Does anyone else remember "NBA Today" on ESPN? It was on maybe 8-10 years ago and Mark Jones, the ESPN broadcaster for tonights game, was the host. That show was so awesome, Dr. Jack Ramsey would provide his analysis and David Aldridge had the latest news and rumors. At the end of every show, Mark Jones would do a basektball shooting motion as the camera panned away. So cool. Those guys knew basketball and I learned something new about the game and NBA every show. Today's ESPN crew pales in comparison.

Nope...no win tonight....Wiz (especially Gil) not looking good tonight.

Too bad IC missed that coaching clinic by EJ tonight. Putting Jarvis on Mason during the crucial fourth period was amazing generalship. Spotting them that big lead, going small even though the Hornets owned the paint. This guy is a brilliant basketball mind. Disgusting....

It is amazing as I watch this game down the stretch to wonder why Jordan continues to love small ball. Etan and Brenden do a fair job of controlling the paint for 3 1/2 quarters. He goes small and then they drive to the hole in every posession. This is absolutely ridculous. If we lose this thing it is on Jordan. If we win it is despite him.

Ivan:
I was hoping you'd be there tonight so the first question in the press conference could be, "Why did you decide to go to a small lineup in the middle of the fourth quarter?"
At some point, can you ask Jordan was his thinking is? It just seems to make no sense and flies in the face of the success the team has when the centers are on the court.
It was interesting hearing Hubie Brown about a month ago on a Wizards game saying that the Wizards were really taking a risk going to a small lineup. You could tell he didn't like that strategy.

What's up with the Wiz (or rather down)? First they lose to Toronto and now New Orleans! And they have to play the Spurs in San Antonio tomorrow night - horrors!

frustrating - seemed like the team was loafing - not running, not hustling. maybe looking at san an tomorrow night? bottom line is that you have to beat the bad teams, get some wins against the good ones (beating my usual drum). before tonight's game, beating NO and losing to SA would be acceptable. now we have a quick road trip that may well be 0-2.

"Today's ESPN crew pales in comparison."

Yup, Ramsey is the man! Why did ESPN ditch Aldridge? Where's he at now?

They were all really good!

Don't worry Ivan, you didn't miss anything.

"Why did you decide to go to a small lineup in the middle of the fourth quarter?"

That's because Hubie is a better coach then Jordan, Henry. I remember that game. :)

And you can also add,"Why is Jarvis Hayes playing big minutes and has the ball in his hands with the game on the line when he hasn't hit the side of a barn all year?"

Gil sat for so long he had to warm back up again. You just can't do that, especially with your star player and expect to win. Credit this loss to Jordan AND a lack of defense.

I'm gonna throw one more thing in here as a side note....the Wiz had problems with the Hornets half court game. They slowed the Wiz down a lot and they didn't have a chance to run. Like I said on another blog, expect to see that in the playoffs.

"If we win it is despite him."

NOW you all are seeing the light! ;)

I've been saying all year Jordan is not the coach for this team. I realize they play San Antonio(which will also be a loss) tomorrow night but still.

Tomorrow night is going to be ugly UNLESS Gil scores a ton. Kinda hard from the bench though isn't it?

- Ray

IMAN-

I guess we should expect a San Antonio weather report from you on TWP A1 tomorrow morning-ha!

GO WIZ.!

I hate to echo the criticisms of the coach, but I have to agree with some of the points made by other posters.
Shouldn't Taylor or even Blatche be getting minutes in the 4th instead of Hayes in part because Hayes isn't much defensively as well as the struggles he has with his shot. Why isn't Haywoood out there late in the game. Losses like this are the worst because they are yet another example of why the Wizards fall short of being elite. No excuse to lose to freaking Pargo, Rasual Butler and @#$@#$@# Tyson Chandler!

I missed this one guys, but the small ball deal does not surprise me. Pathetic!!!!
Ray, we've been beating this drum for a long time now. EJ is just not a great coach.

Seems like our "roll" might be over. I want to believe we are an "elite" team, but losses to Toronto and Ok are proof that our #3 position in the Sports Illustrated Power Rankings is a little delusional at this point.

Same old stuff from Eddie Jordan. There needs to be some serious questioning as to his true abilities as a coach. His rotations ever since his arrival in Washington have been confounding. This small ball stuff this season is ridiculous, and I don't know how many times he needs to be burned until he realizes the small no-rebounding, no-defense lineup doesn't work.

His trust in Hayes is confusing, as well. He talks at great length about only believing in a handful of players on the team. I don't why he thinks one of those core guys is Hayes, who can't shoot and can't man-up anyone on defense.

I think this team is still good, but EJ needs to do some intense self-reflection, and these players need to realize that even a little defense can go a long way. Maybe Gilbert can't stop making excuses for the team's lack of defensive competency and start playing tough on-ball defense.

By can't, I meant can.

Some fun smallball stats from this season:

- When Haywood is in the game, the Wizards have outscored opponents by 114 points.
- When Etan is in the game, the Wizards have outscored opponents by 51 points.
- Haywood and Etan have never been in the game at the same time. Thus, when one of them is in the game, the Wizards have outscored oponents by 165 points.
- The Wizards have outscored the opposition this season by a total of 49 points.
- Soooo, when neither Haywood or Thomas is in the game, the Wizards have been outscored by 116 points.
- When Lang is in the game, the Wizards have scored the same amount of points as the opposition. I believe that he has never been in a game when Haywood or Thomas has. Thus, the same numbers above hold true -- i.e., when Haywood, Thomas or Lang is in the game, the Wizards have outscored the opposition by 165 points, etc., etc.
[I'm not sure how to factor in Booth, because has played both PF and C, and I believe has played with Haywood on the court. In any event, the Wizards have been outscored by 14 when he is on the court.]

One more.
- Haywood and Thomas have played a combined 73% of the team's minutes this season (or 35 minutes of every 48 minute game). That means that in the 35 minutes per game that they are on the court, the Wizards outscore the opposition by 4.71 points (165 points divided by 35 games).

- During the 13 minutes per games that Haywood or Thomas are not on the court (or, if you want to factor in Lang, the 11.5 minutes per game the Big Three (haha) are not on the court), the Wizards are outscored by the opposition by 3.31 points (116 points divided by 35 games). The smallball lineup gives it away rather quickly.

Nice stats Henry!!!! Can you mail that to EJ? I did not see the Ok game, but it sounds like EJ, although warning the players about a lapse, coached this game with SA in mind.

Honestly, I have watched a lot of basketball in my life. Probably too much. EJ's strategies and rotations just make no sense to me half the time. Damn, this happens right after I praise him for his coaching against Chicago. I'm guessing Blatche although playing D and rebounding with a lot of hustle lately that seems to energize the team probably played next to no minutes, and definitely not in tandem with Haywood, right? I mean that's looked too promising lately to keep trying it.

Ivan, you gotta get some answers from EJ on this small ball. It's either costing us games or leads and I have no clue what he is thinking!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to pile on Jordan, but with two teams playing the same offense and knowing how to stop the other team's offense, and with Byron Scott's team depleted, Jordan just got outcoached.

Actually, that was Eddie's comment in his brief presser "we got outcoached tonight."

Looks like we are back to losing on the road :-(

"I missed this one guys"

Ok, you're fired Rob. ;)

"Byron Scott's team depleted, Jordan just got outcoached."

Doesn't take much. :P

- Ray

I'll echo the comments about EJ here by pointing out that the press hasn't really commented on Jordan's glaring coaching mistakes. Isn't that one of the jobs of the press, to point out really obvious errors? It's one thing not to ask Jordan in a presser that kind of question -- it might be perceived as rude or embarrassing to him -- but the press should at least write about it! Last night, just like in other losses where EJ played Antawn at center, the opposing team just walked to the rim. A center in the middle -- even a mediocre one -- would prevent that. It's not enough for the press to say, "Washington isn't a good defensive team." That implies that we're playing a bunch of lumbering oafs on defense. We're not -- with a little tinkering by the coach, we could actually be much better. Isn't this a big deal?!

Eddie needs to consider playing guys like Haywood/Thomas/Blatche/Lang in tandem. Try pairing two of them together for stretches on the floor when you need stops. The small ball lineup doesn't work mainly because none of the small ball guys can keep their opponent in front of them defensively, so reinforcements are needed on the inside; reinforcements that arent' there if Haywood or Thomas, in particular, are not in the game.

Eddie's substitutions are a mess, too. Always have been. Ray said, "Doesn't take much." That's so true. It's nice he admitted he was outcoached last night. But if he were really honest with himself, he's know he was outcoached most nights, and the players generally win in spite of him.

More grammatical errors on my part. I meant: "But if he were really honest with himself, he would know he has been outcoached most nights ..."

well there's no need to panic about eddie jordan, because at least he won't be around for too long coaching this way...oh nevermind, we just signed him to a 3-year extension.

you have to like most of the moves that grunfeld has made with this team (bringing caron, arenas, jamison, stevenson for minimum wage, blatche in the second round) but re-signing Eddie was by far his biggest botch. although etan's deal looks like a screw up too.

Lets call a spade a spade here: Eddie Jordan is clearly one of the best assistant coaches in the league. You can see he's a good X's and O's guy from what he's done with the wiz and nets offensively, although it didnt hurt that he's had superstar players to work with. He also has a good temperament and doesnt overreact through the media.

HOWEVER, his in game coaching is absolutely atrocious. players want a consistent rotation, which he doesnt do. and the organization expects the coach to find the right lineups to maximize the teams success, and he is abysmal at doing that especially when it comes to lineups down the stretch in the fourth quarter. We need a head coach running this team, not an assistant.

This whole small ball thing that he is doing shows that he is unable to react and adjust to in-game situations. I totally agree that we need to see more lineups with 2 of our bigs in at the same time.

I think the post earlier hit the nail on the head: many times we win games in spite of him, and we lose games directly because of him.

That game was sickening. they have been playing good ball but these last two losses are worrisome because they show that we are still capable of playing Terrible basketball.

Grunfeld knows Eddie Jordan is the problem. That's why he was hesitant giving him the contract extension last year. However, things quickly changed when Gilbert said he would consider opting out, and that if "Eddie isn't here, I don't want to be here." That right there forced Grunfeld's hand. Believe me, he knows Jordan is a problem. It all depends on when/if he decides to question his decisions, which could lead to a blow-up.

Have any of you ever coached? Just wondering because it's a lot easier to criticize when you are on the outside looking in.

Lisa, most of the time in life you have to call them like you see them if you want to be considered a wise person; specific subject matter expertise isn't necessary to make good judgments. Are you going to refrain from having a judgment about a bad boss because you've never been a manager? Are you going to shy away from criticizing the President because you've never been president? Let's get real here.

Lisa:
You know how women talk about celebrities, about how trashy Britney looks, how so-and-so should dump so-and-so, etc. This blog and the gripes posted here are the male equivalent. Don't spoil our fun.
P.S. I am totally upset that Justin and Cameron split.

Lisa, we are fans and observers. As humans we are not experts in a lot of things, but, yeah, you can still have informed opinions. Uninfomed or ignorant opinions are another matter. I have been watching basketball for thirty years. I am pretty intelligent with my basketball opinions and most in here are.
It's not like we are saying EJ sucks with no backup.

Tonight we are playing horribly. The ride was nice while it lasted, but with no D, no ball movement on O, and poor bench usage and in-game coaching by EJ, we are in a tumble. Look kind of lost. I am sooo frustraed right now bc EJ just threw Blatche and Taylor into the game. You think that's going to be successful if you play these guys randomly out of the blue. If you do these things All YEAR they might be comfortable and contributing at this point. Ain't going to happen randomly agains the Spurs. Oh, now there is a 2nd unit playing together. No starters!!! I did not know we had a second unit? It's just mind boggling.

Someone said something about EJ being a good assistant. I think a good analogy is EJ is the NORV TURNER of basketball. Ray, give me some props that's pretty good stuff!!!

We are playing horribly tonight....it's embarrasing...and Utah is up next. The way we are playing we may not even make the playoffs.

I really could care less about Britney, etc. and the celebrity world. I'm a sports chick. But it does pain me to hear EJ criticized so harshly when he (and the team) took us to the playoffs for two straight years after SO MANY years of drought. I feel like I'm on the Redskins blog.

Ok...I am about to lose it. Somehow the "second unit" was playing decently particularly on D and was nibbling away at the lead. So, what does our resident genius do. He puts changes the mix again with some starters and they look lost again. There were no wide open jumpers when they were in and Arenas comes in and there are two in a row.

We are a first or second round playoff loser with this coaching. Like Flip Saunder's teams. Conference finals and Finals are a pipe dream!!!!

I hear ya Lisa. The return to respectability has been great and we have a really talented team. But, the goal is not to lose in the first or second round every year. Let's do what needs to be done to be "real" contenders. We are in year three of our "playoff push", yet I don't see a better team. I think that has to do with coaching.

Oh my god. I starting watching football bc the Wiz were not worth watching anymore. I turn it back on to see EJ tossed, a large deficit, but a lineup of Blatche, Etan, and Butler with Daniels and Taylor. O'Koren is a better coach!!!! Nice lineup O'Koren. Oops, nevermind Arena and Jamison are back in to start to 4th. Nice try. This game is over!!! Already being outhustled to balls all over. Was not happening with that last lineup.

Blatche with good D, good rebounding, blocked shots and the occasional offensive flash needs more minutes than 5 a game. If he keeps playing like this, he deserves 20 mins a game or more.

Lol, Lisa took over the blog! ;)

Lisa dear, it's not that any of have ever coached but as Rob said we are fans and observers.

I'm sure Jordan is a wonderful person, he seems very approachable and for the most part seems to carry a smile more often then not. That said, he's on a stage which opens himself up to criticism both good and bad.

I love the Wizards, but I'm also a fan of the game. The Wizards as they are, are not a championship caliber team. Tonight against the Spurs should have proven that and they have some things to fix.

I'm a fan and I pay to go see them. I don't want to see them lose however(which I've done for the last 20 years).

Losing is frustrating, and yeah I know we've all been harsh even when the Wiz winning. But it's because we don't just want them to "make the playoffs," we want them to be NBA champs.

We're all seeing the same things because we know the game pretty well. This forum is MUCH better then the Skins forum. Over there they attack each other and that's why I stopped posting on Jason's blog(Jason is a really nice guy, he's taken the time to email me and everything).

If we were all at a sports bar or something, we'd still be arguing but also smiling, having a beer, some wings, and trying to hook Darnell up with the fat chick at the next table. ;) ;)

Anyway, it's just our opinions but management can't be blind(like the Skins management) and we come here to share our thoughts.

I have full confidence EG will fix things and in a couple years the Wiz will be making a run at a championship. I don't think however it will be with Jordan as coach.

"Ray, give me some props that's pretty good stuff!!!"

That's pretty accurate. :) When it's all said and done Jordan may never be known for being anything more then just being a good assistant.

Wow, the Wiz really got beat down tonight. Makes me think the East is really worse then I thought. I knew it was bad but man, it looked like the Spurs were on a mission tonight. Definately a statement game.

We'll see what happens Monday, I hate those day games. Gilbert has to take the ball more if they are going to win, he's gotta be a scorer.

Hey Ivan, would you please ask Gil if the "old" ball is affecting his shot since the change back?

Please, please, please? :)

Please go vote for all the Wizards for the 2007 NBA All Star game NOW at:

http://www.nba.com/allstar2007/asb/eng/ballot.html?from=sweeps

- Ray

I've been a blog-a-holic tonight...lol.

Ray, if it's the ball Arenas would never admit it, I don't think. It looks to me like he doesn't have that extra gear right no i.e. a little tired from carrying the load so much - coaching. I will say when he is not scoring he looks worse bc he plays no defense and the ball movement has been atrocious the last 5 games or so starting with him. He'll turn it around.

I think all our constructive criticism is starting to appear. I wish EJ would have sacrificed games in the beginning of the season to build the bench and rotation. It doesn't look that bad to me. Blatche is playing really well right now. Did you see that block on the three point shot tonight? First one of the year that I can remember - for the worst three point defending team in the league. Go Blatche! Taylor was also D'ing up on his man and stopping penetration. I like the D from the group that was minus Arenas and Jamison. If I were Mike O'Koren, I would have stuck with them to start the 4th. Why quit something that is working?

When we get anyone who can score a little from the post consistently and Jamison is the 6th man this team will be in position to win it all. Blatche will probably be starting by then too! He looks like a developing Garnett to me. Not saying he'll get all the way there, but I'll take a Garnett lite too. Two years and we should seriously be in the mix!!!!!

I hope Oden goes to the West! He is going to be a beast in two years. No Philly!!!

Tough nite & was bound to happen after the egg @ the OK corral. This team just doesn't seem like it has any heart after getting kick sometimes. Not sure what it is, the lack of fire to get after it like the Bulls is frustrating.

In its current incarnation, they are like last year' Clippers in the East.
Unfortunately, this roster as composed currently will get EJ fired. Shame, I really like him EJ...but the players just seem to tune him out on some nites.

Anyways. Onto Monday & that AK47 fella.

I know EJ played against the '81-'82 Bullets team. Doesn't he remember getting knocked down in the paint? Or running into a vicious pick?!!!!!!! Where's the toughness?

Wasn't O'Koren a 70's Tar Heel? And he too faced those Bullets as a Net! Does anyone there remember how the game is actually played?

Where is the grit???!!!

I wanna see the Blatche, Haywood/Etan, Butler ,Taylor, and Daniels lineup again. Probably the best defensive lineup I've seen all year from this team!!!! Comments???

Anyone noticed Haywood's production/play has declined since Etan came back??? I don't get it. I know they don't like or speak to each other, but it's not like they play at the same time. Weird.

Victor and Shotgun, you guy's are right we are a finesse team. We start Jamison at PF for crying out loud. It gets no more finesse than that. Don't know where we would be on the toughness meter without Butler.

The Suns are pretty finesse too though! Also, the referreeing tonight reverted back to the 90's. Probably the worst ref'd game I've seen all year. Just hacking left and right.

The Utah front line will probably carve us up.

Lisa, I've coached at the high school league for my high school's summer league team, so I have at least a decent grasp of how to rotate players and make adjustments. Now, granted, I've never coached on the pro level. That's an entirely different game. But I don't think it takes too much coaching acumen to notice the abundance of mistakes that Eddie has been making. His rotations and substitutions have been troublesome since Day 1 in Washington. The team took a step backward last year with a first-round playoff loss. He resorts to small-ball lineups late in games against teams that don't go small. It all adds up.

Ivan:
Sometimes posters ask you to convince the coach, etc. of one viewpoint or another. Of course that is not your role. You ask questions you think will obtain interesting information, and sometimes ask questions on topic A hoping to get a response on topic B (see the third question below). In that light, not that you need any help coming up with questions, here are a few that might lead to interesting responses, at least in the eyes of the readers of this blog:

- Blatche is playing a lot more lately. What is he doing differently now than earlier in the season? Is he going to be a permanent part of the rotation, or is he still in a trial period? What role do you envision for him as the season goes on?

- You often use a small lineup. What do you consider to be the advantages of such a lineup, and the disadvantages? Do you think that lineup has been effective this season? You often use a small lineup for the last few minutes of the game. Why?

- Bill Berry was added as a defensive-minded assistant coach this past summer, yet the team remains near the bottom of the league in many defensive stats. Is his job in jeopardy? (This question seemed really harsh to me initially, but in the NFL, that would be the question everyone would be asking. Why should the NBA be so different?)

Have you considered playing Etan and Haywood at the same time? Why or why not?

Do you have a group of 5 players that you consider your best "defensive lineup"? Who are those players?

Bench play and especially bench scoring has been an issue this season. What do you think the problems are?

Antawn Jamison has been playing PF exclusively this season. In the past he indicated that was tough for him physically on the defensive side of the ball. How is he holding up, and how do you think he is doing defensively this season?

Gilbert is a tremendous athlete. Why is he not a tremendous defender?

"Gilbert is a tremendous athlete. Why is he not a tremendous defender?"

One comment Phil Chenier made last night in regards to Gil was that Gil mentioned he wanted to be known as one of the best.

Phil said that Gil will never be known as that until he picks up his defensive game.

Look at MJ, that was certainly the case with him. He could score, but until he became dominate defensively is when the Bulls started to win championships.

- Ray

The reason Gil isn't a tremendous defender (yet), IMO is twofold:

1 -- and someone else also mentioned this in a post once on this blog -- is simply because Gil's skill is derived a great deal from his practice / work ethic. He can live in a gym by himself and practice 35-footers, but one can't really practice defense by himself.

2 -- He's always overplaying and going for the steal or positioning himself on the court at the defensive end so that he can break for fast break points. He rarely gets into a traditional defensive posture. I'm not totally going to condemn him for that, because those steals and transition buckets are a huge source of our firepower and ability to win games, and I think that would be a case of "be careful what you wish for".

That said, there do seem to be too many times when he's watching on the perimeter as an opposing player goes to the hoop or pops a j, instead of making some kind of defensive play. I dont expect him to box out and clear boards, but IMO he needs to be more of a face-up ball-hawk at times rather than relying strictly on the steal.

As crazy as it sounds, the Wiz have not been playing well since Gil's party. Maybe it's the new "old" ball....maybe it's the MVP hype and all the publicity Gil was receiving, maybe it's because Etan returned. I don't know but I want the old "good" Wiz back.

Just a question and comment.
Don't think its the party the celebs forgot to show up to. Gil's in the clubs quite often-nothin unusual.

Remember: Phil Chenier said this happens when a player decides to be his own "agent & P.R. person." Distractions! Gil is and has been promoting himself big time. So far he's gotten what he wanted publicity & notariety. Lets just hope EJ can keep the rest of the team hangin on Gil's coattail in his quest.

**The poster Bernard King, is he the former NBA player Bernard King? Just curious.

From what I hear, Gil is not in the clubs....he's quite the loner. That is why the big party was so unusual for him. All I know is the team has not been the same lately.

Sorry, Lisa,

He often frequents Avenue or Love - no specific nights.
The loner story makes for "intriquing publicity" His porsche is a regular at the clubs. Besides, he isn't that "alone anyway." Remember, he's got a very significant other, daughter & a son on the way.

Gack, Gil is not a good defender bc he can't practice it in the gym by himself? Seriously? Defense is 99% want to and hustle and 1% knowing your opponent's tendencies. Gil just doensn't have that same desire on D, period. Yes, he likes to get steals, but that is lazy man's defense. You can have the 2 steals a game if Gil stops penetration regularly and gets a hand in his guy's face. That would be much better for us.

WE ARE THE WORST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE IN FG% ALLOWED AND THREE POINT FG%

As usual the blog is entertaining and informative. Well, I also never played organized ball beyond 9th grade but have been watching the game for 40 years and I think I know what I am seeing. I became a fan as a kid when Jim Karvellas was saying "bullseye" to Gus Johnson, Jack Marin, Earl the Pearl, Kevin Louchery and Wes Unseld. So for what it is worth, here is my take on Coach Jordan, who again seems like a likeable fellow: His priorities clearly have not changed this year...
1/ execute the fast break and put up more shots than the other team.
2/ counter the opposition's inside game with 3's from the outside.
3/ when all this fails with a conventional center, go to small ball and just try harder.

He does not seem to be putting guys like Jamison and Hayes in spots where they can hide their deficiencies. That is my problem with his coaching. Jamison would be a great 6th man on this team, but he is not a center. He really isn't even a power forward, though he is lately giving more effort underneath. I think it is a cop out to say that Jordan only plays this style because that is how the team is constructed.

Grunfeld probably does see the issues as someone else has stated. I still think Grunfeld needs to put together a package for Garnett. That idea intruigues me. We have seen the best of the team this year. But I think Garnett could will these guys into playing more defense. Neither Arenas, Jamison nor Jordan have done it. He would get as close to a ring as he has ever gotten. Garnett for Jamison, Etan or Brenden, a pick and some others??? I'm not a capologist but we gotta do something. The East is ours for the taking. But unless something gutsy happens in the front office, what we see is what we get.

Gilbert doesn't play good defense because he doesn't try and, frankly, because I don't know if he understands core defensive competencies. The way he sags in on post players is ridiculous. He leaves his man wide open for a 3-point shot in order to double a man in the post who, most of the time, doesn't have much of a low-post game anyway. It's just awful.

They all need to watch a lot of Bruce Bowen tapes!! Cmmon Wiz! Step it up on defense!

"The poster Bernard King, is he the former NBA player Bernard King? Just curious."

Lol, only in his mind. ;)

With exception to maybe Caron, everyone on this team stinks at playing defense because they all have an "offense" first mentality.

Gil's comment on scoring 107 but giving up 106 point's in Ivan's column should have said it all.

But the team takes the identitiy of the coach so to me it starts there. You can definately practice defense, you just have to want to. This team clearly doesn't want to. Someone has to push Gil to want to.

On a side note to B-rev's post, Jamison is horrendous defensively off the dribble and other players obviously know this. He's ALWAYS backing up towards the rim on D and giving people easy jumpers. He does get good position under the boards though, but maybe this is why, lol!

In addition if you could tell the 'Wolves "I'll give you anyone except Caron and Gil" and get them to bite to get Garnett here the Wiz could dominate the east.

The only problem is Jordan would still be coach. Both B-Rev and Colin are right on the money with thier posts. I think you're right about seeing the best the Wiz has to offer this year.

Still a long year so we'll see.

Please go vote for all the Wizards for the 2007 NBA All Star game NOW at:

http://www.nba.com/allstar2007/asb/eng/ballot.html?from=sweeps

- Ray

Rob, of course you can practice defensive drills alone, but that's not the same as guarding someone. The key to his offensive performance is repetition and consistency, and I don't think that same approach is particularly fruitful in terms of defensive value.

BTW, don't mistake my theories on WHY he doesn't play much D with excuses for why I think it's OK.

Although, I was thinking the other day about how it's become somewhat in vogue over the past decade to call a guy a "defensive specialist" when he's really just a bricklayer on offense, but we love to bag on guys who are pure scorers who don't play a whole lot of defense as hot-doggers.

Like I said, I don't necessarily want Gil to change his game dramatically, but I do think he can make little improvements that would make a huge difference to the overall team defensive effort.

Arenas' defensive attitute is even more troublesome considering his history. Early in his career in Golden State he was having a tough time getting clock so he did the one thing he could do to get on floor - play solid defense. in fact he was KNOWN on that team for playing very good defense. Eventually the good defense led to more playing time, which in turn led to the opportunity for him to display his offensive skills. as we all know, the rest his history but the fact the remains: he knows exactly how to play good defense, but simply decides against it.

Does anyone out there know if there has ever been a championship team that was led in scoring by its PG? The 2001 sixers w/ iverson may have come the closest but they really had no chance against the lakers. I guess the big question is can a team built with a PG as the top scorer ever win a ring?

When your PG is your best scorer it seems like a dangerous situation because when Arenas has on off-night our whole team sucks. It seems like when he fails at his attempts to score big points during a game, he also tends to get discouraged and does a lousy job of being a table-setter for the rest of the team. So when Arenas has an off-night, the wiz seem like they have no shot at winning no matter who they play.

When your whole team is so heavily based on the play of one person, the team will be only as consistent as arenas is.

(and to top it all off - we are terrible on defense)

The crazy thing about Jamison being so out of position is that he's leading the team in rebounding...

I think we'd all love to see The Big Ticket here, but we couldn't part with Gil or Caron...

The Pistons won with Isiah leading the team in scoring, but they also had guys like Laimbeer and Rodman who played tough interior defense and rebounded well. Obviously, the Wizards don't have that. The Suns can play a successful up and down game because they have at least six guys who can score a bunch of points and because they have guys like Marion and Stoudemire to rebound and play inside.

Ray Chris, that is a very interesting history lesson. Did not see him much then probably bc he was in basketball siberia! I thought I remembered a little bit of a defensive reputation when we first got him.

Proves my point that D is all about want to and hustle. I don't know what those drills would be, Gack. Monkey drills, sliding your feet, and bending knees - I think he knows how to do that.

Did you see Jordan's comments in the Washington Times complaining about his thin bench? What a joke. His bench has his starting center (Etan), Daniels, his starting SG from last season (Hayes), Blatche and Taylor (who I think should be brought in a few minutes a game just for defensive purposes). Plus Booth, who has done pretty well in the minutes he has been given. What he doesn't have is a sparkplug scorer off the bench. Good coaching can work with that bench.

Blatche's line from Spurs game:
14 min, 4-9 from field for 10 pts, 8 boards including 5 offensive, 3 blocks and 2 steals.

Rob P- the Norv Turner comparison is great. Offensive innovater who helped lead team to championship as an assistant, player's coach who offensive players loved to play for (Aikman/Arenas), and an all-around nice guy who's easy to like. But as head coach unable to manage a game, makes bad decision, and unable to establish defensive toughness.

I don't get Eddie's obsession with SMALLBALL! Or his obsession with Jarvis Hayes or Michael Ruffin. IMO the smallest player we should ever have at center for any amount of time is Andray Blatche.

I am so sick and tired of those stupid gold uniforms!

We need an offensive spark off the bench. Juan Dixon was a major loss that we have not replaced. Jarvis Hayes is not a guy who can come off the bench like that, he needs to be a starter to get his groove and on this team he's not a starter, so what do we do with him?

If Blatche continues his progress and becomes a regular part of the rotation as our backup PF, then what happens with Songaila?

If we had a deal on the table to get KG for Jamison, Etan, Blatche, Pecherov, and our 1st round pick would you pull the trigger?

I think we have a hard time today against the Jazz. We always struggle against them, they pick and roll us to death. Boozer will dominate the paint, and we don't do well in afternoon games.

Why can't Eddie get over his smallball philosophy? What is it about smallball that he likes? I just don't understand it! If it worked that would explain it. But everytime we have a lead and he goes to that our lead disapears. How can he not see that!!? How can he ever think it's a good idea to do that?! I can see going to it when we are sluggish, on the road on a back to back and we're down by 15 to give us a spark and just to throw something different out there and pick up the tempo. But why would you go to it when you are up by 10, so you can start giving up layups down the middle and Jamison just stands there and watches it or even worse steps out of the way!!@! Why please someone tell me why??!

Why would we sign Darius Songaila who has never done anything but be a mediocre bench player to a major contract for 5 YEARS when we already have Blatche and Pecherov waiting in the wings at the same position with similar skills?? It would of made sense to sign a guy like him for 2 maybe 3 years, but 5?! And after they signed him they kept talking about playing him at center and he's 6-8 and can't jump and has never been any kind of great defender or rebounder?? And they kept hyping it up like it was some kind of great major signing? Is he gonna come back and take the little bit of minutes Blatche is getting now that Blatche is just starting to get comfortable and find his game??? Plus you know Eddie is going to play his boy Ruffin when he gets back too!!

What is the deal with JArvis Hayes??! What is going on with Antonio Daniels? Why is Haywood playing worse since Etan got back? How can this team look so great one week and then look so bad and lost the next week?

We are a streaky jump-shooting team with bad defense, bad rotations and a weak bench. A coach that loves to go to smallball in crucial situations and down the stretch and swings momentum to the other team in a hurry. It is exciting and will score alot of points and win games, but it won't work in the playoffs. The playoffs are won with defense and coaching.

anyone know why sportstalk980.com doesn't broadcast the games online anymore? it's just dead air...

they used to, but can't listen online anymore... (bastards!!! [shaking fist angrily up at the ceiling])

Gilbert Arenas is simply amazing!!!!

Can someone tell me why Carmelo Anthony is still listed as the NBA's leading scorer when he has not played in forever?

holy sh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!t..... "he did it again!"

i was 'watching' this on the espn gamecast thing. when i saw that little animated ball launch then say "3pt Made", i almost jumped out of my chair. good thing no one is here at work. hehehe, ;-)

Hmmmmmm, yeah I couldn't get it on sportstalk980.com either and watched the ESPN Gamecast! It's so funny to watch that with the little ball moving and those goofy pictures of the players faces! Not sure why Gil is launching a 3 with a tie score but he must of been feeling it!! Looks like he was hitting a higher percentage from downtown anyway! What a finish! Wish I could of seen it on tv and heard Buckhantz yell "Dagger!"!

Great great win!! Way to come back after that 2 game losing streak on road, and down early in this one!! Way to come back! Haywood had a double double! Looked like Caron did well, and Arenas was just rolling!

To those of you who did not see the game, it was simply sensational. Wiz got off to a really bad start and I was seeing nightmares of another Spurs/Wiz game - but they got it together and came out with an amazing win!

Reason you couldn't here the game on Sportstalk 980.com is that it is blacked out because you have to get the NBA League Audio pass if you want to listen to the radio calls around the league. That said I did listen to it on Sirius on the way in. I am worried that I am going to get so used to Gilbert hitting those buzzer beaters that I will disappointed when one doesn't go in.

I was "watching" this too like others, but only with Yahoo's 30 second update page. I see Utah tied it on a Boozer layup, then I view the page again and the scores a final! I had to keep track of Gil's total to know what happened, but that would have been easy to guess. Can't wait for highlights!

just so you people know comcast is playing the game again at 7pm so you can see it.

You kinda saw it coming, you knew Gil was going to take the last shot.

Gil is going to have to score over 30 a game most nights(if not all) for this team to win.

Still lots of season left so we'll see.

- Ray

Only reason the score was tied was because Boozer was wide open to follow up an air-ball...the reason, cause Eddie went to small ball. Do you think anyone tells him he is blowing this each and every time or no one on his staff or close to him recognizes it either.

Woo Hoo! The Takeover strikes again!!!!!!

Ray, you woulda loved the comcast postgame... they complemented Jordan for his tight rotations, good game management, and ability to keep the peace with so many shooters on the team. Called his switch to small ball with 1.5 minutes left in a close game "genius." Made me think of you. ;)

I do have to say this, they got an important stop, and two very big rebounds down the stretch with the smaller line-up. (Hayes for Haywood) And watching the game over the last five minutes I kept thinking if they could get one good stop down the stretch they could pull away from Utah. The bigs just couldn't protect the paint, and I think a lot of credit should go to Utah, they are impressive underneath. We obviously outclass them at the guard spots, so it seemed to me like our best chance was to try and make their bigs protect the outside shots if we could make them.

This is my point about small ball vs going big. I just don't see that we have the big players to match up with some of the premiere teams in the league that way, and I can understand the idea of getting as much talent as you can on the floor to compensate. I don't always like it, but it does at times give the wizards some advantage.

Haywood and Etan are both servicable, Blatche is developing, maybe someday things will be different, but right now I think this is a way were are going to have to win some games.

I loved Daniels play down the stretch. If haywood played with Daniels' fearlessness the starting job wouldn't even be a question. But Haywood shoots a fading jumpshot, and he was lucky to get fouled. I think Haywood can be great, and I guess that is why he frustrates me. Etan had a nice spin left go straight to the hoop for the shot and the penalty. I want those two to watch that play 100 times before their next game. They are so much more effective when the get the ball and go straight to the rim without putting the ball on the ground.

I have a rule of thumb for the wizards: they win if they get 110pts first.

To all the people hoping for a KG trade: What makes Caron untouchable? You guys are telling me that you wouldn't give up Caron, Etan/Brendan, and a pick for KG? For really? Caron isn't even an all-star and people wouldn't include him in a trade for a HOF'er? Please explain.

To the last anonymous poster, don't be a dope. Caron should be an all-star but because of the idiot voters, Caron maybe victim of the numbers. Do you realize how much wear and tear KG has. That dude has been carrying that sorry franchise since his second year. And playing in the West is going to take its toll on KG, maybe not this year, but soon. You could argue that he is about used up, if you are going to trade Caron Butler + others, you better get the KG of 3 or 4 years ago and not the one of the next 3 or 4 years. And that is why you don't make that deal. Period!

Agreed George. I think, the Wolves would be snickering for that trade. Alomost like lez Bullez getting a past his prime Moses.

@ this point in his career, KG needs more than 1 GREAT player to get him to the promise land. Trading our only other consistent break down offensive player isn't going to help any1 out.

I second George's comments, but the poster who questions the untouchability of Butler is correct in many ways too. Garnett will be 31 in May; Caron will be 27 in March. Garnett is clearly the better player. One big factor is the contract situation. Garnett has a huge salary, the highest in the league if I'm not mistaken. If you make a trade, you get Garnett for the rest of this season guaranteed, he can opt out after the season or exercise an option for two more years. So the worst case scenario is two seasons from now, Jamison, Butler and Garnett are gone. And even if he stays with the Wizards for the rest of his career, how long will that be? I think you trade for Garnett if you are looking to win the title this year or next. I don't think that's the plan Grunfeld has in mind -- I think he's thinking a little further down the road.

That comcast postgame is why Jordan goes smallball -- because if it works, people will say he is a genius. You could tell Phil Chenier was questioning the move, but of course those guys are paid/hired by the Wizards so he couldn't be upfront about it. To say that the Wizards won because they went small is just not true. It just worked out today, so Jordan gets a pass tonight. What I don't understand is Jordan's thought process, how he could go small at that time.

From now on, Gilbert's new name is Gilbert the Great!!! There is nothing he can't do right now. IMO, he is the MVP right now despite the team's record. I know Nash, Kobe, Dirk, and to a lesser extent, Boozer all have a better team record than the Wiz but how bad would the Wiz be without GTG(that's short for Gilbert the Great). 17-2 when he goes for 30 or more! That's insane. That means that he's not just scoring to pad his stats, the team NEEDS every single point he can give them. BTW, how bout only 1 turnover in 41 minutes of play. GTG for MVP!
Now for the bad part: What the heezy was EJ doing today? This was by far his worst coaching of the season. Everybody is going to point out the obvious with his love for small ball and putting Jarvis Hayes in for Brendan with no big in the game to guard Okur (who killed us) and no one to box out Boozer! But I go back to the beginning of the 4th quarter where he kept GTG on the bench entirely too long. He was just heating up and helped build a 7 point lead in the 3rd. He would've hit for 60 and possibly put the game out of reach earlier so he would've had time at the end to rest. This was the second dumbest coaching move of his Wizard career (the first being putting Billy Thomas in the game in last year's playoff series with the Cavs). People worry about our bench not being deep but the biggest problem is Eddie Jordan! This should further enhance GTG's status for MVP. If he can make EJ coach of the month, he damn sure got my vote for MVP!!

I thought Antwan's decision to back off a red hot Okur was brilliant - since he had been beating AJ off the dribble all night (toungue in cheeck here, folks).

Antwan's shooting touch is really dropping off - the last season and a half he has become sooo streaky - almost (almost) like Rex Chapman. I fear that's what he is heading for - and soon.

Gil and Caron are steady. Jarvis always shows up when you least expect it from him.

As for EJ - he does seem to reward effort, so Blatche is getting some good time in there. I'd like to see some other packages though, like no Antwan late (and certainly not at the 5). I know he's in there since he is a shooter, and in a game like yesterdays, you may need it.

"...they complemented Jordan for his tight rotations, good game management, and ability to keep the peace with so many shooters on the team."

Wow, I would have puked if I had seen that. ;)

"You could tell Phil Chenier was questioning the move..."

Absolutely, he's mentioned it several times this year and of course I agree. The Wizards have the best two basketball announcers in the country, just wanted to mention that. :)

"Caron isn't even an all-star and people wouldn't include him in a trade for a HOF'er?"

Nope. Give up anyone/everyone except Caron and Gil. I was thinking about this today. Why not a #1 pick or two as well? It's not like the Wiz have had any luck with any of thier #1 picks in recent memory.

Caron is one of those players that can compliment anyone. You bring in KG and now you have a NEW improved "Big 3" that's darn near impossible to stop and keep your future as well.

This is exactly what Miami did with Shaq and they won a championship. You've gotta ask yourself who got the better part of that trade. LA was stupid for giving up Caron to get Kwame. They don't have anything to show for that now.

Like Sean said not what EG has in mind I'm sure. It's never going to happen but it's nice to talk about. I'm sure everyone in the country is saying the same thing about thier teams with KG.

"Antwan's shooting touch is really dropping off.."

He's not a consistent player anymore and you have to remember he already has "old" knees. Running up and down the floor with Caron and Gil is a lot to ask of someone like that. That's how come one night he scores 20+ and the next night he disappears.

He still gets to the line and rebounds on those back to back nights but his scoring is usually down.

- Ray

Caron is not untouchable. But for Garnett there is this age difference that would cause me to say "no" to having him as part of the package. You don't give away everything to get Garnett. I prefer Butler as our second option over Jamison. I wonder what the perception of other teams is about those 2? It is a no-brainer to me.

Someone mentioned why not 4 players and a pick for KG. That is too much if we are talking about players in the top 8 of our so-called "rotation." (As many have noted we have no discernable bench rotation.) Of course Pecherov has done nothing to show us that he won't eventually be decent so I wouldn't throw him in. We have to trust Ernie G's eyes on that.)

Jamison, one of the centers, one more player (Hayes?) and a pick is about all I would give up. KG would give us a 2-3 great years. He would not be the first option but his intensity and attitude is what we need. And about 16 points and 11 boards a game wouldn't be bad either! Imagine him in the mix with what would be left!

Starters: Arenas, Stevenson, Caron, Garnett and Haywood (or Etan).

Bench: Daniels, Taylor, Mason, Blache, Songalia, Booth, Lang and Ruffin)

Gives me chills to think about it! We are at the place where this kind of move is not like B. King or M. Malone years ago. This kind of move puts us immediately in the hunt for a title. As pumped as we all are about the team right now, we need to enjoy what we see, but not lose touch with reality: what we have now will not do the job in the playoffs. But with this kind of blockbuster before the deadline...WOW!

Even tho I wouldn't trade G & C but every1 else for KG...I think the Wolves wouldn't go for it either. Shoveling our mediocre players for KG, doesn't cut it even in fantasy world.

I still need to be convinced that our "big" line-up can get the job done. Our bigs give up the easy lay-ins, are slow on the perimeter and generally don't give us a ton of offense.

It still seems to me that people think our team should be coached like the heat. We just don't have mourning, haslem and o'neal. I really don't think we can fight fire with fire consistently against big teams like Utah and even Toronto. That's why I didn't mind Hayes coming in. Utah was getting points in the paint already. Am I wrong about this? Hayes (in theory) gives us a spot up shooter who is going to make them think twice about doubling Gilbert and potentially spread the defense out. Am I wrong? And Hayes (again in theory) should be able to keep D pressure on Okur on the perimeter. Am I wrong about that?

If I had to make an educated guess (try following along) I would suggest this was EJ's thought process. Especially considering how hot Okur was shooting, we needed to get someone on him.

I definitely am not going to annoint EJ as a genius or savior yet. But I think you guys are coaching a different team. When we get Garnett ;) I will go 'all in' with the argument against going small at critical moments. But I think there are times that being fast and accurate gives us a better matchup against teams that are always going to be better/bigger talent wise at the 4-5 spots. In two years maybe things will be different, this is who we are right now.

I guess the complaints about small-ball are just starting to sound whiney especially after an incredible win and phenomenal swag.

As they say in 'the castle' - 'you're dreamin' If you think antawn and a first with maybe Etan is a trade that will happen. Min will be looking for youth and potential... at least I would.

Greg, how can you not see what is so obvious? Despite our slow bigs, small ball is not the answer. The last 2 posessions of today's game is a microcosm of what we are all talking about. We give up two points on a put back. (Usually it is a drive and dunk.) Then we come back and hit a 3. That is the strategy...swap 3 pointers for dunks. It work at times in December and January. But mark my words: it won't work in May. I sure wish I were wrong. This is what the Spurs have known for years, what the Mavs had to learn and what Suns still doesn't understand. Offense puts fannies in the seats but defense puts rings on the fingers.

I see that giving up put backs is not the way to post season success yes that much is obvious. But how can you not see that a strategy that gives you no chance to win isn't as good as a strategy that gives you a fighting chance. Bringing playmakers into the game is our only chance. Would you be happier losing down the stretch with ineffective bigs?

Truth. Our team doesn't have enough talent at center and forward to flat out beat a lot of physical teams. Yes or no?

Well, once you know that isn't going to happen what do you suggest? I'm glad we aren't falling on that sword everygame.

That is what I see... Again, maybe things are differnt as this team progresses over the next couple years. I think Brendan is play great for Brendan, but I also think he might not ever be a whole lot better. Same with Etan. And those two aren't going to take us deep into the playoffs.

The return of the Takeover!!! Saw only the last five minutes of this one, but I think I saw it all. Phenominal Swag!!!!

Greg, the smallball is pathetic, period. There is not argument for it unless like someone mentioned your down by 20 and you do it to press and "mess up" the game a little. I can't remember one single occasion this year where we have outscored our opponent with that lineup. Not ONE! Granted, Haywood/Etan etc... are not the greatest, but it's still a hell of a lot better than AJ. You kidding me! Antawn should not even be at PF. He is 6' 8"/6' 9" and can't jump. He gets his rebounds primarily bc he has really good hands and he camps out underneath. He is not a great rebounder per say. Butler is a much better rebounder for his size than Jamison even though the averages don't bare that out. Sometimes numbers lie!

As for Garnett, you don't include Butler. No way. I live in Minneapolis now and Garnett has carried this team virtually his entire career. He is about 2/3 years older than his real age. Caron is a young 27. I like the direction and vision of EG and this may be a quick fix that blows that vision up. Plus, with our cupboard bare I still don't see this trade making us better than the top three in the West.

Magic was just talking about Gilbert being in the MVP conversation, but Kenny and Charles said that Gilbert is good at making Gilbert a great player. He is not good at making Haywood a better player, etc.... Therefore, he is not quite there. Good point.

Charles killed me with this while doing a New York Knicks highlight. "NY stinks so bad how can they tell when there is an odor or not" - referrencing a strange odor that overtook the city a week or two ago that made the news. Anyway, you probably had to be there. Plus, was he referring to the city or the basketball team. Funny stuff!

Ahhh to keep dreaming of KG.
What if we throw in OP?
So AJ, JH, BH, AB or OP and/or a 1st for KG?

Hmmm, what if OP turns out to be Nocioni or Okur @ worst & Gasol or Dirk @ best?

Does Min. believe the hype of OP or AB along with the expiring contracts of JH & AJ?

KG has 2/3 yrs left tops. Does he want to take the pounding down low still? I remember seeing Karl Malone lose it over night with the Lakers & Moses lose it overnight with the Bullets.

Since the "1958 revolution", the 1972 Lakers (J West/G Goodrich), 1973 Knicks (W Frazier), 1979 Sonics (G Williams), 1987 Lakers (M Johnson), 1989 Pistons (I Thomas), and 1990 Pistons (I Thomas) all won NBA championships with point guards as their leading scorer

Additionally, it could be argued that John Havlicek was the closest thing to a point guard on some of the later championship of the first Celtics dynasty. Havlicek finished in the top ten in assists in the NBA every year between 1968 and 1974. Havlicek was the leading scorer on the Celtics 1968, 1969, and 1974 NBA championship teams.

So, in the last 50 years, a point guard has lead the NBA champion in scoring 7 or 10 times. So I would definitely say it is possible. In fact, it's happens once every 5 (or 7) years, which is exactly what one might expect.

Rob,

Kenny and Charles need to check the stats and recognize. If the rest of the Wiz were just jock-holders and we didn't also have two other 20+ ppg dudes sitting on the bench (not to mention Stevenson/Hay/Etan/Blatche/Arvis/AD), maybe that comment would make sense.

But given that: Caron is having a career year, DeShawn is having a career year, Haywood is having a career year, 'Tawn is maintaining despite being asked to play way out of position and is clearly on the sharp downside of his career, Arvis may have actually re-discovered his "J", and Blatche is starting to show signs of living up to his potential...

...it seems somewhat disingenuous to claim that Gil is only making himself better while setting new career highs and averages, and outdueling every other supposed MVP candidate in the league.

IMO, the most interesting stats about Gil this season are how he's scoring... he's #2 in FG's made, #1 in FT's made, and #1 in 3-point FG's made.

So he's scoring from everywhere on the court, nearly at will. Oh, and BTW, he's 12th in the NBA in assists, and 2nd in steals. That sounds pretty much like the model picture of a guard who makes himself AND the guys around him better.

Does Gilbert make people around him better? This seems to be one of the major criticisms of Gil as a lead guard. Let's look at the facts: Larry Hughes had his only near-All-Star year playing with Gil (if he had been injured he was a lock for the 2005 game), Antawn made the All-Star team last year, Caron should make it this year. Those 3 players, with a total of approximately 20-25 years combined in the league, all have had arguably their finest seasons with one common player alongside them-Gilbert Arenas. Is he a Steve Nash or John Stockton? No, but he is a special player, the best combo guard in the NBA, period.

I'm sure Magic and Barkley know some things about basketball, but they are no match for the knowledge on this blog (cough cough).

I was just thinking. What if Kobe had done all the things that Gilbert has done this season -- the game winning shots, the 30 footers, the scoring, etc. ESPN and other media outlets would be drooling all over themselves. ESPN would cancel its regular programming to show endless features on the greatness of Kobe. I'm glad that level of attention isn't being thrown at Gilbert -- he is still "ours" in a sense and isn't being turned into an untouchable, godlike icon like MJ was. But what he has done this season is truly remarkable.

"Of course Pecherov has done nothing to show us that he won't eventually be decent so I wouldn't throw him in."

And he hasn't played a minute to make me think he will either. Saying that, I would keep him for now.

But beyond Gil or Caron, I'd give up everyone else for KG and throw in a couple #1 picks. You're talking about a guy who can dominate on both ends and is pretty much un-defendable.

If you make that trade people will be talking about "championship" here in DC. With what the Wiz have now that's not possible.

It's funny because people are slamming David Stern saying there's no good rookies this year because the new under 19 rule. Why do you think the Wiz went international?

Who will the Wiz get with a pick in the 20's? A player like Gilbert only comes a few times in a lifetime in the second round and I'm sure if GS knew he was going to play like he is now they wouldn't have given him up.

"Magic was just talking about Gilbert being in the MVP conversation, but Kenny and Charles said that Gilbert is good at making Gilbert a great player."

How the heck would they know? They never watch the Wizards play. On the other hand Magic is in DC with his charity work and does a lot of business in the area.

Barkley is good friends with MJ so you know he'll never ahve anything good to say thing about the Wizards.

- Ray

So a starting lineup of Haywood/Thomas, KG, Antawn, DeShawn and Gilbert isn't appealing to you guys? You don't think that lineup would immediately become the favorite to come out of the lEast?

Minn would never take Antawn, or at least they'd be crazy to. Caron, however, is a lot more plausible.

Caron, Jarvis, Haywood/Thomas and a #1 for KG is a great deal, even if he only does have 2/3 years left in him. Plus the trade would free up time for Blatche, Lang and Mason--the blog favorites.

wish I were grunfeld, yeah I like that STARTING lineup, but then there is absolutely nothing behind it. Blatche is a blog favorite, but this bench is not good enough for a championship caliber team. You only make a trade like this if you are certain you will be in the FINALS and have a really good chance to win it. Don't see that happening with this lineup at all, sorry. Stick with the plan and we will contend in two years. Maybe make conference finals next year.

PS NOTE: MN is NOT trading Garnett anyway. I live in Minneapolis now and they are pumped by the play of Foye and Blount and see a playoff run this year. Unfortunately, Garnett is always on a first/second round losing playoff team.