Truth About It» SOMEWHAT-BREAKING: Andray Blatche To Host Other Nights

Look, people sponsor/host things all the time.Jimmy Johnson of Dallas Cowboys fame, for example, once lent his name to apill for your jimmy. And just last week, Andray Blatchesponsored a night for lapdances (also for your jimmy). 

So cheers to Andray,“of the Washington Wizards” for hosting something that would’ve been happening on a Tuesday in Miami anyway. Some have questioned why Blatche would risk the head-smacking PR hit for a meager pittance from a club night. Simple answer: the lockout is a comin’. Can’t blame 7-Day ’Dray for getting his, sadly likely as it may be that all he got in exchange for the use of his good name was free cover, drinks and company for his lap.

Now, in honor of Blatche sponsoring Tuesday as the designated night for lapdances, we here at Truth About It.net have some other nights he could sponsor…

“Misunderstanding Wednesdays”

Has a perplexing interaction with your coach left you benched for the rest of the game?Do you often confuse“boxing out” as a trick to get rebounds instead of what it should be, a habit? Did you get whistled for 11 technical fouls this season, tying you for ninth most in the NBA? Well,‘Misunderstanding Wednesdays!’ is for you… the guy who isn’t unfairly labelled as a vast under-performer in relation to talent, but rather the guy who is just misunderstood. Only on Wednesdays, and only at Club Alizé.

“Shoulder-Shruggin’ Thursdays!”

Look, things be happening.You can’t always control which prostitutes are really cops… You can’t alwaysnotget into a fight with a teammate at the club… You can’t always be expected to care… Sometimes, when brushing dirt off your shoulders can only get you so far, the best choice left is to shrug them. As mentioned, things be happening, and if things be happening to you, join Andray Blatche at‘Shoulder-Shruggin’ Thursdays!’, exclusively at Café Le Neck Scarf.

“Burrito Fridays!”

A man gotta eat, don’t he?Some fool once called pizza the perfect food because it contains mad members of the food pyramid. That fool obviously didn’t meet the burrito. Burritos are actually pretty much like life: can’t control how things come in, can’t control how they come out. And if you enjoy the finer things in life— finer things such as a wardrobe consisting entirely of pleated pants, pleated shorts and pleated jeans— then don’t be afraid to join‘Dray Blatche at‘Burrito Fridays!’ held at The Deuce Lounge. Free shots of Pepto and Vodka from 10:45-11:00 pm.

“Whisper Saturdays!”

Basically,‘Whisper Saturdays!’ is the new White Linen Party.Remember that song the Ying Yang Twins once put out where all they did was whisper? Of course you don’t. Nonetheless, that musical movement of genius equivalent to a headless turkey tasked to play the harp is what inspired‘Whisper Saturdays!’ So join Andray Blatche at Club Shoosh where the only thing that will distract you from hot breath and braces full of leftover burrito lettuce will be trying to hear the sounds coming out.

“Air-It-Out Sundays!”

Been a long week man, time to liberate accumulated smells into the air of the free world.Held exclusively at The Bump Lounge and sponsored by Andray Blatche,‘Air-It-Out Sundays!’ rolls the nightlife party scene, that burrito you ate on Friday, a sweaty sock filled with other sweaty socks and the well-regarded members of your local hazardous materials team all into one extravagant affair. HazMat suits optional, wearing plastic gloves and bird flu masks recommended, colon checks abonus.

“Groinial Massage Mondays!”

If“lapdance” sounds too unsavory, then‘Groinial Massage Mondays!’ is for you.First of all, we all have groins. And yes, sometimes those groins need to be handled in a delicate manner so as to allow the tense muscles to relax. There are a lot of ways one could hurt their groin, but if you’re not really moving laterally on defense, I’m not sure how. Regardless,‘Groinial Massage Mondays!’ at Club Clerb is probably what you need. Now, we can’t exactly guarantee who will potentially be massaging your groin— and no, the security check to get in doesn’t count— but we will guarantee that it will be performed to completion.

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Truth About It» Spread‘Em For John Wall

Critique of the NBA often surrounds the narrative of one player dribbling around then shooting. But when you have a 20-year old athlete whose combination of speed and size is already superior to most at his position, you take advantage of his one-on-one skills. And when that player loves to pass and relishes in the assist while always being a threat to score, it’s called basketball. Flip Saunders is a basketball coach and he often knows exactly what to do with John Wall.

Spread sets usually seem reserved for late-clock situations, and mostly true for the instances in the video below. Still, with Wall they can be implemented at just about any point of the game, depending on his surrounding personnel and the defensive match-ups the Wizards might want to exploit, of course. This clip of four plays all occurred in two games against the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz on the Wizards’ late March west coast road trip, and all came with around 70 seconds or less left in a period. Let’s watch…

Earl Watson, Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis… Sure, intimidating defenders they are not. But also, this is the NBA. Not many rookies can make these moves look so easy— an attack of the rim through trees, finding Yi Jianlian for a bounce pass in the paint, throwing the perfect lob to JaVale McGee, getting to the rim through a big man, making the basket, drawing a foul, and finishing with a muscle flex.

It’s a simple game that can be made even more simple with supreme athletes. And the spread set out of which these plays were run— sometimes with a man in the far right corner (Nick Young), but mostly with the guard extended on the right wing (Jordan Crawford)… depending on the shooting comfort spots of the respective players, I suppose— certainly has some more intricate options. But I won’t blame Wall’s teammates too much for standing around to watch him operate sometimes (as long as the guards remember to cover on defense, and as long as they’re always ready to receive the pass).

Smoke‘em if you got‘em.And sometimes all you need is to spread‘em for John Wall, put the ball in his hands, and let him initiate his point guard instinct. And now, some relatively crudely diagrammed looks at the spread clear-outs run for Wall using the FastDraw software fromFast Model Sports Technology.  

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Truth About It» The Wizards We Knew, A Website Through The Years

A week from today the Washington Wizards will hold a press conference to unveil their new look, which includes a red, white and blue color scheme, a new logo, and new uniforms. Various sites could probably hold various polls until clicking fingers are tired, but I’m guessing that the vast majority would still agree that, while a color change to build more unification around red and the colors of the American flag is a good start,“Wizards” as a franchise nickname continues to be a horrible joke and in no way should be a representation of professional basketball in the capital of the United States.

The vast majority would then probably split between those who want the team to return to being called the“Bullets,” and those who understand that reverting back is not going to happen, and that the franchise is better off moving on with a completely new name. Also in lieu of official polling, I’ll speculate that the team name, and thus its colors, have been the biggest hot-button issue surrounding Ted Leonsis since his ownership group took control of the franchise last June.

Thus, the results of next Tuesday’s unveiling will likely come under a particular amount of scrutiny. Does a color change need to happen? Yes/Sure, why not?

Does a color change, new uniforms, and especially a new logo, likely come at a great cost to the franchise? Re-branding efforts, even if it doesn’t mean a name change, are usually very expensive. So, yes.

Could the timing of this move strike a curious conundrum between a potential name change down the road, the ability of the team to now seek revenue from those flocking for color-changed gear (versus later with, or in addition to, a name change), and whether Leonsis believes this move will appease the masses for some kind of change, any change, while allowing him to gently back away from getting rid of the“Wizards” until many years down the road (at least)? Good questions. Guess next Tuesday’s unveiling better knock some socks off.

So, in anticipation of the Wizards we’ve known soon to arrive at a juncture of difference, let’s use theInternet Archive’s Wayback Machineto take a time-capsuled look at how the current colored version of the Wizards has been marketed online through the years.{Click on a screen-shot image for a larger view.}

October 1999-- www.nba.com/wizards/

Great news Wizards fans of October 1999, Mitch Richmond signed a multi-year deal in August. A 4-year, $40 million contract given to a 34-year old sounds horrible in just about any time period, even worse over a decade ago. By June of 2001, the team bought out the final two years of Richmond’s contract for $10 million. And yes, the other great news includes the Ben Wallace, Terry Davis, Tim Legler and Jeff McInnis-for-Ike Austin trade.Team building!Go!!

November 2001

Hello Michael Jordan creepily looming in the top right corner, sans cigar, cognac, gambling chips and women. Looks like the highlight from this old screen capture is that even though the Wizards lost to the Celtics 104-95, Air Jordan might have found a“co-pilot” in Christian Laettner.

WTF?!?Am I sure I want to travel down this web memory lane of piss-poor pixels? Oh well, I’ve already started.

August 2002

“Re-live Kwame Brown’s rookie year in our exclusive photo gallery.”

No thanks.

…And the basketball gods continue to laugh at how the greatest player in NBA history came into the capital of the free world and aided in setting back an already hapless basketball franchise for years with the drafting of a baby-child with tiny hands. This is a Greek tragedy people.

October 2002

Not much time lapse on this next one, just more Kwame. His face looks like his high school principal just caught him trying to poop into empty banana peels and seal them up with super glue before putting them in the donation basket at church.

June 2003

“Year in Photos: Laettner”

I imagine that in 85-percent of said Laettner photos, Christian could be seen making a“Duke Face”— not exactly sure what that entails, but I imagine it involves a plan to form“Blue Devil Ventures” with another former Dookie, Brian Davis, failing on multiple financial endeavors, andgetting sued by everyone from former NFL steroid-policy violator Shawne Merriman to Chevron, the oil company. That’s the Lord’s work, Christian.

Also notice how the Wizards website was used to hawk MichaelJordan’s Washington, D.C. restaurant, Jordans, enticing folks with a $23, two-course menu and free shuttle service to the game.

May 2004

This is when my 2011 computer failed to update to 2004 version of Flash… but otherwise,Party John Ramos!!!
Enough said.

October 2005

Building on the success of the previous season evidently anticipated to start with a past picture of Jarvis Hayes breezing past a stink-faced Mike Miller. It is what it is.

March 2006

“One Team, One Goal”…

Below I see Gilbert Arenas raising the USA jersey of the team he never really made, and Etan Thomas, probably reading some poetry. By November’06,Etan and Brendan Haywood got to fightingunder their“one team, one goal” motto (they fought again in February’07). And by the end of this’06-07 season was when Arenas stopped worrying about getting revenge against the Team USA coaches whom he believed gave him a slight in suggesting he go home from Olympic tryouts with injury, and when he started worrying about another injury, the initial one he suffered to his knee against Crash Gerald Wallace on March 4, 2007.

The’06-07 season doesn’t get enough credit for its infamy. Guess that whole gun thing in’09-10 overshadows it at this point. Oh well.

August 2006

Now we get less into comical and more into simply looking at the official slogans of team’s past…

“Go All In”  (…to take advantage of the boon in poker interest, I suppose.)

October 2007

“Ready to Rule.”(…with a hard-fought first round playoff defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.May 2, 2008, the last playoff game the Wizards played in their current color scheme. Hey! That was three years ago from yesterday!)

March 2009

“Determined to Deliver”… featuring a February 2009 Gilbert Arenas quote to theWashington Post:“I want the fans to know that next year, when we’re all healthy, we are going to compete for a championship.”

Unfortunately, all that was delivered was a frontward facing backpack of novelty guns to the locker room. Zingers.

 

Well folks, that’s about it. However, so this journey back in web information highway time doesn’t end too anticlimactically (but rather randomly instead), I present the video below found via the Google Share-Bro-ing network. This is pretty much the best. Long, but the best.

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Truth About It» We Hardly Knew Yi

I can readily admit that I was encouraged by the way the Washington Wizards played over the last 10 games of the season.  They went 6-4 during that span,a new big threeof Jordan Crawford, John Wall and Andray Blatche emerged, and the team--led by D-Leaguer Othyus Jeffers--seemed to play with a sense of urgency that had been lacking earlier in the season.  I wasn’t ready to declare the Wizards a playoff-bound team next season likeJohn Wall so boldly did,but I definitely saw the improvement.

Then the 2011 playoffs started and I saw brilliant performances by underdogs like the Memphis Grizzlies, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Indiana Pacers.  I also saw teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics advance by stepping up their play.  Then I thought back to the 10-game flash of brilliance the Wizards showed and I realized that asgood as they looked at certain points, they clearly have a long way to go before they can compete under the hot lights of playoff basketball. The same type of comparison can be made to Yi Jianlian and his 2010-2011 season with Washington.

Last summer at the FIBA Championships held in Turkey, Yi displayed the type of aggression that had been lacking during his three-year NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks and the New Jersey Nets.  He averaged 20.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, unveiled aquality drop-step move,and emerged as the leader of the Yao Ming-less Chinese National team.  After that FIBA performance,Michael Lee of theWashington Postwrote:

“It’s hard to tell how Yi’s performance will translate to the upcoming season, since he will not be featured with the Wizards as he was with China, which was not good enough to survive a sub-par performance from Yi. But if Yi arrives at training camp healthy, as expected, he should also come with much more confidence in his abilities. There are still flaws that he will have to overcome, and his defense still leaves much to be desired, but the Wizards shouldn’t have any regrets about basically renting Yi’s services for free for a year.”

Lee’s words proved to be prophetic once the season started, because Yi retained none of the brilliance he played with during the FIBA Championships.  Instead of being the focus on offense like he was in China, Yi was often the second or third man off the bench, and his appearances lacked consistency and aggression.  To make matters worse, Yi had recurring knee injuries that further hindered his ability to play effective, even in limited minutes.  A typical Yi appearance would go as follows:

1)Play solid physical defense

2)Get the ball in the post, dribble a bit too much, force a tough shot

3)Abandon the post play, take an elbow jumper. If it hits, force another one the next time down the floor, if it misses, go back to post briefly, then go back to that jumper

In fact, according to82games.com,most of Yi’s shots were from the perimeter, and not in the paint where his services as a 7-footer were sorely needed:

Shot selection

Shot	Att.	eFG%	Ast’d	Blk’d	Pts
Jump	75%	.366	82%	4%	3.0
Close	12%	.381	56%	19%	.5
Dunk	9%	.903	75%	3%	.9
Tips	4%	.538	0%	0%	.2
Inside	25%	.593	59%	10%	1.6

Part of Yi’s decision to shoot from the elbow so often probably to do with his ability to successfully run with the high pick-and-roll/fade/pop, specifically with John Wall. According toSynergy Sports Technology, Yi was much more effective in scoring off that pick and roll than he was when he spotted up or was in the post. This doesn’t totally let Yi off the hook for falling in love with that jumper, but it definitely explains a lot:

P&R Roll Man

% of his offensive plays that ended in FGA, TO or FTs (%Time)= 22.7%
Points Per Possession= 0.82
NBA Rank= 109
% Score = 40.2%

Spot-Up

%Time= 21.3%
PPP= 0.68
NBA Rank= 337
%Score= 35.2%

Post-Up

%Time= 11.7%
PPP= 0.70
NBA Rank= 155
%Score= 36%

Yi did manage to show flashes of what he had previously done for China.  There was a four-game stretch in February when the Wizards played Denver, Oklahoma City, Memphisand Dallas(all playoff teams and all losses for the Wizards) where Yi averaged the following numbers per 36 minutes:

15.9— Points
11.2— Rebounds (3.4 offensive)
2.2— Steals
1.3- Blocks
.464— Field Goal Percentage

Then on March 10th,Rashard Lewiswent to Houston to get a second opinion on his injured knee, which meant Yi was to be inserted in the starting lineup.  Before the first of that nine-game stretch, Coach Flip Saunders had this to say about Yi’s year up to that point:

“He’s had a rough year because he played so well in training camp.  Then he got hurt, and he just hasn’t been able to get into a rhythm. By the time he was able to come back after about his third injury, we had Rashard and so he was on the outside looking in, and Book has played well. The minutes he had were kind of taken away because of somebody else taking advantage.”

Yi chimed in and basically agreed:

“For myself, it’s tough. I think it was pretty good in the beginning of the season. After I got hurt and then got hurt again, I’ve been trying to get better and got out of the rotation. There hasn’t been too much playing time so it’s tough for me. But I’m telling myself every day to work hard, so that I can play for my future.”

During that nine-game stretch as a starter, Yi averaged a respectable 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 31 minutes of play.   Although Yi had a 18-point game in a loss to the Blake Griffin and the Clippers, and he grabbed 10 rebounds in a loss to Golden State, the highlight in his brief stint as a starter came against theNew Jersey Nets--his former team.Yi  had nine points, nine rebounds and a season-high three steals, but his shining moment came towards the end of the game when he showed defensive tenacity and some rare emotion:

Yi’s stint in the starting lineup ended with the return of Andray Blatche, although he did average a double-double as a reserve in the Wizards’ last three meaningless games.  Going into the uncertain summer of 2011, Yi is a restricted free agent, and the Wizards have an interesting dilemma.  Do they keep Yi and chalk his uneven season up to injuries and the lack of consistent playing time? Or do they decided that last summer was a mirage, and Yi has peaked as a player at the alleged age of 23? What position do advertising relationships with Chinese-based companies Peak Sports Apparel and Voit Sports Apparel have in potentially picking up the $5.4 million qualifying one-year offer the team holds on Yi? Or the fact that John Wall’s agent, Dan Fegan, has a business relationship with the Yi camp?

Coming off a summer under the tutelage of Team China head coach Bob Donewald and David Thorpe, executive director of the Pro Training Center in Florida and ESPN.com contributor, Yi mentally improved in coachable areas--moving his feet, seeing the ball on defense, running the floor in transition. However, his numbers from a per 36 minutes perspective didn’t greatly improve, and more times than not he didn’t display the hard-nosed toughness that’s part of Ted Leonsis’ plan.

We hardly knew Yi, but part of that reason is that he still seems to be finding himself, his game, and where it all fits.   A return to Washington would show a big step in hope and confidence from the team, which might not seem reasonable at this point. Otherwise, lockout or not, Yi will have to find vast continued improvement for his next NBA chance to be meaningful.

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

{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» John Wall Plays The Waiting Game

John Wall is so fast, but he’s always waiting.

He breezes past defenders with more than quickness, aided by long strides and big steps. Still, he often waits.

In attacking the rim with an offensive mind, Wall plays the waiting game. Waiting for the defending arms to clear out of the way. Waiting, and bracing, for a potential hit… a foul call if he’s lucky. Waiting for the last possible second to release his shot, a layup attempt at his final destination. Waiting until the coast is clear. Waiting to finish with points.

Some haven’t considered the exciting, scary thought— those two emotions coming from two different angles. You didn’t see an NBA-ready John Wall this season. His rookie eating habits were horrible, but expected for a teenager. His mentality fought to adjust to League-caliber athletes, and in many instances made them adjust to him. His body was not always fully healthy, and he admittedly rushed back beforefully healed (yet one day he’ll have to play hurt like Kobe Bryant). His semi-suspect Reebok shoes went through some “adjustments” to make them “firmer” after Wizards officials and training staff met with the shoe company,according to theWashington Post’sMichael Lee. If these things were holding Wall back to even the slightest degree, Wizards fans should be the excited ones, and the rest of the League should be scared.

Wall was introduced to the District with police escorts, red carpets and a section of a city unknown to himdraped with marketing efforts featuring his name. He scored 1,131 points, tallied 574 assists, 317 rebounds and 121 steals in 69 games. No other NBA rookie has reached those milestones in less than 70 games; Chris Paul, Mark Jackson and Tim Hardaway are the only other rookies who have done it period,according to Basketball-Reference.com. Wall also won the NBA’s Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month Award in January, February, March and April. All of the meaningless pizazz, surface accolades and numbers are there, but the best has yet to come. Just you wait.

Wall’s strength is the combination of being a pass-first point guard who can finish at the rim and run one-man fast-breaks fueled by great size and excellent athleticism, with the ability to wait. According toHoopData.com, he finished fifth among point guards who appeared in 40 or more games in makes at the rim per game.

1. Russell Westbrook- 4.1 FGM at the rim per game; 60.4 FG%
2. Tony Parker- 3.9; 65.4
3. Derrick Rose– 3.8; 60.0
4. Tyreke Evans- 3.7; 59.0
5. John Wall- 3.2; 59.9

The numbers and percentages will improve, especially if the franchise builds players around Wall who can shoot from the corners and beyond, and who can chase the rim with Wall, on both offense and defense.

But despite all that did go well, Wall had a more frustrating rookie season than he expected… than we all expected. By February, the Wizards had as many losses, 35, as Wall’s Kentucky team had wins in the previous season; while Washington was only able to tally 13 victories in the same time period to three losses for the Wildcats during all of 2009-10. The Wizards finished the season 23-59. But the frustration is a good thing. Because in everything overly evident from his arrival in Washington to the winding down conclusion, Wall was a sponge soaking up all the knowledge he could. He literally bugged the crap out of Kirk Hinrich with questions. Well, not literally. There were no bugs.

On April 22, Ted Leonsisblogged about his exit interviews with several Wizards players, John Wall was the only one he mentioned by name. Leonsis outlined, as he has done before, that the Wizards are rebuilding around Wall, and the owner all but said that the rebuild involves direct input from the young 20-year old star. It’s an essential, and additional, contract between the two parties, but this one has nothing to do with exchanged money.

The franchise will construct a team around Wall that will mesh with him both basketball-wise and effort-level-wise— because they certainly heard his frustrations regarding theeffort of teammatesduring the season. And Wall will improve his body and eating habits. He will prove that he can further apply the basketball intelligence he so readily received. All is currently copacetic with this hypothetical agreement, with more of an onus on Leonsis and Ernie Grunfeld to produce the surrounding results while Wall keeps doing what he does.

But the anticipated warmth of Wall’s sunny day future is unfortunately clouded by a collective-bargaining dispute between the league and it’s players that will likely mean a lockout for an extended period of time. Slightly unfair to Wizards fans who have waited long enough for a winner, but not beyond the horizon where they can’t wait some more.

Either way, bet that Wall already can’t wait to get back on that court. Bet that he can’t wait to make himself better. Bet that he can’t wait to zoom down the floor past a blur of flesh and limbs, only to wait some more for a blink of the eye before releasing a timely fast-break bucket as only a Game Changer can.

John Wall Flying, Pictures:

The Slide Show:

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Truth About It» Bittersweet Lew: A Half-Year In Review

When news of the Gilbert Arenas-Rashard Lewis trade broke, it was received with a groan. The less-than-enthusiastic reception of the 31-year-old Lewis wasn’t so much a public damnation of his basketball abilities, nor an uninterested dismissal of his more intangible, clichéd qualities – veteran leadership, for instance. No, it was the result of a city, of a fanbase, coming to grips with the end of an era.

The Washington Wizards traded away their (cult) hero, and all they got in return was a “lousy”stretch four.

Just a week before Christmas, Lewis arrived in the nation’s capital with his long frame, his long contract, and hislong face.Rough. Nick Young—by way of Gilbert Arenas’interview with ESPN’s Michael Wallace—made Lewis’ first impressions public:

“He was telling me about Rashard Lewis. Nick was like,‘I don’t know if he’s going to make it two weeks here. He feels like the world just ended.’“

From a professional standpoint, getting traded to the Washington was one of the worst things that could have happened to Lewis. In the time it takes to pen a bit of chicken scratch on a trade agreement, he went from championship contender to NBA doormat. But for the Wizards, the acquisition of the former All-Star was the best thing that could have happened to team—luck of the lottery draw notwithstanding.

The fact of the matter is that somewhere between the halfway house and the 2010-2011 media day, Gilbert Arenas had morphed into a roundball zombie. He showed no emotion. He looked slow, overweight, even lost on the court. He couldn’t buy a bucket with what was left of that $100 million contract. His only redeeming quality—amidst a rotten temperament and spoiled skills—was that he could grow a beard that would make James Harden proud.

The Wizards were fortunate. Orlando Magic president Otis Smith believed that the Arenas could bring“a little bit more punch”to central Florida. Not so. During the 2010-2011, Arenas started just 2 games out of a possible 49 for the Magic and averaged less than 22 minutes per game.

Player Comparison viaBasketball-Reference.com

{Click to expand}

By their numbers spanning the entire 2010-11 season, there is little question that the Wizards‘won’ that trade, but that isn’t to say that Lewis was, nor ever will be the Wizards’ knight in shining armor. The man is past his prime. He’s not snapping the team’s dreadful three-year slump… especially when you could make a convincing argumentthat the Wizards have become all too comfortable with losing. Was his year memorable? Not at all. Was he great? No. Reliable (before his season was cut short due to injury)? Productive?Professional? Those earmarks would most certainly apply. He is an asset the Wizards have at their disposal, to keep them competitive, and to help them mature.

But what about the money?

I don’t buy that his contract is big, bad, and bloated. The Wizards owe Lewis$43.8 million (just over $21 million guaranteed)over the next two years. That’s not cheap. But for the Wizards, it’s not a raw deal. What would they even spend that cap room on? The Wizards roster is young and inexpensive, plus there is money coming off the books.

Both Nick Young and Yi Jianlian are restricted free agents. While the Wizards should extend a qualifying offer to Young ($3.7 million), telling Yi to kick rocks would save the team $5.4 million. Mustafa Shakur, Othyus Jeffers, and Larry Owens are also restricted free agents, worth a combined $3 million. (Keep Jeffers, cut the fat.) Finally, Josh Howard’s expiring contract frees up an additional $3 million.

Bynotextending qualifying offers for the players listed above, the Wizardscouldopen up over $15 million—which would be extra cushion for a team already expected to be well-under a to-be-determined-by-a-new-CBA salary cap.

The way I see it, Lewis will help the Wizards rebuild by fulfilling his veteran responsibilities both on and off the court. When his tour of duty in D.C. comes to a close in 2013 (or perhaps even in the summer of 2012), the Wizards will be a focused, hungry, and battle-hardened bunch. The reassembled roster will have the pieces in place to be “a very good team for a long, long time.”That is the plan, right?

And if they miss in the draft, whiff in free agency, and Leonsis’ plan falls apart? Well, hey, at least the Wizards aren’t paying Gilbert Arenas.

Twitter:@JohnCTownsend

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Sweet Lew drops veteran knowledge through a trying experience:

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Truth About It» Dissecting John Wall’s Rookie Quotes

The highlights and good times from John Wall’s rookie year represent the icing on the big ol’ cookie (or cake) that vested hype-machine types gladly diddle themselves to while resting assured on pillows encased with media& PR mints at night. Fodder for rainbows, puppy dogs and ice cream, but relatively useless to Wall himself. He doesn’t seem to take comfort in digits and puffery. Rather, he’s the sort wired to be driven toward success by frustration and failure,i.e., he’s a non-believer in the injury/rebuilding excuses readily applied by some around him. Nor does he appear to possess a complacency or apathy toward loving the game of basketball as some of his teammates have so often conveyed. He actually appears to despise such attitudes. At least this is what dime-store pessimists such as myself optimistically believe.

No, it’snot‘John Wall Wednesday’ here at Truth About It.net, although there could be a subsequent related post coming this evening that would make it three in a row about the 2010 No. 1 NBA Draft pick. But, you see, no biggie when it comes to the franchise pillar. Wall’s inaugural season has barely been put to rest as his NBA future looks to gainfully go from embryonic to full-on fetus mode. And then who knows… a crawl, walk or sprint into the postseason seems inevitable. Rookie year perspective is a prerequisite, yet no one will know how to properly assess Wall’s 2010-11 until a couple/several years from now. In the meantime, let’s take a videographic look at the experience of the rookie’s emotions through his carefully considered and well-trained quotes to the media covering his team, the Washington Wizards. Dissect this one way now and be ready to reconsider down the road.

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