Truth About It» Wizards Distress Signal Answered By A New Cast Of Heroes

…he wasalone in an abandoned locker room, folded in an office chair with enough lumbar support to carry the weight of his woes.

John Wall has been chosen to be D.C.’s defender— a challenge made that much more difficult since it too often appears that he’s been fated to do so alone. Wall’s teammates have been blessed with the power of flight, but also cursed with invisibility. After being defeated by Warriors from the Golden State this past Wednesday,John Wall put out a quiet plea for help.

On Saturday night, the Wizards were down 68-72 after three tightly contested quarters; Minnesota and Washington were never separated by more than eight points. The coaching staff once again signaled for a gritty, high-energy combination to save the day… while tightening the reins on liabilities. A league of unsung heroes again rose to the occasion to establish order in the most powerful city in the world. Joining John Wall wereCartier Martin, The Enlightened One; Mo Evans, The Old Hand; Trevor Booker, The Beast; and Andray Blatche, The Scapegoat.

“I was extremely happy with the energy our guys played with overall,” said head coach Flip Saunders in his postgame press conference. Saunders also went on to praise the much-maligned Blatche for his sustained effort and fighting spirit and rightfully so. Blatche, of course, has been routinely criticized by fans, the conglomerated media, and even opposing players for ho-hum performances. But last night, he earned his keep and deserved the credit. Blatche and the Wizards scored 35 points to close the game, after scoring just 68 points through the first three quarters. The focus and determination over the last 12 minutes lifted the team to victory, en route to breaking a miserable 7-game losing streak.

A lineup of (never) has-beens stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight. They out-shot, out-rebounded, out-worked, and out-paced the Minnesota Timberwolves. How many times have you said that about any five-man combination this season? You can tally that total one on hand and have fingers left to spare.

The defining moments of the fourth quarter came courtesy of Trevor Booker, a man suffering from a stomach virus who needed to take several handfuls of medicine just to suit up. TAI’s Rashad Mobleyjoked that Booker must have had the same virus Michael Jordan didwhen he dropped 45 points on the Utah Jazz. His explosive back-to-back tip-slams fired up the crowd and burned the retinas of any and all spectators.

Welcome to The#FREEBOOKERExperience:

At the end of the night, Andray Blatche and John Wall were a few stat-padding nuggets from triple-doubles. John Wall finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists; Blatche racked up 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists of his own. Both decided to pursue the collective good, rather than the self-aggrandizement of statistical spoils. Wall took care of the ball and, when the script called for his close-up, he took over the game. Blatche was constantly prodded by double-teams late, but kept his composure and found open teammates. In fact, he took just one shot over the last 18 minutes. The team’s focus was on quality execution and getting a win.

“The main thing is we played great, we played hard,” said John Wall with a smile and radiating youthful exuberance.“We knew how to close out the game. We did a great job of being patient, running the clock down, and finding the right people. We saw double-teams, but moved the ball. We drove and penetrated and found people.”

Almost overnight, the Wizards seem to be coming of age. They are realizing the value— the necessity— of a winning mentality, a consistent work effort, and positive emotions.

The question now becomes whether they can keep this up. Can they continue to tap into their potential together, or will they continue to shoulder the load individually? The next chapter of this saga will be written tonight in Detroit. In the Palace of Auburn Hills against the Pistons.

The Wizards should be confident. They have always had the ability, but are now empowered by the proper the attitude. At the very least, John Wall is reinvigorated and ready for more action. The Wizards hit rock bottom, but from here on out, it’s up, up, and away.

--

John Converse Townsend is a writer, a runner, and a brother. John was raised among wolves in Mexico and India, but today finds comfort living in Third World America. He made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast this morning. Follow John on Twitter@JohnCTownsend

Source

Truth About It» Droughts and Runs: A Wizards Game of Inconsistency

{Editor's note:Ryan Gracia is majoring in sports communication and journalism at George Mason University and freelances for local sites of Patch.com. Some of his previous work for TAI can be found hereandhere. Below, Ryan recaps the droughts of let-down for the Wizards against the Warriors on Wednesday night.}

It’s safe to say the Wizards have been inconsistent this year.They lost at home to thePhoenix Sunsby 18 points back on January 21, then bounced back the next night to pull out arguably one of the best wins of the seasonagainst the Boston Celtics(thanks to some missed shots that Celtic vets don’t miss often— but hey it was a win nonetheless). I’ll also remind you that the Wizards actually boasted a winning record at home (13-10 leading up to February), while nearing an unbelievably embarrassing feat of setting an NBA-record 30 straight losses to begin a season away from the friendly confines of the Verizon Center, going 0-25 before their first winagainst the Cleveland Cavaliers— who had just ended a 26-game overall losing streak of their own.

I know, that’s a lot to take in, but those inconsistencies throughout the season were on display Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors, and it set up quite an interesting matchup against the seventh-highest scoring team in the NBA this season.

Barely three minutes into the game, the 13-4 Washington advantage showing on the jumbotron must have been shocking even to the five Wizards players walking toward the bench following a timeout. Here’s why: Flip Saunders (or Randy Wittman in the case of Wednesday night’s game) wasn’t the pissed off coach calling the timeout following a big run.

Things then went back to normal when those players stepped back on the court. The Wizards allowed Golden State to make what was supposed to be an uphill battle of coming back from nine point deficit much too easy. They turned the tide to lead 18-16 from the time Stephen Curry hit a 3-pointer 12 seconds after the timeout to the point when Curry finished the run by hitting the free throw to complete a 3-point play barely two and a half minutes later. A 13-4 run in just over three minutes to start a game is nice— very nice after knowing that the Wizards were the team that completed the feat. But a 14-3 run (scored by only two players, Curry and Dorell Wright) in two and a half minutes? Well, I’d say that more than counters the run from the Wizards. Those three Wizard points, by the way, all came from the free throw line.

So what went into that drought? Let’s take a closer look.

Josh Howard missed one of two free-throws after Curry’s three following the timeout. He then missed a long jumper and fouled Wright four seconds later to put him on the free throw line (where he made both). Sandwiched between Howard’s mistakes was John Wall fouling Curry, which led to a deep 3-pointer from Wright on the reset.

Once Golden State cut Washington’s lead to two after this 8-1 run, the Wizards figured they’d keep screwing up. Maybe they wanted to test Wittman’s patience. Maybe they figured they had already done all the hard work by getting the lead and the rest of the game was meant to look at Nick Young’s fresh new hair-style on top of his head. Or maybe, Andray Blatche wanted to take a jumperwithout looking up for a teammate to pass to. Probably all of the above, but the third option is the only one we know for sure.

During the two-man show put on by the Warriors, skinny little Monta Ellis was grabbed two rebounds, equalling the total accumulation that all five Wizards players were able to snag during that time— a Washington lineup featuring the 7’1″ JaVale McGee and nearly 7-foot Blatche. Something about that doesn’t sound right.

9-0 Warriors 2nd Quarter Run

The first run from the Warriors was held in check because of the Wizards’ game-opening run. The second Golden State run just about put the Wizards away for good. The Warriors broke away from a deadlocked score of 42 to give Mike Bibby more satisfaction with his decision to leave.

From the 7:13 to 4:37 marks of the second quarter, the Wizards threw up just three shots in nearly three minutes, taken by Young and Blatche, who we all know love to shoot. Washington also pulled down just one rebound. Those kinds of stats are not going to win games.

But more importantly, where was the defense? The Warriors proved why the Wizards are stuck in the NBA’s cellar by attacking the rim with an easy short jumper, a dunk and two free throws. They also let Vladimir Radmanovic hit one of his two open 3-pointers on the night. The run ultimately gave the Warriors a nine point cushion at 51-42 that was held at halftime, 62-53, and ultimately made the difference in the 106-102 Golden State win despite a furious Washington comeback attempt.

Clearly, the Wizards need to focus on defense— both down in the paint and up at the top of the key. Or maybe it’s consistency that really needs to be sharpened. Actually, there are a laundry list of issues. But no more talking like in years past— just doing.

Source

Truth About It» From The Other Side: Ekpe Udoh’s Golden Surprise

Golden State Warriors rookie Ekpe Udoh got off of the team bus on Wednesday night in Washington expecting to play against the agile Wizards frontcourt.  The scouting report his coaches gave him stressed the athleticism and versatility of  JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche and Rashard Lewis. Udoh knew that type of game would work in his favor. What Udoh did not expect: to hear Golden State coach Keith Smart tell him that he’d get his first NBA start.

“Man, coach just walked by me and whispered something, but I really didn’t hear him at first,” Udoh said after the 106-102 Warriors win with a big smile on his face.“Then he told me that I would be starting and I was just surprised, but I did my best to calm down and just be ready.”

After the game, Smart explained his rationale for starting Udoh over Andris Biedrins:

To his credit, Biedrins was a good sport about the benching, and instead of blaming the coach or even Udoh, his thoughts were very introspective:

“It wasn’t a problem for me because I’m not feeling myself. I’m trying to find out why, because physically and everything else, I feel so great. I don’t have any problems. But mentally, I just can’t get that thing right. That’s why me and coach talked, and we’ll just try to find some other way to get me back on the track. If that’s coming off the bench, so be it.”

Udoh may have had the chance to start for Biedrins much earlier in the season, were it not for the wrist injury he suffered last July— right before training camp was scheduled to begin. Since returning from the injury on December 10, Udoh has averaged 3.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in just under 15 minutes per game.  He had his best game of the year on February 10 when he tallied 16 points and seven rebounds in a blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Udoh’s first start was just what you’d expect out of a rookie. In 30 minutes of play he had six points, three blocked shots, four personal fouls and a surprisingly low two rebounds. His lone highlight came with 7:35 left in the third quarter. Andray Blatche turned and tried to shoot a short jumper, Udoh blocked it right into JaVale McGee’s hands. McGee then tried his hand at scoring on Udoh. No such luck, another block for the rook. After the game, Udoh was critical of his own performance:

“I was nervous out there, so when you take that into account, I thought I played pretty well. Obviously, I have to rebound  a lot better on both ends of the floor, and I have to finish my opportunities around the basket. Plus, in the fourth quarter when we got a big lead, I think all of us got a little relaxed and we let them back in the game, so I have to work on that too.”

When I asked Udoh who was the toughest Wizard to guard, he barely let me get the question out before answering:

“{Trevor} Booker man, it was Booker. He was everywhere. They were sluggish for three quarters, and he came in there and gave them energy. He was finishing plays, he was just a beast out there man. I’m not sure why he didn’t play more, but I’m glad he didn’t. He was everywhere.”

Mr. Udoh, you, me, and several Wizards bloggers are all wondering why Mr. Booker (seven points and 11 rebounds in 18 minutes) doesn’t play a bit more.

{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 himclick here.To follow him on Twitter: @Rashad20.}

Source

Truth About It» Jordan Crawford: Naturally Unnatural

For being the root of the furor surrounding the confiscated, yet perhaps less-than-stellardunk on LeBron Jamesin July 2009, Jordan Crawford is a rather ambiguous player. His hunched-down physique, raspy gargle of a voice and 6’4″, 195 pound stature almost denotes an‘old man’ impression on his non-demonstrative movement. But when he goes to score, fueled by natural instinct, he is just as spry as you’d expect of a 22-year old NBA rookie, and then some.

But what exactly does he do? Are the Wizards simply working with wild scoring talent that needs to be tamed? That seems to be the more present denominator of Crawford’s game with, perhaps, the assumption that his development as a complete player— certainly including the ability to play defense and perhaps including the ability to fill the role of spot creator— will simply come along for the ride of his seemingly unpredictable nature.

Crawford has shown the promise of relentless defensive intensity, and he’s also shown the‘oh brother’ of overly aggressive, erratic offense. What he seems to be at this point is naturally unnatural, the current stats on his professional career, in their tiny, unable to be truly analyzed sample size, contributing to his ambiguous nature. He is yet another Wiz Kid to be tossed in the already crowded pool, not to see if swims, buthowhe swims. Hopefully Crawford and his other young teammates don’t end up climbing and clawing at each other in order to stay afloat. But the mundanely optimistic part about watching a bad team in the midst of rebuilding is that the opportunities will be aplenty.

Maurice“Mo” Evans, who came to the Wizards with Crawford in the Kirk Hinrich trade, has proven to be a veteran’s vet. He’s well-spoken and provides thought-out answers, the good standing of his opinion aided by the fact that he’s one of six vice presidents of theNational Basketball Players Association. Evans has been around Crawford for the duration of his 212-minute NBA career (160 over 16 games in Atlanta and 52 minutes over four games in Washington). More importantly, Evans has seen a display of Crawford’s talents and demeanor since training camp and in practices— clearly Evans ranks highly amongst authorities in observational opinion of Crawford’s game. After last Saturday’s game versus the Dallas Mavericks, I asked Evans two key questions about Crawford.

You’ve obviously seen a lot of Jordan, what about his game do people not really know about?

“As good as he scores, he can pass. He has great court vision, and he has a high basketball IQ. He picked up on our system in Atlanta really, really quickly for a guy who didn’t get a lot of minutes. And that a lot of times doesn’t happen for young players, to pick up on systems and to still be able to go out and grasp the concepts and contribute when he does. Because the times that he did get to play, he had moments like this {against Dallas, Crawford scored 10 points on 5-9 shooting with two steals and two assists in 17 minutes off the bench} where he showed a lot of promise and he showed that he really would be a player in this league if he keeps working.”

Speaking of working, where does he need to improve to take that next step in his game?

“I think time to score. I think definitely not settling for the jump shot because he does have such a good shot. I think it’s easy for him to fall prey to being a jumper shooter instead of putting pressure on the defense as does John {Wall}. He puts a lot of pressure on the defense all the time.So, you know, maybe, for example, when we had gotten the steal, Mike {Bibby} got the steal, and we end up shooting a three {after Crawford hit a runner to cut Dallas' lead to 87-78 with 7:57 left in the game, Bibby got a steal and then Crawford missed a three}. You know, we had numbers and that wasa time to be a little bit more aggressive going to the rim. We could have maybe scored that and that would’ve cut the game dramatically. But I think just those situations, and that’s what I talked to him on the bench, and he was in agreeance with me.”

Flip Saunders on Crawford:

“He can make plays. He’s a playmaker, as far as he has the ability to score. He’s extremely talented, he has no fear going against anybody. And the other thing was, he made shots {against Dallas}, so we kept him in the game. But he did what we thought he could do. I think he’s got a chance in this league. I like his moxie, I like his competitiveness. We liked him coming out of the draft, he was a guy we had very high on the board.”

{Crawford seeks a bailout from paint penetration against Chicago.}

Source

Truth About It» EXCLUSIVE: Mike Bibby On Making A 2-Pointer For The Wizards

This is Mike Bibby,son of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, 32-year old member of“Team Dime” and post-game interview backwards hat wearer. Such an unwilling member of the Washington Wizards Bibby was, that on Monday hesurrendered a scheduled paymentof $6.2 million dollars for the 2011-12 season so he could relinquish hammer and hard hat contributions to Ted Leonsis’ rebuilding project. The Washington team owner subsequentlycalled it,“a piece of unexpected and positive news for our franchise.”

Bibby might have avoided giving his only post-game home locker room interview as a member of the Wizards after a loss to the Dallas Mavericks last Saturday night had I not stopped him as he made his way toward the exit; most other members of the Washington professional basketball press corps were busy giving their attention to another member of Bibby’s now former team. In his answers, Bibby referred to the young Wizards team more as“they” than“us”— understandable, supposedly.

In the exclusive video below, Bibby talks exclusively to those allowed access to the Wizards locker room and answers a question, exclusively asked by someone else, about getting into the scoring record book for the Washington Wizards, in a less than exclusive manner (as I’ll soon explain).

Good luck to Bibby.Folks say that he is going to be teaming up with former Wizards Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Juwan Howard to strive for a championship with the Miami Heat (supplemented by the talents of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh). The ball is going to be poppin’ beyond poppin’. And that is what it is.

On another note,Comcast Washingtonrecently produced a similarly hokey video retrospective on Bibby.

“Among Wizards whose career lasted under 30 minutes, Bibby is the all-time points leader with two,” said Comcast’s Chick Hernandez as Bibby’s stats with Washington were graphically displayed on screen: 29:21 minutes, 1-9 field-goals, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists. Unfortunately, Comcast’s research department failed Mr. Chick’s inaccurate claim.

According toBasketball-Reference.com, there has been 30 players who have spent time with the franchise and have played less than 30 total minutes while scoring at least two points. Ten of those players actually wore a Wizards uniform, 13 a Washington Bullets uniform and the remaining seven were either with the franchise in Baltimore or Chicago.

Of those who donned a Wizards jersey (and appeared in 30 minutes or less in that jersey), Bibby falls ninth in points scored.Your scoring leader?Peter John Ramos, of course, who, over six games and 20 total minutes with the franchise, scored 11 points. Other names include: Lawrence Moten (8 games, 27 minutes, 9 points in 1998); Torraye Braggs (4 games, 22 minutes, 6 points in 2004); Paul Davis (2 games, 8 minutes, 5 points in 2010); Jimmy Oliver (1 game, 10 minutes, 5 points in 1998); Brian Cardinal (5 games, 15 minutes, 4 points in 2003); Mike Harris (5 games, 14 minutes, 4 points in 2010); Hamady N’diaye (current Wizard, 4 games, 12 minutes, 3 points); and Mike Hall (2 games, 13 minutes, 2 points in 2007).

Bibby does hold the distinction of having the most assists (8) in 30 minutes or less with the franchise. Although, Kevin Pritchard, former Portland Trailblazers general manager, achieved seven assists in just 22 minutes of action over two games with the Washington Bullets in 1996. So there’s that.

In any case, so long, Mike Bibby.

Source

Truth About It» Wizards Talk, Bulls Walk

Wizards Talk.

Bulls Walk.

Source

Truth About It» Tyson Chandler: The Player JaVale McGee Has Yet To Be, Or Beat

**Cue theESPN 30 for 30voice**

What if I told you that two seven-footers battled this summer for a chance to play center for Team USA at the FIBA World Basketball Championships in Turkey? That the older one coming off surgery made the team, while the younger, healthier one was cut? Those same two players met earlier this year, and the one who got cut from Team USA was again dominated by the older, wiser center. Would it be a surprise if I told you that these same two centers squared off Saturday night, and again the younger center came up short, partially because the older one beat him at his own game in running up and down the court, catching alley-oops and making highlight dunks?

This is the story of Tyson Chandler’s dominance over JaVale McGee.

Chandler came into Saturday’s game against the Wizards averaging 10.7 points an 9.5 rebounds and proceeded to score a season-high 23 points to go along with his 13 rebounds. He also had a key offensive rebound and put back over McGee with 1:36 left in the game that put a stop to a furious Wizards’ comeback run and gave the Mavericks the lead for good. In contrast, McGee, who had a monster game the night before against the Miami Heat with 18 points and 17 rebounds, had just six points to go with his 11 rebounds against Dallas.  To make matters worse, most of Chandler’s dunks came as a result of McGee’s defensive negligence. McGee often got caught watching the ball while Chandler consistently and easily rolled to the basket.

The brilliance of Chandler’s performance did not just lie in his ability to dunk the deft passes he received from Jason Kidd, but he was able to do the little things that elude the ever-expanding box score. One of those duties was to keep a high defensive awareness and limit the ability of John Wall to get into the lane at will. Prior to the game, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle stressed the importance of slowing down Wall’s fast-breaking ability and how his team would go about doing that:

Chandler’s role in limiting of Wall was to stand on or near the foul line when the Wizards attempted a fast-break in order to thwart Wall’s penetration. This worked to perfection in first half, as the Mavericks limited the Wizards to just three fast-break points (Wall was not to be denied in the second half, however, as he scored 16 points and the Wizards tallied 10 fast-break points).  In terms of offensive little things, Chandler also set several hard screens to free up both Kidd and Jason Terry on the perimeter.

Whether he was screening smaller players like Wall or Mike Bibby, or slightly larger players such as Nick Young or Josh Howard, his technique was the same. Chandler would put his hands in front of him and solidly stand in front of the person he was screening until his man was freed.   This may sound a simple task, but if you observe any given NBA game with a close, watchful eye, you’ll see so many players go through the motions when it comes to setting a good, solid screen. Chandler did the exact opposite, and Carlisle made a point to mention after the game:

“All night long {Chandler} ran the floor well. He defended the basket well, he made his free throws, he’s just really important to us. Down the stretch he was big, and his screens will be something that is overlooked, but he set good screens and made a lot of good things happen.”

Kidd also took time to observe that Chandler was the Jerry Rice to his Joe Montana on offense:

“The big thing was he was running. We knew they were coming off a back-to-back, and we needed the tempo to get in our favor and Tyson was out running. He can run with the best of the bigs.  He runs routes as a wide receiver, and he dips in, and the he goes to the rim. As a big, if you respond to him dipping in, then he has the advantage.”

The whole time I was listening to the Mavericks coaches and players rave about Chandler’s feats both big and small, I could not help but wonder why JaVale McGee could not assume that same type of role. Like Chandler, McGee is athletic, he runs the floor well, and also runs routes to the basket like Chandler does for Kidd, being the beneficiary of many Wall assists. Unfortunately, McGee, who is just 23 and in his third year (and first as a full-time starter) has not been consistently great— often more style over substance, as Flip Saunders likes to put it. And against the Mavericks, McGee struggled. As the Wizards coach told it afterward:

“Tyson’s killed JaVale both games, last game I think he had 18 and 18, tonight he ends up with 23. JaVale was really tired tonight. He had problems running tonight, and had problems just as… as soon as you get tired, you lose some of your mental quickness. But he tried to compete…”

McGee will have games like he did Friday night against the Heat, where he is a dominating force on both ends of the floor; however, he’ll also follow those games up with an inconsistent performance or two. These are usually highlighted when he dribbles incessantly, racks up goal-tending calls, misses defensive rotations, ultimately drawing the ire of Saunders and/or Randy Wittman and finding a spot on the bench.

Chandler weighed in on McGee’s game and was asked if he thinks their games are similar:

“Yeah, I hear that a lot. He’s more athletic than I was, he just has to understand how he can be effective, and it takes awhile. It takes him being around good players to understand that. Not saying that the {Wizards} players aren’t good, but it takes getting in a good system and understanding what you’re able to do out there.”

I followed up by asking Chandler how long it took him to have that understanding of what he could and could not do:

“I kind of started understanding and learning my latter years in Chicago, and then when I got to New Orleans, I really understood.”

During Chandler’s latter years in Chicago, where he spent his first five season in the NBA out of high school (2001-02 to 2005-06), his starting point guard was the recently traded Kirk Hinrich, and in New Orleans, All-Star Chris Paul was delivering him the ball. Considering McGee had the services of Hinrich briefly and Wall full time, perhaps he too will start to really understand. Until then, he can just study the tapes of Chandler, who has thoroughly dominated him in their eight head-to-head match-ups.

Chandler has averaged 11.1 points and 9.5 rebounds during that eight-game span, and McGee has averaged 4.6 points and 5.4 rebounds. This season alone, Chandler has averages of 20.5 points and 15.1 boards against Washington, while McGee has managed just four points and seven rebounds in return.  But the most glaring disparity in the Chandler-McGee matchup lies in the victory column.  Chandler’s teams (New Orleans, Charlotte and now Dallas) have eight victories, while McGee’s Wizards have none.

It’s the little things that Chandler does as a veteran center which help his team win. As soon as McGee starts playing more within his role and really works to limit his mistakes, the Wizards will be in a much better position to win.

Source