant.

Booker had nine points, a block, a rebound and an assist in the third quarter alone, and finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 40 minutes overall. He was unable to prevent the Wizards from losing, but in fairness, he was underutilized despite having a clear advantage over the Nuggets’ post players. Unfortunately for Booker, he had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with a foot injury. His status for tonight’s game against the Golden State Warriors is uncertain. Still, during the third quarter of the Nuggets game, Booker demonstrated yet again that he is a key player in the Wizards’ rotation, not just a temporary injury fill-in.

{The author of this post: Rashad Mobley is from the Washington, D.C. area and has been covering the Washington Wizards with credentials for three years.  To learn more about him click here.To follow him on Twitter: @Rashad20.}

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Truth About It» From The Other Side: The Other Guard From Kentucky

{Eric Bledsoe streaks past the giving up JaVale McGee}

{ ...for a dunk.}

Eric Bledsoe, Los Angeles Clippers rookie guard and college teammate of John Wall, went through his normal pre-game routine before facing Wall’s Wizards on Saturday night.He went through shooting and dribbling drills with assistant coaches Howard Eisley and Robert Pack, he did a bit of on-court stretching, and he took time to joke around with teammate Ryan Gomes.  And when I stopped and chatted with him about John Wall as he walked from the court to the locker room, Bledsoe gave me the normal clichés that players love to give— for the most part.

“I know John and I are boys from Kentucky and all that, but we are still on struggling teams, and we both need to go out and play hard and focus on winning,” he said.

But then he came clean.

“Ok, we may go hard at each other a little bit.”

After our conversation back in the locker room, Bledsoe sat in his space and studied video of the Wizards-Pistons game that was showing on a big screen television. Just as he was starting to get comfortable, Clippers head coach Vinnie Del Negro came over to his locker and summoned Bledsoe to his office.  Unfortunately for me, it was 6:15 and the locker room doors were closing to the media, thus I did not get the chance to ask Bledsoe what was discussed.

Whatever it was, Bledsoe went out and scored a career-high 23 points to go along with six assists and eight rebounds in just 22 minutes of play. He did most of his damage in the fourth quarter when he scored 17 of 31 Clippers points, and all but six coming at the expense of Wall, who guarded Blesoe until the 2:50 mark of the period. Wall was scoreless during the same span.

There were times when Bledsoe’s ability to score points on the break resembled his former Kentucky backcourt mate. With 2:17 left in the third quarter, after Wizards forward Maurice Evans hit a three-point basket, Bledsoe took the ball the full length of the court in just four seconds and scored on a layup. Then, with 3:11 in the fourth quarter, he got the rebound off of a missed Trevor Booker shot, drove the length of the court and dunked the ball— just as Wall had done earlier in the game.

After the game, I asked Bledsoe what Del Negro said to him in his office prior to the game, and whether that had any effect on how he played:

“Coach told me he had talked to Coach Cal {Kentucky coach John Calipari} and Coach Cal said that he had noticed that whenever I did something wrong or made a turnover, I got real down on myself, instead of just going out there and playing aggressive ball. So Coach Del Negro told me to just keep that in mind, be aggressive and not get in my own head all the time, so that’s what I tried to do.”

Del Negro also briefly talked about his pregame chat with Bledsoe:

“I liked his aggressiveness, but I also like his control while he was out there. I talked to him and I thought his effort was much better, his intensity. And obviously John and him played together at Kentucky and things, but more so than that, he just has great athleticism and it was great to see him under control and going to the basket. More importantly, on the break, he made some really nice passes and didn’t force things. He really ran the team well, and that’s a good sign for him. Hoping going forward and having Mo {Williams} as a mentor will be really positive for him.”

Mo Williams, who along with Jamario Moon was traded to the Clippers from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Baron Davis, has been cutting into Bledsoe’s minutes since he arrived. Bledsoe averaged 24 minutes a game before Williams arrived, and that number has gone down to 17 minutes per in the seven games Williams has played as a Clipper.  Still, Williams has made it his business to take Bledsoe under his wing, and against the Wizards he noticed a difference.

“Man, I don’t know what coach said to Eric before the game, but his approach today was on point.  He was focused, locked in, aggressive an he made plays for himself and others.  He’s a young player and I know me being here may get him down a bit, but he has to continue to play hard and make it hard for coach to keep him on the bench, so I’ve been staying on him.”

Just then, former Wizard Randy Foye chimed in with his unprovoked views on Bledsoe’s game:

“Bledsoe played his ass off tonight, he pushed the ball, got easy baskets, he got that confidence going early, he shot the ball well, and was hyped up to play his boy from Kentucky— he won’t admit that though.”

Source

Truth About It» ShareBullets: John Wall Jumpers and Andray Blatche Bum Shoulder Dougies

Links, commentary and video…

I’m not sure if anyone has a formula for jumpers, but I’ll make one up: one part mechanics, one part muscle memory, two parts confidence. Confidence can wane between quarters, games and possessions, it’s all about building a history of it. And that’s what John Wall is working on. He put on a glimpse of jump shot confidence in a takeover display versus the New Jersey Nets last Sunday.Let’s watch…

The knock on Wall’s jumper will continue to be the most prevalent of knocks against him, but at least he’d never pullwhat Rajon Rondo did recently.

LINKS.

After the Wizards beat New Jersey last Sunday, evidently Andray Blatche went to a party hosted by R&B singer Mya at D.C. night spot/strip club‘Stadium Club’— according to DC Fab’s sources, Blatche and his bum shoulder were on stage doing the“Dougie.” Nice. Wale was there too.
{DC Fab}

Related:The Washington Post’s Jason Reid has a pretty generic column on why the Wizards and Blatche should part ways— but yes, I realize it is a general column, and generic those will be.Still, it’s always a bit funny when one of these comes out, this one specifically titled,“Andray Blatche, Wizards need to go their separate ways.” It’s like pointing out that tired horses need to drink water (or vodka shots from the Shadow Room, *zinger*)— If the Wizards could have gotten rid of Blatche (for decent value) at the February trade deadline, they would have.

Of course, that begs the question of the true value of Blatche, which is pretty much zero in the minds of other NBA GMs (although, the theory is that there will always be a sucker for talent). Couple that with Ernie Grunfleld being notorious for playing hardball and asking for too much (which has clearly worked to his favor, in some cases), and you have who is the most stickily maligned Wizard since Juwan Howard. (Sure, I could have said Gilbert Arenas, but too many Wizards fans still loved him… not the case with Blatche.) That being said, Reid’s column could be simply stating:‘Get rid of him no matter what’… which could be painful, yet very necessary.
{Washington Post}

Games aren’t decided on one play.That being said, JaVale McGee’s ability to not listen to specific instructions from his coach and his ability to likely jump at a pump fake at any point of a game knows no limits.
{Wizards Insider}

And video of that play:

Mike Prada with an excellent piece on just how crucial the 2011 NBA Draft will be for the Wizards.Can Grunfeld be trusted to get the job done?
{Bullets Forever}

JaVale McGee blocks a Blake Griffin attempt into the third row… after Chris Kaman flew by his“defense” with a pump fake:

{H/TPro Basketball Talk}

Holly MacKenzie rates Trevor Booker as a hot rookie for NBA week 22.
{The Basketball Jones}

Note:if you’re allergic to nuts like Ted Leonsis, don’t trust the French translation of a flight attendant.
{NBCWashington}

Gilbert Arena’s health was one of the big“what ifs” from the 2001 Duke-Arizona national championship game.
{ESPN.com}

Bruce Pearl’s dirty has caught up to him.
{Deadspin}

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Truth About It» Wizards Last Win and Yi’s Revenge

It seems that the Wizards lost a tough 127-119 double-overtime game to the Los Angeles Clippers last night. Unfortunately, I was unable to watch live, and unfortunately, the DVR was not set to recordthatmuch extra basketball. Still, that won’t preclude me from studying the portions of the game I was able to record tonight.

“They’re hurt in there,” Flip Saunderstold the mediaafter the game. It can’t hurt for too long, however, because not one of the remaining 12 games on the season will be easy. And the 17-51 Wizards need three more wins so as not to tie franchise records for losing futility in an 82-game slate. Getting to 20 wins is, however, unlikely.

It’s conceivable that Washington’s 98-92 win over the New Jersey Nets at home last Sunday will be their last of the season. Sure, they’ll have good chances to score Verizon Center wins over Cleveland (April 1) and Detroit (April 5), or even their second road win in the last game of the season versus the Cavaliers (April 13), but why not throw a bit of pessimism in the bag with optimism and realism?

Because as much positivity that was pumped after that good win over the Nets— as it should be— there were also some glaring issues, ones that have been seen many times before, which really must come to a halt before the team can proceed with winning in the future. The same issues likely kept the Wizards from winning against the Clippers, even though they hung tough til the end.So let’s start with JaVale McGee versus the Nets…

McGee can do a lot of great things (like crazy blocks), as long as he hustles and focuses, this we know. But those great things aren’t exactly helping the Wizards win games now. It’s McGee’s losing basketball that hurts… when he gets tired, stops hustling, loses focus and seems to just not care.

Is it his job to care all the time? Probably. But it’s also Flip Saunders’ job to monitor and adjust accordingly, factoring in McGee’s issues with asthma, which cause him to get tired and not care. The coach must achieve a sensitive balance between confidence and reality. Let’s take a look at a stretch from the first quarter of Sunday’s game versus New Jersey that serves as a prime example of losing basketball.

“You gotta have the discipline to pull that ball back and get it to a guard. I’ve said this before, {McGee is} capable of doing that, but it’s not necessary for him to do that,” said Wizards television analyst Phil Chenier after the play.‘Capable but not necessary’ describes the JaVale McGee experience perfectly.

New Jersey eventually took a 35-23 lead after one period. As soon as McGee can get these instances under control— which have been rampant all season— he will be a much improved player. There is still a fair amount hope for McGee, but each of his crazy, ill-advised dribbling exhibitions tops the previous in stupidity to the point where one must wonder how much he pays attention outside of his own realm. A true shoulder shrugger.

AWizards Insider“Jump Ball” entryon theWashington Postwebsite pertaining to McGee, and in specific reference to his block versus the Blazers, asks commenters,“Did that play change how you feel about McGee’s season?” The answer is easily no… check in the next time you can’t remember the last time McGee pulled one of his dribbling stupid pet tricks.

Another example of game slippage— and maybe this is a minor blip, but it’s an example nonetheless— came on the very first play out of halftime. The Wizards simply were not ready. As some laggardly stepped on the court to play another 24 minutes, ignoring the various buzzers and whistles set up to prepare them, Jordan Crawford was caught tying his shorts while the Nets in-bounded the ball from the other end of the court. Jordan Farmar made a long pass to find Crawford’s wide open man, Anthony Morrow, for three, getting Farmar his career-high 12th assist (he would finish the game with 17).Let’s watch.

Good teams have certainly made similar gaffes, but still… this play holds more of a place in a losing culture than it does in a winning culture. Maybe the losing has made such instances more apathetic. Maybe if the game was important enough this wouldn’t have happened.

But not all was lost. After fighting their way back into the game, the young Wizards surfaced some positivity during the third quarter (when they ultimately out-scored New Jersey 28 to 12 to take a 71-68 lead heading into the fourth). After John Wall made a great play to find Trevor Booker for a dunk, Washington played a relentless possession on defense. Giving up offensive rebounds happens, but watch how the Wiz Kids scramble and hustle to keep New Jersey from taking advantage. And of course, watch how McGee gladly finds hustle to run downhill on offense and finish the play as he should.

Of course, what’s a matchup between two bad teams without one team (or both) trying to give it away?

Let’s start, clearly, with another stupid McGee dribble. Well, this one was notasstupid. For some reason a teammate, John Wall, who was busy jumping to pass, decided to give the ball to McGee with six seconds on the shot clock (reiterate blame on Wall in this situation). Still, JaVale proceeded to get lost in his own athleticism and made a crazy move, almost scoring before the shot clock buzzer went off. If he wasn’t so conditioned to putting on horse-blinders and ignoring teammates, if his basketball instinct wasn’t so blasphemous to the sport’s religion, he would have calmly found Crawford begging for the open shot. Instead, losing basketball again (and late in the game).

Then there was this subsequent play where all of the Wizards can be pegged for bad team defense. The Nets run a simple back screen set by the shooting guard (guarded by Crawford) for Kris Humphries (guarded by Yi Jianlian). These two Wizards defenders didn’t handle the situation in the best manner, but also keep an eye on Wall and McGee. Both were clueless to what went down, Wall with his hands at his side, not pressuring the ball or at least getting his hands in the passing lane, and McGee was pressed up on Lopez like he wanted to date him, ignorant to help-side defensive responsibilities.

But guess what?… the Wizards sealed the game ondefense.Sure, Wall taking over and getting hot on jumpers helped, but the whole team stepped up to defend New Jersey on a very key late possession, especially Yi Jianlian. Yi often gets caught in acts of cluelessness, but he’s clearly out there trying in a coached manner. Also give credit to McGee for initially pressuring the in-bounds pass.Let’s take a look.

A feel-good victory?The locker room is always happier (plus, Yi got revenge on his old team).

Home team fans leaving the arena without witnessing another loss?They’ll always take it.

A learning experience that helps to instill lessons via a winning result?That’s the hope.

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Truth About It» PHOTOS: Kevin Durant vs. JaVale McGee Alley-Oops

The Wizards were slaughtered by the Oklahoma City Thunder like lambs in the path of Zeus’ lightening bolts from Mount Olympus on Monday night. The rivers in the Verizon Center run red with the blood of losing. In addition to their 116-89 take down by the Thunder, Washington has lost their last two games by a combined 48 points. The statistics and numbers relating the common place of losing could go on; now the Wizards set their watching to those numbers.

Injuries, inefficiencies, youth, lack of heart and effort… the Verizon Center has become a dollar store for losing excuses. Or rather, reasons. But hey, the kids are in the pool. This is a good thing. Adult time and a dolt time is over with the forced hiatus of several injured veterans. There are still problem children, but without notables who enjoy night club potent potables, losing couldn’t be more comfortable. Not necessarily more comfortable for the fans and certainly not for the players and coaches, but for those who will endure.

The air about the team is all about getting this over with as fast as possible, which could be dangerous in the complacency of an apathetic mis-education and development. Seventeen games equating over a fifth of a season are left… gosh that’s a long time. If it continues to end horribly, upon whom will that reflect poorly?

In other news.

JaVale McGee did some very JaVale McGee things against the Thunder, just as he didversus the Clippers. Apositiveevent came when he caught a down field pass from John Wall and forced the rock in the hole while brushing his head on the underside of the backboard. Let’s view.

Not to be outdone, Russell Westbook made an aero-connection with Kevin Durant, one of Durant’s nine made field-goals on 16 attempts en route to a business-like 32 points. What does this cliché“business-like” expression mean? It means that late in the game, when it was time for mercy to be shown (and after the yell you’ll soon see), Durant clearly got fouled hard by Trevor Booker on his way to the hoop. No call. Durant didn’t smirk, bitch, complain or even look in the referee’s direction. He simply went about his business… soundly securing an easy road win in the midst of a playoff chase. Here goes…

{photos: Kyle Weidie, Truth About It.net}

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Truth About It» JaVale McGee Block of The Year: Remixed

Blazers Beat The Future By 35 Points

Portland all-knowingly jumped the passing lanes, the young Wizards usually filling the prophecy as expected. The Trailblazers bumped as they pleased on the boards, hassled like bill collectors on defense, and made the game look very, very easy. They had the confidence.

“They’re just some young guys getting some experience on the floor,” Wizards television play-by-play man Steve Buckhantz would implore during the broadcast of Washington’s 111-76 loss in Portland on Tuesday night. Not in so many words, but in several pixels of prose, as if freshly picked from the algorithm tree and laid gently into his lap by the monster.

It’s like the fate (disclaimer: I don’t believe in fate) of the Washington franchise’s basketball path is trying to outdo itself in the absurdity of highly-stacked odd against. Three-rookie starting lineups featuring John Wall, Jordan Crawford and Trevor Booker, with JaVale McGee and Yi Jianlian serving as de facto rookies posing as starters… along with all veteran players past, present and future unavailable for contribution. (Andray Blatche, Nick Young, Josh Howard, Rashard Lewis, Rex Chapman, Chris Webber, Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Larry Hughes and Mike Miller all sat out due to injury.) If the circumstance is unprecedented, you will hear about it.

Common mistakes and missed defensive assignments are accepted and approved as understandable. Lack of consistent hustle, selfish forays to the hoop and unfocused execution are ills seen too often, doctrine for some. The kids are swimming, but will 35 point losses in front of fervid Blazers fans help them build confidence? For some it will, for others it will not. Here’s to now searching for promise amidst those who won’t cut it in a promised future.

In other news: JaVale McGee had a stylized block, of the year.

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Truth About It» John Wall Is Fast (in case you forgot)

John Wall’s vision and speed are the main reasons Flip Saunders knew he would be drafted No. 1 overall by the Washington Wizards this past summer. Everybody else obviously knew it too, or there wouldn’t have been a Sports Sciencestudydone on him. Still, amidst all the Wizards’ struggles, it’s been easy to forget the positives of just how good Wall really is.

Wall has hit bumps in the road while learning the NBA game, but that’s certainly to be expected. His brief“rookie wall” can mostly be attributed to nagging foot, knee and left hand injuries. But after missing 12 games in a 19-game stretch from November 16 to December 22, Wall has appeared in 41 straight games since. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder last week, an incredible play from Wall as he blew past Serge Ibaka caught my eye and reminded me that hey, the Wizards may not be very good but at least we’ve got John Wall to watch.

Ibaka should be familiar with Wall. They were both at All-Star weekend, playing against one another in the Rookie Challenge. Wall ran the floor all night, recorded a Rookie Challenge-record 22 assists and helped JaVale McGee outdo Ibaka in the Slam Dunk Contest, despite Serge’s toy-snatching, role model-acting, free-throw jumping first round. And yes, Ibaka is quite an athletic player. He’s become a perfect fit for Oklahoma City’s youthful and energetic style of play.

For a quick sequence on March 14, as Wall sprinted with the ball past Ibaka, the Thunder big man probably wished he hadn’t been so eager to play defense. Maybe he should have let the rook roam free or wait for his teammate Russell Westbrook, who was having his way with Wall all game long. Instead, Serge took himself out of the play by getting spun around by Wall, and awakening fans inside the Verizon Center in the process. Good thing for Ibaka that Mr. Durant was there to hush the crowd soon thereafter.

“Whoa” is right, Mr. Chenier.

There’s a reason why Wall scores 6.2 of his 15.8 points per game with 10 seconds or less on the shot clock (more than doubling his point total during the first 14 seconds). It’s the same reason why he shoots a 47.8-percent Effective Field-Goal Percentage during that short amount of time (stats via82games.com). Why? Because he uses his pace to blow by defenders for layups.

Wall has also uses his speedy athleticism for defense. Against the Chicago Bulls on February 28, Wall again had his hands full with MVP candidate Derrick Rose— a lightning quick, energetic point guard who’s very similar to Russell Westbrook. On the play below, Wall hounds Rose until he gets what he wants— a steal and sprint up court for what becomes two free throws and a foul on Rose:

This next play against the Toronto Raptors on March 18 not only shows Wall’s incredible speed, but what I hope is a turning point with his approach— a fast, yet controlled pace. He smoothly pushes the ball up court and surveys the court while doing so, which allows him to find Yi for a rare dunk from the big man. It’s perfect play that will be present in more meaningful, winning ways as Wall’s career in Washington progresses.

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Truth About It» Organizational Perspective: Thunder Strike Wizards 116-89

{John Wall weaves his way to the hoop and draws a foul versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.}

It is axiomatic that the NBA is a copycat League,especially given the incestuous nature of most coaching/front office jobs. This season, there is a stunning lack of parity: eight teams have a realistic chance of winning the title (and that’s being a bit generous). The other twenty-two are either a) borderline top-tier, b) making aggressively mediocre moves, c) rebuilding, or d) owned by Michael Jordan. For rebuilding teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the gold standard.

An NBA front office can only pitch a Rebuild to a fan base for so long. Most passionate fans will eventually get tired of seeing a middling product on the court— there has to be‘A Plan.’ Today, the language of The Rebuild abounds. Organizations are increasinglylooking to the Thunderas a model that must be emulated in order to resurrect their franchises. Indeed, Oklahoma City’s ‘blue print’is the prototypical example of a successful NBA rebuild.

Last year, the Thunder were a Pau Gasol offensive rebound away from forcing Game 7 against the Lakers. This year, at the trading deadline, Thunder GM Sam Presti added Kendrick Perkins to an already formidable, athletic front-court, presumably giving Oklahoma City the size to match up with any playoff contender. Hailed by many to be a case of Presti-fleecing-Ainge, the Perkins acquisition represents the culmination of afour year rebuilding processby the Thunder. After extending Perkins’ contract, the pieces are in place for several years of relevance.

While the media heaps praise upon the current iteration of the Team From Seattle, many more are paying close attention as to how Oklahoma City reached their current perennial-playoff-contender status. Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis is certainlya fan of Presti’s work. What transactions are Leonsis and (hopefully) GM Ernie Grunfeld learning from? In short, Presti dealt Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis (back when he was good, sorry Rashard), and took on Kurt Thomas’s expiring contract, all in the name of stockpiling draft picks and maintaining salary cap flexibility for the future. The Thunder also got lucky in the draft: Oklahoma City has three top-5 players. The Wizards are no strangers tolottery luck, but a draft haul like Durant/Westbrook/Ibaka in two years might be tough. Notwithstanding the draft, I’d settle for a front office that recognizes value when it is presented to them.

Now that I’m done performing hand-release on Sam Presti, I’ll boil this intro down to two questions, Wizards fans: 1) right now, which Wizards’ contracts could you live without? b) If the team is fortunate enough to have another top-5 pick this year, who should the team draft? (To be continually debated for an indeterminate amount of time.)

Oh, and the Wizards played a game last night.

GAME NOTES:

• The Full JaVale McGee Experiencewas on tap in this game. I laughed, I cried, he bit on shot fakes, and threw up wild layups. It was beautiful. Minus the usual gripes about Vale’s defense and propensity to always go for the highlight reel block, I thought McGee was very active. He comported himself well around the rim and on the glass, to the tune of 14 points (6-10 FG), nine rebounds (five offensive) and five blocks.
• Trevor Bookerplayed 41 minutes in this game, more than anyone else on the team. While watching the telecast, I thought: I might actually pay to watch this man rebound. Getting to see Booker bullying of post-defenders to score easy buckets would merely be an added bonus. He had a nice stroke at the free throw line (6-9 FT), and even showed a nice handle as he drove to the rim after stealing an errant Harden pass in the first quarter. In short, he needs to keep playing for this team. Booker finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds (seven offensive).
• Jordan Crawfordwas the primary backup for both Young and Wall, playing off-the-ball and running the offense a little bit. I like how the Wizards’ are trying to get a look at Crawford by giving him the green light to shoot at all times, but some of his shots in this game were questionable. I’ll reserve judgment until I see more, but given his athleticism and relatively low cost, Crawford could be a quality back-up guard option. He finished with 12 points (6-13 FG), three rebounds, and five assists.
• Nick Younghad a poor shooting night, as Oklahoma’s Thabo Sefolosha was attached to his hip early, and he missed some open shots late when the game was out of hand. Oh well. On a team where spacing is virtually non-existent, Nick has shot well enough to earn a fair contract consideration from the Wizards this summer (“fair” being contingent on what the market sets once the Wizards extend him the qualifying offer, which is the current assumption). He had 11 points (4-16 FG), one rebound and one assist.
• Kevin Seraphinplayed well, tallying 12 points, three rebounds, and three steals in just 22 minutes of burn. He looks more comfortable in Flip Saunders’ system, and has been rewarded with more playing time: Seraphin has played 20 minutes or more in three straight games. Given the Wizards’ need to“see what they have” with the current roster, this is certainly a positive thing.
• During the third quarter,Phil Cheniernoted how all of the Thunder players“perfectly complemented” one another. Indeed, Kevin Durant and friends put on a team basketball clinic, as they had 30 assists on 42 made buckets. Also, Chenier used the‘perfectly complemented’ phrase right before talking about Trevor Booker, and how badly the Wiz need Booker’s strength in the post.Steve Buckhantzthen added that Washington needs Seraphin for similar reasons.
• Another Hamady N’Diaye sighting— because of injuries, fouls and JaVale McGee stupidity, the big man played for six minutes, added four points, two rebounds, and two steals, and missed both his free throws after getting fouled by Cole Aldrich. During the last few minutes of the fourth quarter, N’Diaye was on the floor with Booker and Seraphin. This was good to see, as these guys need playing time where they can get it.
• John Wallhad an interesting game, filling up the stat sheet with 14 points, five rebounds, seven assists and four steals, but also tallying six turnovers. Wall and Westbrook were going at each other for much of the game, with Westbrook winning a majority of the battles. But Wall’s effort should never be questioned— near the five minute mark of the second quarter, Durant stripped Wall on a huge crossover, drawing“ooooh’s” from the crowd. Wall promptly chased Durant down and stole the ball back, drawing the remaining“ahhhh’s.” Wall also scared the hell out of me with six minutes left in the third quarter, as it appeared he hurt his ankle after racing down the floor in transition, dishing to Yi, then hitting the floor hard. Turns out he was OK, so I was able to hold back the tears.
• No respite for the Wiz kids tonight, as they visit the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Another tough match-up for Wall and the Wizards’ front-court, as Chicago is favored by a gaudy 16 points.

{photos: K. Weidie, TAI}

{Author of this post: Arish Narayen is currently a student at the University of Maryland Law School in Baltimore. He doesn't have"A Twitter,"but you canread more about him here.}

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Truth About It» Wizards Talk: Flip Saunders& John Wall Post Thunder

Looking for us?

Sad bench shots never die.

All the questions seem the same. The answers all come out of a box. But dammit these people are working… the media covering struggling basketball teams such as the Wizards.

Everybody is usually laughing and joking around in the press conference room before Flip Saunders’ post game sessions. It’s to that point. But when Flip comes in (assuming after a loss, per usual), the stone-faced come out. There are tough questions, there are softballs, there are random ones peppered from abroad about the development of Yi.

But these days the coach is a little lighter, more comfortable. Similar to his post-trade deadline demeanor last season.

“Go ahead,” Flip said with a tinge of sarcasm as he sat down in front of the media after his Wizards lost to the Thunder 116-89 on Monday night. His attitude said,‘Bring your best, because I already know.’

Three seated reporters against the wall formed the short end of an“L” with the first row of chairs parallel to the table Saunders sits at during press conferences. Before answering any questions, the coach looked to his right at the row sitting in orange cafeteria-style chairs and joked,“You guys look like you’re in school.”

Ice, broken. And then the proceedings commenced. Later, some blues riff‘Bad to the Bone’ mobile phone ring went off from one of the school boys. Saunders didn’t skip a beat, saying,“That’s a $500 fine,” before turning his attention back to the questioner at the center of the room.

But all the questions are the same these days. Or wait, did I sayseemthe same?

In the least, both Saunders and John Wall calculate, but don’t mince their words. They are earnest. Both, especially Wall, don’t seem like the type who want to get used to this losing. Below, they talk about youth, rebuilding and frustrations after losing to the young Thunder team that everyone loves.

Wizards Talk: Flip& John

Remember these days?

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Truth About It» Blake Griffin Isn’t Perfect

Blake Griffin is not perfect, you know.He has the makings of just about every other great, but young player. After he does something, anything on offense (because he can often be seen lazily swiping at the ball from behind or watching the action on defense), Griffin trots down the court with a look on his face somewhere between a smirk and stoic, but more subtle.

Other times he glares at opponents (evident by the above picture of him staring down Yi Jianlian after the Wizard tried to take a charge against one of Griffin’s teammates, followed by Blake verbally encouraging Yi to,“Get the f*ck up”).

Griffin often hangs his mouthpiece from his lips and chews on it as he runs the floor or during a stoppage in play, the gnawing and teeth aiding the menacing conveyance Griffin seems to go for in order to counter his over-grown schoolboy looks. In a sense, Blake Griffin is kind of a dick.

But this is nothing out of the normal, superstars being dickish. Kobe will tell you. Jordan will tell you. Kareem will tell you. The persona on the court comes with the territory, and there should be no qualms with calling a spade a spade, nor calling Griffin a star in this just his second season in the NBA, first actually playing.

Griffin is a physical player. When he doles out punishment, it’s part of his game and others should simply steer clear of this thick legs and barrel chest, or so he acts. But when defenders violate him with similar level of physicality, and sometimes more, Griffin creates a look on his face like the bully who just got caught.

And with that physicality comes arrogance. Griffin knows he’s more powerful than most others on the court. But wait, the KIA-rigged NBA slam dunk contest winner has recently taken time tocomplain about rough play from defenders(i.e.,“Hey referees…. MESSAGE!).

Doesn’t mean he’s not getting favorable calls now, it just further engulfs him in that star mold. Sense of entitlement for calls? Check. Raising issue because the rest of the league goes at you hard? Check.

Superstar big men, most notably Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, have taken to complaining (whining) during their careers at the high nature of aggressiveness in which fouls are committed against them. But when you think about it, they’re poetically in contrast to the punishment such mammoths dish out (intentionally or not). Also worth noting that if NBA bigs don’t want to get fouled hard, or are unwilling to dole out extra punishment in anticipation of getting fouled, then make your free-throws.

Griffin falls under the same condition (he shoots 64-percent from line). He’s more than willing to throw his body around, but a bit sensitive when opponents do the same. NBA referees have a history of admiring the sensitive tendencies of NBA superstars.But Griffin is a rookie?Doesn’t matter. Marketing dollars speak louder these days.

When Griffin was in town to face the Wizards on March 12, he made some tough post moves, sank some crazy shots, absorbed a couple hard fouls, got some favorable calls, and doled out punishment to fit with his on-court swagger. He evencommended the Wizards for their defense… go figure (some thanks goes to Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin for that).

Blake Griffin isn’t perfect, but he’s damn good.

The below video breaks down the Blake Griffin experience in his first contest versus the young Washington Wizards, a game that saw the Clippers dominate 122-101. Griffin scored all of his 26 points on the night in just 19 minutes first half minutes. (He played 30 total minutes and didn’t see action in the fourth quarter, didn’t need to in a blowout.) He shot 10-11 from the free-throw line and earned nine of those attempts in the first quarter alone.

JaVale McGee dunks on Blake Griffin…

Blake Griffin fouls John Wall
(but the ref chose not to blow his whistle)…

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