Have a great weekend in Minnesota, good luck to your Vikes.

This is what I posted on the last thread.

After all the times we have watched this team piss away leads and games in the 4th quarter (like the Nets and Pacers' game this season for instance), it was very heartening to see this team put the pedal to the medal and drop the hammer on someone in 4th. It was easy street with 2:30 to go.
It's only Minnesota, but after watching this team lose so many games like this to bad teams, winning them is a good building block towards where we hope this team will be.

We'll be on a tear when all three of the big three are rolling. Haywood is playing great. Blatche looks really good, and I've been most impressed with the defense. Hard to know how much of this is because we're playing bad teams though.

Enjoy your weekend, Ivan!

Referring to what Caron said about the Minnesota guys doing a lot of talking: Is it me, or do you have to wonder why guys who are 1-5 on the season (the T-Wolves) would feel they're in a position to do a lot of talking? Hard to figure.

Anyway, it's great to have Caron as a co-captain and I can't think of many guys anywhere in the league I'd rather have as a captain or co-captain. Great guy and a great player.

The Wizards run in the fourth quarter came on one on one play and fast break points off turnovers forced by one on one, slap at the ball steals. Alot of times that's how you win in the NBA, but you can't rely on it game in, game out.

I still haven't seen this team playing winning basketball in terms of executing an offense for high percentage shots and solid defense forcing the other team to low percentage shooting.

It was nice to win, but this is a really bad Timberwolves team that essentially fell apart.

I am still waiting to see execution, some evidence that Eddie Jordan matters.

Here's the deal. Tuff Juice absolutely carried the Wizards on his back the whole game, until...

The Nachos started heating up on the Hibachi.

Now that's how it's done boys.

1) That second quarter was rough, along with parts of the 3rd. I really didn't like how the rotation played out in the 2nd. But it got adjusted...like good coaches, and teams, do.

2) I still want to see some more production out of the Wiz bench. Are you listening Antonio Daniels?

3) Nick Young...what's happenin' brotha? I did not know you could play with a shovel in your hand and be burying yourself at the same time. Roger Mason? Please stand up...we need you captain. [P.S. - we are not sure yet, but we might miss you Jarvis]

4) The T-Blazers are coming off a 'hard to swallow' loss against the 76ers...they were up 25 and lost. You know what that means? The Wiz need to jump on them (Freeway says: EARLY!) tomorrow night. Straight Kill Bill to their confidence.

5) Caron is the unquestioned leader of this team. And thank you for not passing it to Haywood at the end...that woulda been Ricky Davis-esque..ok, maybe not that bad. But still. You stay classy Washington Wizards.

And that's the truth.

As goes Arenas so go the Wiz. It is obvious that with his last MRi Gil is more confident.
I do hope that he now sees that he can pick and choose his spots, and include the others most effectively. This team needs to pass the ball, and stop the immediate jump shots.
I love the big lineup which forces the opponents to jack up 3's or else.
Defense wins games, esp. down the strech and last night was exhibit A.
I still feel that Jordan needs to integrate MCD and Young into the flow as well. But we know that flexibility is not one of EJ's strong suits, so why even bother discussing that.
After all he is coaching for his job, and I have no doubt that he was "influenced" to play big, instead of small at the end and at crucial times.
I feel EJ'S days are numbered, but the Wiz's future will continue to get brighter, in spite of EJ.

I think it is gel not jell?? I could be wrong.

great game. Just one question. Why was Arenas trying to pass the ball (resulting in turnovers) when he had uncontested layups (I remember atleast two) ??

Jell-O...

I was at the game. The target center is the the quietest place I've ever seen at a sporting event. At times I could hear Haywood yelling after a meaningless dunk when we were still down in the 4th. Being a Wizards fan in Minnesota, its tough to keep up with the Wiz. You guys do a great job keeping me up to date. Great finish, Tuff Juice 4 MVP, let's startup the bandwagon.

John Hollinger is getting nervous, probably hoping Gilbert reinjures his knee so his prediction for us to finish 13th in the Eastern Conference stays true. Meanwhile the Sports Guy is re-revising his revised predictions and cracking a joke about us.

Shooting guards don't shoot. Stevenson, Young, and Mason do absolutely nothing for this team. Surely there's got to be some 6'5 guy floating around who can hit a shot.

Wei,

The Wizards run in the fourth quarter came on one on one play and fast break points off turnovers forced by one on one, slap at the ball steals.

Incorrect. They played very good, aggressive defense during that run. They double-teamed well, they didn't give up many open looks, they did it right.

As I said in the previous thread, those who are on the Wiz for struggling some in this game are totally missing the point. They won, on the road, by destroying the other team when it counted. How often in the last few seasons have they blown a game like this, to an inferior opponent? Games are most often won or lost in this league in the 4th quarter. The Wiz came up biggest when it mattered most.

And the turnaround came the second Eddie went back to tallball. There's no doubt that this is their most potent lineup. Eddie needs to use it more and more.

It's the Salary Cap ... I know, I know.

But re the last posting, wouldn't it be nice to know that you had an experienced scorer like Earl Boykins ready to come in and light it up when needed?

BJK writes: Surely there's got to be some 6'5 guy floating around who can hit a shot.

Hey, I'll bet Ledell Eackles is available...

Eackles haaa.

Sean Williams, drafted right after da Bust aka Nick Young, is lighting it up in New Jersey. 2.4 blocks in 16 minutes, 65% fg. Oh well.

CB 4 MVP....

Nick Young had one assist, he wasn't trying to shoot jumpers, maybe he was told that was not his job last night. Too bad about his missed layup, that would have been a thing of beauty.

you say gelatin, I say jello. let's call the whole thing off ...

not championship form, but an improvement over losing to the Pacers without two of their stars. I'd like them to win one or two more, and get to the point where they can risk giving some others a few more minutes a game. But for now (still 3 and 5), we do what we gotta do (overplay the stars).

..why is it that NY makes me feel like I can play better than him??

Amazing how some are dumping on Nick Young after 8 games. Prolly the same ones who got on Ernie for getting unknown Caron Butler or who want to trade AJ for Players Anonymous. And, btw, on this t-e-a-m the role of #2 guard is defense --- they don't need another front-line scorer. Hang in there gang. These people may actually know what they're doing.

Maybe playing the starters heavy minutes to get the first win under our belt had to be done but there's no excuse for it now. Ease up on the throttle, EJ before you blow out the engine.
BTW, the guys calling the game and the media throws out Songaila's stats like he is a good contributor off the bench. The fact is, as soon as he comes into the game the other teams usually make a run. His 10 points are overshadowed by the 20 he gives up in my book. That not only includes points his man scores but the help that he doesn't give when he should as well as the rebounds he gives up that turn into points. I wish people would take a long hard look at his 'contributions' and see him for what he is... a 10th man on most good teams. He should get 5-6 minutes a game. MAX

Interesting that a couple minutes into the fourth quarter, with the Wizards down a few, Haywood comes in for Jamison (initially giving the Wiz a Haywood, Blatche, Songalia front line) and the Wizards outscore the Wolves by 21 the rest of the way. All with Jamison on the bench.
My point isn't that Jamison sucks, but that if that frontcourt continues to work that well, Jamison can get more rest, Caron can get some rest (he played SG during part of that run), etc. There are options other than the Big 3 (at least against teams like Minny).
Tonight's game scares me, though.

I think EJ is doing the right thing (scary, I am actually agree with him). Let the team feel comfortable with the rotation before tinker it again. I do agree that eventually he will have to play more players.

Tonight is a big test, a back-to-back against a team who actually has shorter distance to travel than Wizards (Philadelphia vs. Minnesota); let's see if heavy minutes the previous night will hurt them.

why is it that NY makes me feel like I can play better than him??

Posted by: average white Guy | November 17, 2007 10:38 AM
Because you are an average white guy.

Prolly the same ones who got on Ernie for getting unknown Caron Butler
Posted by: joe c | November 17, 2007 11:23 AM

For the last time, Caron was not unknown! Ernie is good enough without makingup mythical stories.

Mark: re. Songaila. It is because he comes in to sub for Haywood that the team makes a run. When Songaila subs for Jamison, and with Haywood and/or Blatche still in he makes good contributions. So when they put him in as center, he sucks. Everyone knows he can't jump over a Sunday paper,including Jordan. However he knows how to set screens, and he moves a lot without the ball. Or did no one notice last night that in the 3Q, most of the guys just stood there waiting for the ball, including Jamison and Butler? At one point in the 4Q, Songaila yelled for the ball, Arenas gave it to him, and Songaila set a screen for Arenas who calmly shot a jumper. What's wrong with a guy who comes off the bench to make things happen?

Sorry, that was me above--Ernie comment

sorry I meant: It is because he comes in to sub for Haywood that the opposing team makes a run.

I like what I saw for the most part. Very solid defense particularly in the 4th qtr. They did a better job of closing out on the perimeter shooters in the 2nd half. They really did a great job of protecting the paint all night (see. Jefferson..thankyou BTH and frontcourt) and generally imposed their will on on the Wolves in the 1st and 4th quarters.

What i'd like to see more:

More patience w/the Princeton Offense when they are facing a deficit or adversity. It's easier to start off the game with the concept fresh in mind like last night. However, when they were down by double digits they started to revert back to bad habits (i.e one pass and a contested jump shot) instead of trusting the system.

This is a discipline and trust issue. It's a challenge to reign in superior athletes who in a pinch, trust their individual athletic/skill abilities more than the team concept. The game becomes efficient and easier when we stick to the concept. Everybody benefits.

Unlike Boston, the Whole is greater than the Sum of the parts here. We have to play a disciplined offensive game to consistently beat strong teams.

The issue is not with Songaila, but the way in which he is used. I believe the day when AJ comes off the bench, with AB playing at the 4 is coming soon. The challenge is the Wiz will need a effective backup center...Pesh might be the "ticket" here.

What i'd like to see more:

More patience w/the Princeton Offense when they are facing a deficit or adversity. It's easier to start off the game with the concept fresh in mind like last night. However, when they were down by double digits they started to revert back to bad habits (i.e one pass and a contested jump shot) instead of trusting the system.

This is a discipline and trust issue. It's a challenge to reign in superior athletes who in a pinch, trust their individual athletic/skill abilities more than the team concept. The game becomes efficient and easier when we stick to the concept. Everybody benefits.

Unlike Boston, the Whole is greater than the Sum of the parts here. We have to play a disciplined offensive game to consistently beat strong teams.

Posted by: Janitor | November 17, 2007 12:28 PM

This is a great post/analysis, as it is exactly what ails the Wiz's. For all the talk about the Princeton, they do not trust it sufficiently, especially GA. I think the leadership of CB is critical to this point. Additionally, a lot of criticisms of the coach is unjustified given this fact. The defensive and offensive systems are there, these simply do not always play within it.

"Unknown" Caron Butler?

Stop with the revisionist history. Butler's been known since his days at UConn -- he was playing that gritty, lights out style then. Who did Maryland have to shut down on their way to the Final Four in 2002?

And as noted before, he got good marks from the Heat and the Lakers before winding up here, even if many Wiz fans were grumbling about not getting Lamar Odom for Kwame.

But there's no doubt that Caron was, and is, the soul of this team. Just keep doin' the damn thang and leading the rest of the crew, Tuff Juice.

Hey Joe C, not trying to swipe at you, just those people who thought Caron was an unknown. I saw the irony in your post.

Another nice game called by Eddie. Unlike another coach in this town, Eddie looks like he is willing to change some of his ways and go with suggestions from someone other than himself.

AJ was stinking the joint up in the 4th quarter. The old Eddie would have kept him in there instead of benching him and then looking for someone else to give the team a spark.

But guess what, Eddie took AJ out of the game near crunch time and slide in AB. Can somebody say TALL-BALL in the closing minutes of the 4th? To EJ's credit, he left that same lineup in to finish the game.

The old Eddie would have put AJ back in the game once they tied the game. This time he stuck with AB and AJ sat, as he should have. AJ did not have it tonight.

It looks like Eddie is finally starting to use his brain coaching now, and that is a good thing.

Yo Mark and Keith is Haywood making us look good or what? Again to all the Haywood naysayers, 11 rebounds and 8 points. 30 or more minutes and the man is producing. EJ could have had this going with Haywood last year (as we tried to argue to no avail), but he had an ax to grind with Haywood for some odd reason.

Anyway, good job Eddie; keep it up.....!! Thanks again for using all of your bullets in your gun..

Yo people, ya need to lay off of NY. The youngsta is being handled like Joe Gibbs handles Jason Cambell right now. EJ has the handcuffs and the straight jacket on him right now.

EJ is handling him just like he handled AB last season. EJ is the type of coach who just does not like rookies (like Joe Gibbs) playing games for them. AB hardly got into games and when he did, one mistake he got yanked.

Now, put yourself in their shoes if you have ever played any organized sports before with a coach. If I go out and make one mistake, and the coach yanks me; the next game I get into I will being trying not to make a mistake and I will be playing tenitive.

By doing so, I am then playing scared and then I begin to make more mistakes and then I lose my confidence. NY is a young dude who does have a swagger and his swagger comes from his offensive game. If he is told not to shoot and to not hold on to the ball to long, he will in a sense become a "robot" out there, which he looks like now (through no fault of his own).

NY likes to attack the basket and jack up "j's", that is how he gets into his zone; but he is not allowed to with EJ because EJ does not like rookies.

However, EJ is starting to change his ways a lot and I applaud him for that. The last thing he needs to work on is letting the youngsta "play through" his mistakes and he will pay dividends down the road.

Yo people, ya need to lay off of NY. The youngsta is being handled like Joe Gibbs handles Jason Cambell right now. EJ has the handcuffs and the straight jacket on him right now.

EJ is handling him just like he handled AB last season. EJ is the type of coach who just does not like rookies (like Joe Gibbs) playing games for them. AB hardly got into games and when he did, one mistake he got yanked.

Now, put yourself in their shoes if you have ever played any organized sports before with a coach. If I go out and make one mistake, and the coach yanks me; the next game I get into I will being trying not to make a mistake and I will be playing tentative.

By doing so, I am then playing scared and then I begin to make more mistakes and then I lose my confidence. NY is a young dude who does have a swagger and his swagger comes from his offensive game. If he is told not to shoot and to not hold on to the ball to long, he will in a sense become a "robot" out there, which he looks like now (through no fault of his own).

NY likes to attack the basket and jack up "j's", that is how he gets into his zone; but he is not allowed to with EJ because EJ does not like rookies.

However, EJ is starting to change his ways a lot and I applaud him for that. The last thing he needs to work on is letting the youngsta "play through" his mistakes and he will pay dividends down the road.

Man, people already refer to Nick Young as a bust, eight games into his career? And Eddie gets a team that plays no defense and has no legitimate center to the playoffs three years in a row and you want to dump him two weeks into the next season? What is wrong with you people?

Maybe you guys are just too young to know any better. I've watched this team since its last championship, so I've learned patience. Trust me, EJ knows what he's doing, Young was a good pick, and this team will get past the first round. Dumping EJ now would set the Wiz back years. It'd be nice if we had a real center, but at least Haywood is looking adequate, which is an improvement. So ya'll just grab a pacifier and calm down.

Eddie overplayed Caron last night, and every night this season, but hasn't he gotten AJ and Gil down into the mid-30s the last couple of games, and gotten AB and Darius up into the low 20s?

EWK is right about Darius, he only gets manhandled on defense when he's asked to play the 5. When he's in there at the 4 he more than holds his own. He is one of the guys with a very high basketball I.Q., knows how to set good picks, make good passes, move well without the ball, block out. The man had something like 10 and 6 last night in 20 minutes? That's a very solid back-up 4 right there, not a 10th man.

TRADE GILBERT FOR KOBE NOW!!!

Quote: "You could argue that Eddie Jordan is playing his starters way too much and he's not getting a ton from his bench and you might be correct but after that 0-5 start, it had to be done".

This logic leads to same conclusion for every game up until the team clinches home court advantage throughout the playoffs or for a blow-out in a particular game.

I don't agree with the logic, but if that the modus operandi, let's be consistent. For example, Nick Young should not have been put last night when the game was close.

There is an obvious pattern here over the past several years. If one believes that the hope of not having injuries to the Big 3 is the team's only chance to advance in the playoffs, we'll keep underachieving in relation to the overall talent on the team. Limping into the playoffs and going 1 and out for a team with 3 all-stars is not impressive.

Even the writers who are big Eddie fans have called for adjustments. Why not experiment with the rotations, learn from the experiments, and then develop an approach, communicate it crisply and stick to it?

Why is this so hard?

Boston's Big Three works not just because of the sharing of the ball, but in actuality it's their team defense that really makes that team that much better. Even though Perkins is foul prone, KG and him with Rondo being the team's best defenders, they have the three most important defensive positions filled up really well. Rondo's strong PG defense keeps the lane penetration to a minimum while the two post guys protect the paint and block shots. KG has always been near the top and at the top the last 4-5 years for rebounding so it's a huge part of their success. When you've got that great defensive base, and at the other end of the court you've got 2 great offensive threats in Pierce and Allen with the very unselfish KG making the extra pass, you can see why they're blowing out teams. Granted they haven't played any of the superpowers yet, but then again it's still early in the season for them to get to know each other even better.

The Wiz have the same type of firepower offensively and can share the ball, but ultimately they have to play the type of defense they've shown most in the 2nd Indiana game. That's the best concentrated defensive effort I've seen throughout a game since EJ's tenure. To be that good defensively, they do need Blatche/Songaila and Blatche/Haywood at the 4 and 5 during critical times. If they stick to that type of effort defensively while sharing the ball, the Wiz can be competitive with the very best in the league.

Just wondering if there is any truth to the Sports Guy's article a few days ago that Gil doesn't even speak with EJ?

"We'll keep underacheiving in relation to the overall talent on this team"

Izman, not trying to pick out part of a sentence and start a running fued, God knows we seem to get enough of that around here.

I'd think that the last few years the overall talent level of this team hasn't really been that great. Many games when the Wiz needed to go 7 to 10 deep on their roster guys like Mike Ruffin answered the call.

Look where some of the guys that left here are and where they are in the other team's rotations. We didn't give up alot of talent to make room for the three rookies.
The only guy that left here that there should be any question about what so ever was Hayes.

In Hayes case, once Ernie didn't make him a qualifying offer it was pretty clear he was gone. A former top 10 pick wasn't going to come back here and sign on for the min. even though that's what he got in Detroit.

Nice value pickup by Dumars, we could debate the value of bringing Hayes back but the guy really needed a change of pace.

Navarro hit 8 out of 9 threes last night so that drum will start to beat on here again. I've really been watching him, when you can find him on the court, wow, is he small. Kind of built like Stevie Blake before he hit the weights.

The guy's got some talent and a sweet shot,one other night he went 3 for 3 from the three line, but is so small and lacks strength to fight for position. Like my Maryland guy Juan Dixon he's not a point and he's going to get abused as a two defensively.

Smart move to have an extra number one in a year or two as some added ammo to upgrade our talent for a guy that at best would be a designated shooter on this team.

When a guy has a huge upside and a ton of physical talent like Young it seems foolish to label him a bust after 8 games. Navarro could carve out a role as an NBA player in the right situation, but from what I've seen he wouldn't have been a significant addition to this team.

Grunfeld is still building this team, it's not a finished product yet, but the influx of talent is an upgrade over last year. It's just going to take some time for these rookie to carve out a role on a veteran team.

When they do we will be a more talented team than any that Ernie has fielded so far. The 0 and 5 start may have delayed the on the court process of the rookies but right now the most important part of their education is taking place in practice anyway.

GM, the implication of your post is that you don't think the talent around the Big 3 has been very good, now or in the past. Given that the Wiz are under .500 for the past several years, that must be pretty bad!

But our bottom 9 is at least as good as the bottom 9 on Boston right now.

Therefore, you must think their Big 3 is infinitely better than our Big 3, or their coach is much better than ours (and even I don't believe the latter point).

I know, I know; one could argue forever on this sort of thing.

All I'm saying is for EJ to figure out a plan to get us past the first round (including the predictable injuries to the Big 3), communicate it crisply, get buy-in and then stick to it (so it actually happens). Given the overally level of talent on the team, I think that is reasonable to expect. The alternative is continued excuses that sound barely semi-reasonable.

Izman, I think Boston's Big 3 might indeed be better than the Wiz, but in particular I think Anon got it right when he pointed out the difference in defensive intensity between the two teams. Boston plays pretty good team D, at least in the three games I've watched this season. The Wiz are just coming around to team D these past couple of games, and only then in stretches. Solid defense makes all the difference.

Nice to see EJ let NY play past some early mistakes and have a nice game.

this team plays so much better when there is no "distraction.."

Fantastic!!! This is the kind of game I was talking about yesterday. Instead of letting the weaker team hang around, we took charge early and kept up the pressure and the outcome was never in doubt. Gilbert got a rest! Young got it going. Man you have to love the continued development of Blatche and helping Haywood down in the hole!

JCN is on fire again tonight. He would look much nicer in a Wiz uniform than say -- Mr. 50, Gilbert's best friend.

Hayes is doing a nice job for Detroit off the bench too this season.

Then again, we might have a bench if some of the players on the bench got to play, which appears to be what is happening tonight.

I'm at my in-laws so I can't see the game, but a buddy of mine just called me and said Gilbert is in street clothes and won't be playing tonight. Does anyone know what happened?

Not about to get all McFadden & Whitehead on folks, but that's the way for the Wiz to handle their biz.

Double-doubles for Haywood and AD, 95% from the line, only 4 turnovers in the first half, 20+ assists, 30 for AJ, good movement on O, Blatche blocking shots on D, Nick Young got lifted...

Nice way to put foot to @ss.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

NY is a young dude who does have a swagger and his swagger comes from his offensive game. If he is told not to shoot and to not hold on to the ball to long, he will in a sense become a "robot" out there, which he looks like now (through no fault of his own).

NY likes to attack the basket and jack up "j's", that is how he gets into his zone; but he is not allowed to with EJ because EJ does not like rookies.

However, EJ is starting to change his ways a lot and I applaud him for that. The last thing he needs to work on is letting the youngsta "play through" his mistakes and he will pay dividends down the road.

Posted by: Bullets Fever #1 | November 17, 2007 01:03 PM

As I said in my earlier post this afternoon, NY is the truth and will be the truth. The naysayers need to chill on that dumb stuff they were talking about him being a bust.

With minutes, and minus the threat of the "quick hook" you see what he can give you.

AB and Haywood getting minutes again.... More production. What can you say....? Haywood another double double. I guess the Haywood haters are still waiting for him to crash and burn. Fellas, it ain't happening. He is getting minutes and that is all he ever needed.........

What the heck is this "Haywood just needed minutes" campaign all about? Etan's been hurt most of the past 3 seasons, he got plenty of minutes then and still didn't produce.

I'm not hating on Haywood but to suggest that he is some all star caliber player that EJ had a personal grudge against is ridiculous. He's having a good start to the season, let's hope he can keep it up. Even Gilbert said that Haywood has a problem with motiviation and would dog it for a few games.

"I'm not hating on Haywood but to suggest that he is some all star caliber player that EJ had a personal grudge against is ridiculous."

Ironically, in the Eastern conference this is exactly what he is. And yes, EJ DID have a personal grudge against him that has been widely reported. Haywood needed consistent minutes as well as the freedom to play through mistakes. He'd get yanked for Etan last year whenever he made a simple mistake or missed a rebound. The guy we're seeing now we should have seen two years ago had EJ just let him play. It's ridiculous to think that BTH has undergone a metamorphosis and just learned how to play this past summer. The guy is for real.

How many times has Haywood played over 25 minutes and collected less than 5 rebounds? I haven't done the research but it's happened countless times over the past 5 seasons. That's not a problem of not playing through your mistakes that's a problem of effort.

I've always known Haywood was capable of playing like this I just don't know if he's capable of keeping it up.

Haywood played less than half the game tonight and ended with 17 pts 10 boards...NINE OF NINE from the free throw line! That is the one area of the game where he has had a transformation.

Good defense but Portland had endless unforced errors as well. Also, excellent distribution by Daniels and good spacing throughout. Multiple back door cuts, starting to look a little like a Princeton offense.

Nice to see Nick get off like I knew he would, 17 pts in 15 min...hibachi anyone?

No complaints for this one. Let's keep it going.

What the heck is this "Haywood just needed minutes" campaign all about? Etan's been hurt most of the past 3 seasons, he got plenty of minutes then and still didn't produce.

Posted by: juandixonformvp | November 17, 2007 09:55 PM

juandixon - Are you kidding me? How many games did you watch last year? Check the stat sheets and see how many minutes Haywood got? What do you call plenty of minutes for a starting "5"?? 15 to 18 minutes a game?

There was something personal going on with why EJ did not play Haywood any minutes, plain and simple. The dude is playing the same way he was playing last year, but the difference is he is not being "yanked out of games" now for no good reason.

We have gone over this scenero a thousand times on numerous posts before, have you read any of them? And just to let you know, if Etan was here AB or Haywood would not be getting these minutes they are getting now trust me.....!!!!!!

You Mark and Keith, looks like we got another hater in our mist.......

I didn't see that game and I'm sending this from my phone...can someone please tell me why Gilbert didn't play tonight? Thanks.

Sixx,
Gil had soreness in the knee and the doc reccomended he rest it tonight. This may happen periodically on the 2nd games of back to backs until the knee is 100% again. Have a good night.

Thank you, Dr. Strangelove. I appreciate you taking the time to address my question. Have a good night.

What the heck is this "Haywood just needed minutes" campaign all about? Etan's been hurt most of the past 3 seasons, he got plenty of minutes then and still didn't produce.

Posted by: juandixonformvp | November 17, 2007 09:55 PM

juandixon - Are you kidding me? How many games did you watch last year? Check the stat sheets and see how many minutes Haywood got? What do you call plenty of minutes for a starting "5"?? 15 to 18 minutes a game?

There was something personal going on with why EJ did not play Haywood any minutes, plain and simple. The dude is playing the same way he was playing last year, but the difference is he is not being "yanked out of games" now for no good reason.

We have gone over this scenero a thousand times on numerous posts before, have you read any of them? And just to let you know, if Etan was here AB or Haywood would not be getting these minutes they are getting now trust me.....!!!!!!

You Mark and Keith, looks like we got another hater in our mist.......
____
JaunDixon,

This has been going on for so long now that it is a bit sickening. Haywood is now playing better and more consistently because he has matured both emotionally and technically, NOT because he is getting more playing time this year. He worked his butt off this summer and was probably motivated because deep down he knows he had not fulfilled expectations for a 7footer. The local dreamers on this blog, whose wise analysis has EJ as a basketball dummy refuse to accept what Dean Smith and coutless others knew about BHaywood prior to this season--when he got all the playing time one man can have. To disagree with them, somehow makes you a hater... Pay no mine, like Haywood in prior years, they just want to be stroked.

OH yeah, how do they know about this personal grudge...they listen to BH's agent. And of course we know he knows for a fact not only what's going on in EJ's mind, but is unbiased as well. You guys are way too funny. Keep it up, I am using this stuff for script.

Whenever Haywood got real minutes last year, he produced. Now that he's getting real minutes this year (but still not enough minutes), he's produced. It's pretty simple, really.

It was widely known and acknowledged by the media that Eddie and Brendan had a season-long feud last year. It's not exactly news, folks. And even this year, although Brendan has been their second-best player on the whole (behind Caron), he's still the first starter yanked. Always. Fortunately, we now have Blatche coming in instead of Etan. That makes a huge difference.

In fact, the center position, miracle of miracles, has been the key factor in this win streak. We're getting consistently high-level play at that spot. The defense has also been outstanding the past four games -- but even that has started in the pivot. Teams aren't driving the lane, because we replace one shot-blocker with another, and not with the very limited Thomas or faux centers like Jamison or Songaila (although Eddie still succombs to the smallball temptation now and then).

BTW, where are all the "el busto" comments about Nick Young tonight? Hmmm? Kid looked pretty good to me. Now, does this game mean he's going to be a star? Of course not; that's just as ridiculous as claiming he's gonna be a washout after a few games. Both stances are idiotic -- can we agree on that?

Anyone else notice how hard Antawn's working on defense this year? He'll never be Bruce Bowen or Tayshaun Prince, but he doesn't coast on D, either -- at least not lately.

Randy Ayers for president!

Great game tonight in that it was not only a win but other objectives were accomplished too:

Gilbert got a much needed break.

AD got a lot of playing time which he needs to sharpen his game.

Mason got a chance to play some and took some strides forward, hitting some shots.

The bench in general had by far the most productive game of the season.

NY in particular got meaningful PT and produced really well.

AJ got his stroke back after a few games where he was a bit off (not that I was worried about him).

The Wood Man continues to produce and play at a high level.

Nothing like a night when you not only get the W but also get a chance to move your team forward.

Also, 26 assists and only 8 turnovers is phenomenal.

It's great for the team and team confidence that they know they can beat a team and have enough firepower without Gilby playing, in the biggest blowout of the season. BTH is clearly the comeback player of the year so far, and it was clearly a great move by EG to keep him despite his beef last year with the coach. If he had left, everyone here would be complaining about how well he would be doing with another team.

Given all that, you still have to wonder why DS laid another egg. Didn't take a shot, and didn't do much. I see NY hitting the starting lineup soon, or AB, but not both.

"Whenever Haywood got real minutes last year, he produced. Now that he's getting real minutes this year (but still not enough minutes), he's produced. It's pretty simple, really."

Nothing's that simple.

The entire "Haywood needs 30" argument is based on the theory that Eddie yanked Haywood from games early out of spite, for no reason that had anything to do with his play and, as a result, he didn't get the chance to "get his numbers" which, according to theory, would have come as a matter of course after 30 minutes.

The more likely, more reasonable explanation is that he yanked Haywood early from games because (as was frequently the case) Haywood was struggling, playing without focus and energy, and not producing. And, rather than continue to ride a horse that wasn't going anywhere, Jordan put someone else in, hoping they would be more productive.

It's a chicken/egg argument. Did Haywood play better because he got extended minutes or did he get extended minutes because he played well early? The latter is a much more logical conclusion.

Great game against the Blazers. When Oden gets healthy and their young guys (and most of their roster is young guys) get some experience, I really think they could be a quality team in the West in a few years.

So much for Nick young being a bust, I guess. The people who were writing him off all seemed to have the same argument, that all he could do is score. Still waiting for someone to explain how that's a bad thing for a backup SG. I don't expect him to get regular rotation minutes just yet, but he made a good showing for himself when given a chance. That always bodes well.

The defense was solid again, overall. But it's still too early to get overly excited. Portland (like the T'Wolves and Hawks) is a young team that's more likely to be rattled under pressure. I want to see them play with the same kind of efficiency against a veteran team that's not likely to be so easily rattled.

It's clear to me that BTH needed the confidence and support from the coach in order to thrive, and EJ was trigger happy last year with bringing in ET or starting ET instead. He wanted to instill a sense of cut throat competition at the 5, rather than going with the true center, BTH, and letting him learn from his mistakes.

BTH knows he's the only true solution this year at the 5, so he's running with that and showing everyone he's quite capable whether it's b/c the coach showing confidence in him or not.

Don't you guys think we should get one more big body for games where BTH and AB get into foul trouble? Correct me if I'm wrong but, if that happens, then the next center in line is Songalia until Pech gets healthy. There a big drop of in size, and therefore defense after BTH and AB

Decent #'s from JCN, who's also shooting over 50% from 3. What's DS doing for Les BouleS?

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=271117006

TROB,

Being big doesn't necessarily make someone a good interior defender. The NBA is full of players who bear that out.

Putting aside the fact that the Wiz don't have any money to sign anyone, there's really no one available who would actually be an asset on the floor. A big player, in and of itself, doesn't help much unless he can actually do something out on the floor that makes a difference.

"It was widely known and acknowledged by the media that Eddie and Brendan had a season-long feud last year."

Which is not even close to the same thing as Jordan having a grudge against Haywood. Jordan was, quite understandably, unhappy with Haywood's inconsistent effort and mistake prone play, which caused him to place more of his confidence in Thomas and cut Haywood's minutes. A perfectly reasonable response from a coach. Haywood, for his part, took it personally, started bad mouthing Jordan and Thomas, and stopped communicating with Jordan. Which, not surprisingly, only made Jordan trust him less.

This whole idea that Jordan was going out of his way to punish Haywood out of personal spite with no regard for the team's best interests is just a wild conspiracy theory.

Wiz are definitely doing what they have to do to be positioned for the long haul at this stage... play team ball, rest Gil when needed, keep turnovers down, etc.

I was very happy to see NY produce such nice numbers... but that does not mean he will he replace DS as a starter... DS still defends opposing two guards pretty well, but past performance clearly predicts that he is not going to be any kind of an offensive factor when Gilbert is not in the line-up (which does not excuse O points in 24 minutes, it must be said).

Watched the whole game. My analysis of Deshawn is that he is scared to shoot. Don't know what happened to his confidence because last season he did pretty well offensively. He is going to have to get past whatever mental block he has and put the ball in the hole. He is getting paid good dollars now. As for the team, what a great "team" game. I was really happy for Young Hollywood. He played very well and with confidence. I think the other team mates gave him the confidence he needed. Especially Gil and Andre. Young,Andrae and McGuire all seem to mesh well. Go Wizards! Great all round effort and good game!

Re: BTH, even Ivan has reported that EJ and BTH had to sit down and 'clear the air'. This has happened more than once. You don't 'clear the air' unless something's up between you. 'Technical and emotional improvement' this summer? Do you really believe that the guy matured and found a game miraculously this offseason? I find that VERRRRRY doubtful. He's more aggressive because he knows he can take chances yet remain in the game. in any case, hopefully ppl will realize that he's a factor now and it'll open up a lot for us.

This whole idea that Jordan was going out of his way to punish Haywood out of personal spite with no regard for the team's best interests is just a wild conspiracy theory.

Really? Then explain the first playoff game against the Cavs. Haywood is far more effective against Z than any other Wiz defender, but he basically sat the whole game, while Z killed the Wiz. Please explain that to me as something other than a grudge.

The more likely, more reasonable explanation is that he yanked Haywood early from games because (as was frequently the case) Haywood was struggling, playing without focus and energy, and not producing.

Wrong. Look at the numbers. When Haywood got minutes last year (most notably when Thomas was [shockingly]) hurt, he thrived. Yes, kal, sometimes things are so simple.

Two big changes so far this year have been the play of Haywood and Eddie's use of a big lineup. I'm wondering how big a role Ayers played in both. Of course Haywood is getting more minutes because Etan is gone, but his head is screwed on straighter and he has so much more confidence. Might that be Ayers' influence?

More likely, Ayers' fingerprints might be on the use of big lineups. We know from past seasons that Eddie loved to use small lineups because he tends to focus on the offensive side of the ball. Did Ayers question that and propose going big? We might never know, but either Eddie got religion or someone gave it to him. Hallelujah.

his head is screwed on straighter and he has so much more confidence.

Again, I'd tend to disagree. BTH has been playing the way he's played in the past when he's gotten minutes. If he'd never shown this before, I'd agree. But he has, when given the opportunity.

It is a hard argument, though -- has he gotten better as a result of improvement in his game, or more minutes? I come down on the side of minutes, because I don't see development. It's not like he's developed a consistent 12-15 foot jumper, turnaround jumper, more moves inside. If he had, I could see the argument, but he hasn't. In my mind, it must be more PT.

I'd Agree with Keithinator, Randy Ayers seems to be having a big positive impact on this club. Jordan had already stated back in training camp that he took Coach Ayers down to Carolina to have a "clear the air" session with Brendan.

Should we name him "Febreeze Man" or what? We can debate last year all you want, but what WAS clear is that Haywood and Jordan were two unhappy campers who weren't on the same page...period!

Now Haywood is playing like you'd expect an athletic 7'0" guy with long, long, arms and Eddie isn't pulling him and forgeting him. All of the sudden Jordan is coaching like matchups matter and is avoiding stacking the floor with defensive mismatches so his offense clicks.

Speaking of defensive mismatches, have some of you guys that keep bringing up Navarro really watched the Grizzlies play? The guy's got a sweet shot, but now the Griz go into a zone as soon as the put him in the game, and it's for a reason.

Defensively he's a 6'0" tall Nick Young. I say 6' because he doesn't have Young's reach, he's really more like maybe 6'2" in shoes. Not much bigger than Lowry and not nearly as strong. Very narrow shoulders like a Stevie Blake type of build, but shorter with less hops.

And terrible defensive positioning, he kind of flits around like he's swatting bees away from his head. Right now he makes Arenas look like an All NBA defender in comparison.

A guy like Young who's only in his early 20's you can put in a weight room. Navarro is in his late 20's, what you see is what you get, I'd still take the conditional draft pick for him. Designated shooters can be bought cheap, and I've not yet seen him get off a 3 with a guy in his face.

Teams will adjust to what he does and start to put a taller guy on him and then he'll have to prove that he can drive and finish. That's when we'll find out if he's an NBA player for real. DCman88's "Spanish Juan Dixon" tag does seem to fit.

And speaking of Young, that B word started to get thrown around on here the last couple of days. The kid's a flat out baller that's never been asked to play a lick of defense. With those arms and that step back jumper, he'll be able to get his shot in this league and when he's on it's deadly.

He's never had to learn to play off the ball or to excert himself on D. I'm sure there will be nights that he looks "lost in space" when a team isolates him on a good scorer and schools him. But this is the NBA and he'll learn. He's got plenty of confidence to get himself through the rough patches.

Nice to see them take the smart road and try a little more rest with Arenas. Really nice to see the team take care of business and not have Gil's night off cost us.

My point yesterday in my post with Izman was that we haven't been a deep team talentwise. The Rookies that we brought in are far more talented then guys like, Booth, Ruffin, Hall, and Lange that were here last year.

And former first round picks like Jeffries and Hayes never really developed into their full talent here. I thing like alot of guys injuries really set them back, Hayes seems to finally be regaining some of his game in Detroit. But Jeffries is another really expensive Thomas mistake in NY.

Hopefully Eddie can keep easing these kids into the rotation a little at a time. By the second half when fatigue starts to set in the Wiz can can these kids ready to join a talented deep rotation.

Stevenson is my biggest worry righ now, the guy still seems as lost as he was when Caron and Gil went down last year. Of all of the keys to this team he's the one that still seems like he's stuck in the 5 game losing streak.

Is it me, or does he look out of shape? He seems a step slow and doesn't have any bounce in it either. The guy just appears flat, when he's on the bench he appears kind of out of it at times. Hopefully he'll come around, otherwise he could get buried by midseason and this team finds another way to go at the two.

If Pecherov is any where near as good as I expect him to be and TMac plays himself into the rotation Butler may get more and more time at the two to make room for the youngsters up front. The guy is looking more and more like he's developing into one of the leagues elite players. And I really like his leadership he gives this team.

By April we could be looking at a deep playoff ready team instead of a worn out broken down big three with no depth behind them.

Nice to see us taking care of teams we are supposed to beat. Not to look too far into the future, but we moved from last in the East to 8th in a week.

Decent #'s from JCN, who's also shooting over 50% from 3. What's DS doing for Les BouleS?

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=271117006

Posted by: DC Man88 | November 18, 2007 03:14 AM

Yeah - I WATCHED that game. He shot a lot of WIDE OPEN 3pointers... Nobody ever got in his face to force him to drive.

Problem is, he gave up as many points as he got. He should say 'Ole' every time he lets the opposing guard go by!... Even in the zone defense they play, he sucked. At least DS TRIES to play defense.

The more I see JCN play, the more I'm convinced that Ernie's deal of JCN for a conditional 1st round draft pick is his second best move as GM of the Wizards (behind Kwame for Caron).

GM quote: "By April we could be looking at a deep playoff ready team instead of a worn out broken down big three with no depth behind them".

That's what it's all about!

Mike Lee quoted EJ that he actually had a PLAN for when Gil does down (e.g, AD at the #1, CB at the #2 at times, and more of NY). That's awesome. And for the most part, he stuck to the PLAN! These are new behaviors. Maybe there is hope yet!

Didn't bother to read any posts before adding mine, so if I repeat something that's already been said, forgive me. I was gonna get on here and bash Quitter for his no show last night until I looked at the box score and see Brandon Roy really didn't get off either. I guess DS can get some love for that. But if Nick Young can keep playing like that (all depends if EJ adds him to the rotation), its gonna be hard not to keep him out the lineup.
Outside of Gilbert, there's not another guy on that team that can create his own shot off the dribble other than Young (maybe Blatche if he's got a mismatch). Great team win!

Questions for Mike or Ivan:

As background, I was happy to hear that EJ had a Plan for when Gilbert was out, and that he executed it.

With the improvement in Blatche and DSong, I'm assuming that they can cover for AJ if he does down.

What is the Plan if CB goes down, with a particular focus on the defensive issues? I noticed that AJ and AB cannot cover the quicker SFs such as Pierce or Anthony. Can Stevenson cover the 3, with either RM or NY backfilling at guard to provide some firepower to replace CB's numbers? Also, is there any way for McGuire to get over the rookie mistakes by the playoffs (e.g., some time in the D-league)?

Thanks in advance for your thougths.

Exactly Rook, even if we wait a little for a first rounder it possibly can be rolled into a deal with an expiring contract or another part along with our number #1 to get something of value.

Izman, last year Jordan didn't have many choices when the big three started to break down. We've taken a step back experience wise but the rookies are much more talented then the guys they replaced.

Mark, I think Randy Ayers has played a big role in clearing the air and helping formulate better game planning to start thinking a step ahead about matchups. Haywood has clearly responded to the team's following through on the lip service about team play and defense.

Haywood has reacted pretty poorly to some things in the past around here, but he's a bright guy that seems to understand how to play. Having a bench coach with the wealth of experience that Ayers has brought seems to have leveled out alot of the emotional reactions that we saw here last year.

This team seemed to weather the 0-5 start and started to realize that they needed to pull together to get on a winning track. Having an veteran assistant with a solid NBA track record has seemed to help on countless levels.

I'm sure that Eddie's other assistants all work hard, but it's nice to have a guy with a background that isn't tied directly to Eddie or a longtime association with the Wizards. Someone with no such ties can sometimes see things clearly that are clouded by longtime personal loyalties in others eyes.

I'm still waiting awhile before I really judge this team once we get back into a streak of tougher games. But it sure is great to see this team start to win games like the way the did last night. That's the mark of a playoff team in this league.

I, too, am concerned about the funk DS seems to be in.

Last year he fit in well with the big three and was a good pairing with Gil. He played some defense and could hit an open shot or drive to the basket when others were being guarded.

Has he lost his confidence after playing so poorly late last year and in the playoffs when the big three were getting injured or is it something else?

Or could it be last year was the proverbial contract year for him and he does not have as much motivation now?

As many have pointed out here, if he does not start what do you do with him? Five years is a long time to have dead weight on your roster.

It's pathetic that we traded away Earl "The Pearl" Monroe.

I am very glad we are retiring his jersey, and it's about time. But how could we have traded him?? He was so great for us that we are retiring his jersey even when he played for us only a few years. He was that good and that important to our franchise, and we traded him for what?!

Our franchise more than anything is known for making the worst trades in league history.

It was widely known and acknowledged by the media that Eddie and Brendan had a season-long feud last year. It's not exactly news, folks. And even this year, although Brendan has been their second-best player on the whole (behind Caron), he's still the first starter yanked. Always. Fortunately, we now have Blatche coming in instead of Etan. That makes a huge difference.

Posted by: Keithinator | November 18, 2007 12:23 AM

Yo Keithinator. I have also noticed the same thing. EJ took Haywood out at the 5:50 mark in the first quarter when he had already had about 6 points and 5 rebounds and was playing darn good.

As you said above, AB was on a roll so it made it hard for Haywood to get back in. We had gotten down to the 7 minute mark in the 2nd and still no Haywood. Ab gets kicked in the stomach and then EJ decides to put Haywood back in the game.

At the 2:00 minute mark of the 2nd quarter EJ yanks Haywood out again with 2 fouls. He did the same thing in the 3rd quarter. All while Haywood was playing a very nice game.

It started feeling like last year. People on this board think Haywood was being yanked for lack of effort, but that was so far away from the truth it is not funny. Notice the game he was playing before he got yanked at the 5 minute mark.

Guess what, he was doing the same thing last year and was still getting yanked. The only difference now is EJ does not have Etan to fall back on. He can only fall back to AB. It seems EJ does not want to give AB his due either, however he has no choice because Ruffin and Etan are not here right now and he tried Songalia and he saw how far that got him.

I'm ending my arguement now about this Haywood thing. Minutes prove everything. When he gets them (which he did not get last year) he produces, when he does not he does not produce.

Lastly, for the folks that are so critical of Haywood, please do me a favor and look closely at the next game and watch EJ's time management of Haywood's minutes. Watch how he is playing in the game and then look for when he gets taken out of the 1st quarter and how long he sits. Once you have done that for a couple of games, come back on the board and give a honest analysis of what you thought.

I think that BH is a very emotional person, last year BH did do alot of good things and at times was a no factor. That can be very frustrating for a coach for his seven foot center at this juction of his carreer to be soft at times get out rebounded by other team three's and four's that are 6 inches shorter. "Why is that" maybe EJ said sometime that BH didn't like so he acted like a child and didn't put forth a will to help his team. In the hood thats called a B$#ch. So EJ treated him like one. I am so thrilled at the way BH is playing now but being consistent is his biggest problem. Time will tell when we play Miami and see if BH go back to his old ways, because Miami is not the contender they use to be and the WIZ are a better team to me. I think the team still could use the poet as time goes on.
AS I said before I think Young is a young Kerry Kittles (not as quick altough) and for posters to label him a bust is pretty much stupid at this time in his career. Even DC Man has to agree with that. Actually I think he will be an all-star one day.
I am also starting to think that DS is going to have a hard time getting minutes on this team and AJ time will also come down. I think altough AJ should be on this team after this year (at a reasonable price) and continue to start. It really doesn't matter who starts any way only who finishes. Its about how much time a player gets and when the game matters whos on the floor.
The biggest problem I have with this team is a post presence. A person who can get the ball in the post with his back to the basket and can get you two points at the end of the game. The Wiz take to many jump shoots and this will hurt them at the end.
I am happy with the overall state of the team yea I think we need a few more pieces but we are right track, looking forward to the rest of the year. And to all those negative blogers out there,try to be a little more positive in our team.
From a true Washingtonian, Peace to DC Man, let the anger go and try to ease up on gil.Gil is trying his best and you making yourself look like a true PLayaHata.

DS is and has always been a role player, not a scorer. He's admittedly in a funk, and his confidence offensively may be shot right now. Despite all that, we simply don't need another scorer in the starting lineup - so DS scoring zero doesn't hurt the team as long as his D holds up. On the other hand, having a scorer off the bench - such as Young may grow into - is exactly what the doctor ordered. Blatche can spell Jamison for extended minutes without worry if Young is out there scoring. Young can't play D like DS, but Blatche subbing AJ makes up for it. No net loss on either D or scoring (just experience).

I am a regular reader of Insider and I want to give major props to GM, who in my opinion provides thoughtful, analytical posts, without any emotional baggage connected to the coach or any players, or any of the other bloggers on this post. He is a faen, critical but fair. GM, I look forward to your posts. Keep it up.

I skip GM's comments. Too long.

OK, we're all loving Brendan this year, and no doubt his being the undisputed center guaranteed at least 30 minutes every night is helping. But that can't be the only reason Brendan is improving.

What about those stretches these past three seasons when Etan was out injured and Brendan was the starting 5 with no other credible back-up breathing down his neck? He went through many a game during those stretches in which he simply didn't produce offensively and looked lackluster on defense. He'd look like a zombie out there, and people would come on this board and marvel how a long and reasonably athletic 7-footer could go so many minutes with so few points, boards, or blocks.

Sure, Eddie and he had some kind of p*ssing match going on last year, but might some of that have been a coach getting frustrated with a 7-footer who always had an excuse why he wasn't producing?

It's not just more minutes that's got Brendan's head and heart in the right place. Maybe it's Randy Ayers, or Eddie and Randy coming to make peace in N.C. Maybe it's Eddie and Gil getting the ball to him on a consistent basis. Maybe he knows he doesn't have any excuses this year. But it's not just Eddie finally giving him the minutes.

yes, they really looked good last night, even without Gilbert. That in itself was a mental plus for the team, and fans. Nick Young, i feel, is going to really be a good asset to this team. Another poster mentioned that it's the same as the Joe Gibbs not playing the rookie/young person dilemna. bottom line, the entire team looked good last nite.

26 assists 9 turnovers almost says it all. Quite a turnaround from the first few games. And it's not one guy but the whole team playing more disciplined ball.

To all the Haywood detractors, please note his on/off court numbers for each of the past three seasons.

http://www.82games.com/0607/06WAS15D.HTM (last year)
http://www.82games.com/0506/05WAS15D.HTM (05/06)
http://82games.com/04WAS15D.HTM (04/05)

In particular, check the defensive efficiency numbers (points/100 possessions). Haywood may lose concentration sometimes, but it's crazy how much he matters to the Wizards' defense.

Last year, including playoffs, the Wizards were 20-11 when Brendan played at least 25 minutes, and 21-34 when he didn't.

Sure, his individual stats look better, but Haywood has always been the more valuable center on this team. Clueless Eddie never really understood that, and instead treated Haywood and Etan Thomas as equals, when they really weren't. Considering how much this team needed defense, there's nobody to blame but Eddie for openly feuding with his best defensive player over fuzzy concepts like "effort," "concentration," and "intensity."

And the saga continues ...

No one is disputing that he puts up better numbers the more minutes he plays. Most players who aren't total scrubs do.

The issue is whether his early exits were the result of some irrational hatred on the part of the coach or a reflection of the fact that Haywood frequently got off to poor starts and played without much energy and focus and, rather that play it on faith that Haywood would come out of it, Jordan went to his his #2 option (which, really, is one of the reasons to have a #2 option in the first place) hoping to get better production.

And I guarantee you, there's not a pro or college coach in any sport at any level, who considers effort, concentration, and intensity to be "fuzzy concepts."

t's not just more minutes that's got Brendan's head and heart in the right place. Maybe it's Randy Ayers, or Eddie and Randy coming to make peace in N.C. Maybe it's Eddie and Gil getting the ball to him on a consistent basis. Maybe he knows he doesn't have any excuses this year. But it's not just Eddie finally giving him the minutes.
------
This is all I was clumsily trying to say. BH's resurgence has much less to do with his minutes and more to do with other issues including some much needed maturity. However, his lackluster play over his career has little or nothing to do with any real or imagined "personal grudge" of which is NO DEMONSTRABLE EVIDENCE. Pointing to a newspaper that says they have a beef is not evidence of an EJ personal grudge, notwithstanding what Brendan or his agent says. I am happy that he is doing will, but let's not makeup history. If he was performing so well, EG would not have been able to sign this 7footer for so little money over 5 years. This is not George Orwell, because you say it don't make it so.

The point is that effort, concentration, and intensity have different specific definitions depending on each situation, whereas objectively looking at the defensive efficiency numbers when Haywood is on the court is very easy to define.

Do you need both? Sure. But when you have a situation where there is three years of evidence stacked against the subjective concepts, then perhaps the subjective concepts are the problem.

Has Haywood improved? No doubt about it, and I didn't mean to suggest that it was all a question of getting more minutes (though I'd argue that's mostly what's happening here). The only point was that Haywood, even if he had remained at the level he was at in previous years, should have received those minutes anyway.

When you've been in the league as long as Haywood, for the most part, what you see is what you get. If someone his age is playing better, chances are, the coach has something to do with it. Since Eddie has been the coach each of the three years, I don't think it's unfair to say that the fact that Eddie is giving Haywood more consistent minutes is the reason why Haywood is playing better. I'd trust that far more than some sudden revelation Haywood allegedly received.

"The point is that effort, concentration, and intensity have different specific definitions depending on each situation..."

They really don't.

And even if they did, that would have no bearing on the issue at hand, as we're not talking about different situations last year versus this year, with regard to Haywood. We're talking about the same situation (basketball) in each case.

While Prada has an obviously well crafted case, in my opinion Kalorama is right. Numbers don't tell the whole story in Haywood's case. Until this year his effort has been inconsistent, which I think has been clear just from watching the games. He's been like that since UNC. Obviously he's been a beast so far this year. Whether it's minutes, Etan's situation, his relationship w/EJ, a bigger lineup, Ayers, or a combination of all reasons, I just hope he keeps it up!

Kal, what do those things mean to you? Does "effort" mean moving your feet to get in the proper defensive position? Or does it mean jumping as high as you can so you can try to block a floater attempt? Moreover, does it mean jumping over the back of a smaller player and wrestling the rebound away from him, or does it mean properly boxing out someone so your teammate can sky in the air to get the rebound? Or, does it mean all of the above?

Let me give you an example. One thing Etan Thomas is known for is his "energy," and for being "an enforcer." When he rebounds, he flexes his elbows out, and he'll try desperately to block shots no matter the situation. In short, he'll give it his all to try to do the best thing.

But is that the only tangible sign of effort? Is it even a good usage of effort? Etan can jump around all he wants, but it's probably not the best method for playing strong defense.

Rather than block shots, Haywood alters them with proper defensive positioning. He bodies up taller post players and uses his long arms not to block their fadeaway attempts, but rather, to alter their vision. Some would say he's not trying because he isn't trying to block the shot; I would argue he's trying harder because he's making the proper defensive play.

Additionally, Haywood's biggest strength, even when he was struggling, was his ability to hit the offensive boards. Is that not the ultimate "effort play" in the game? You're trying desperately to get a rebound, looking hard to see what angle the ball falls off the rim, all while multiple people are trying to box you out. A good offensive rebounder, to me, is more synonymous with a high effort guy than any other type of player in the game.

"Intensity" is one of my least favorite terms of all time. Etan Thomas is so emotional while he's out there, while Haywood is more subdued. Can you really say that means Thomas plays "with more intensity." Again, if someone were really intense, they would be in proper defensive position more often than not. Would you rather play someone who uses angles, cuts off the basket well, and dramatically improves your team's defense, but doesn't scream when he gets rebounds? Or would you rather have someone who swats at every shot, is lazy with moving his feet, and historically kills your defense, but screams after grabbing every rebound and pumps his fist a lot? You may take the latter, but give me the former every day.

I get the concentration issue with Haywood, but again, it's a lot more complicated than that. Haywood commits a lot of bad turnovers, but at the same time, isn't Thomas' inability to rotate defensively a sign of a lack of concentration?

The point is, those terms that you suggest are very simple to explain really are very complex. You can't just use one and say that's your justification for not playing someone.

Besides, I don't see what's so ridiculous about Eddie having a personal problem with Haywood. All coaches have that with certain players. It doesn't mean the coach is right.

And as for the point at hand:

we're not talking about different situations last year versus this year, with regard to Haywood. We're talking about the same situation (basketball) in each case.

Are you really going to simplify it that much?

By your logic, nobody ever benefits from a change in scenery. Chauncey Billups only comes from nowhere into being an all-star because he made some magical improvement. Steve Nash only becomes an MVP because he made some magical improvements in his game.

Are you really going to tell me that situations beyond just playing basketball don't matter? Don't even pretend for a second that this year is exactly the same as last year.

Let's at least all agree that for now, Brendan's playing the best ball of his career, and hope he can keep it up.

As for Stevenson, I don't think he's as bad as folks say, and right now I'm not worried about him. Yeah, on offense he's still stinkin' up the joint, but on defense, his stock in trade with this team, he's really come on.

I think his shot will come around, the way it's started to for the others. But he's really going after it on D, and that's his role with this team.

Young excites me. The kid has the most important ingredient to being a solid scorer in the NBA: the ability to create shots for himself. His outside shot looks good mechanically, and he'll get better at driving to the hoop. I see him being a key "instant offense" guy off the bench as the season progresses.

The Young Microwave. I agree with you, Keith. He looked very comfortable out there. Let's hope Eddie gives the guy some minutes whenever he can.

I think you're right about DS, too. His defensive intensity and foot movement have looked a lot better the last couple of games, almost like he realized his offense is stinking it up and he'd better contribute on the defensive end.

I haven't been on the Net since Friday night. Great stuff from everyone on the board.
Mitch said it all for me though. 26 assists vs. 9 turnovers. As bad as the Wizards D is, its pretty tough to lose when they do that.
And that's the key, if the Wizards keep sharing the ball and moving it around they have too many weapons for anyone to stop them (Please take note Gilbert, every now and then its great when you pull a shot in the first 5 or 6 seconds of the clock, but most of time it's not so great)!
I mean even Haywood's going off and it's because he is getting the ball in the kind of situations that maximize his effectiveness and also because he is finishing strong after grabbing the offensive board (keep slamming the ball in like that!).
Now that they have won a game without Gilbert I hope he will be more willing to rest himself so that he is healthier at then end of the year.
First we get over .500, then we take over the world!

Haywood is playing better this year. He's averaging a double double. I hope he keeps it up.

But what is all this about his being "athletic"? He's as athletic as a drunken Clydesdale.

When he was young through the middle of his career, Hakeem Olajuwan was athletic. Even though he is huge, Shaq has been athletic most of his career. But Haywood? You've got to be kidding!

"From a true Washingtonian, Peace to DC Man, let the anger go and try to ease up on gil.Gil is trying his best and you making yourself look like a true PLayaHata.

Posted by: d square | November 18, 2007 12:05 PM "

The meaning of "PLayaHata" in your world really means nothing to me. Peace to you my sistah.

"Yeah - I WATCHED that game. He shot a lot of WIDE OPEN 3pointers... Nobody ever got in his face to force him to drive.

Problem is, he gave up as many points as he got. He should say 'Ole' every time he lets the opposing guard go by!... Even in the zone defense they play, he sucked. At least DS TRIES to play defense.

The more I see JCN play, the more I'm convinced that Ernie's deal of JCN for a conditional 1st round draft pick is his second best move as GM of the Wizards (behind Kwame for Caron).

Posted by: Rook | November 18, 2007 09:06 AM "

Don't the experts say that a wide open 3 is harder to hit than when being defended? Funny thing is DS can't hit a wide open, or a contested shot. EJ is seeing this, and is slowly reducing his minutes.

"By April we could be looking at a deep playoff ready team instead of a worn out broken down big three with no depth behind them.

Posted by: GM | November 18, 2007 08:49 AM "

This statement really means nothing b/c who can look into the future? Who woulda thought last year that a first place team in the east at the all star break was going to crash and burn into the 8th seed?

It's silly to make these kind of predictions for a 4-5 team that doesn't have any size or veteran leadership in the paint off the bench. A team that has won 4 games in a row against bad/mediocre teams.

ok, then... stop posting.

You basically make the point that it is pointless. In the meantime, we can continue to root for our team.

I predict that DCman 88 is going to go winless, he has no veteran leadership from the bench in the paint... and can't even beat mediocre teams.

Corny...greg.

I'll still be here whether you like it or not.

People please stop responding to the idiot....don't you understand that he just wants attention like a spoiled kid?

Shut up lisa.

Ear to ear.

To be honest, i don't really care. But you said:

" It's silly to make these kind of predictions for a 4-5 team that doesn't have any size or veteran leadership in the paint off the bench. "

and something about looking into the future, but it seems to me that about all anyone does here is look into the magic 8 ball. So what? It's what we all enjoy doing. I still see no reason to believe you will be able to win anything without clutch veteran leadership... off the bench... in the paint... on thursdays... wearing green crocks...

-g

Pradamaster,

The problem is not that I'm oversimplifying. Just the opposite. You're radically over-complicating a very simple thing. The definitions of effort, concentration, and intensity do not change based on the situation. The subject of the effort, concentration, and intensity change, true. But you're attempting to quantify them based on the differing physical actions to which they can be applied. Sorry, but that's wildly off base. The definition of effort, concentration, and intensity have nothing to do with physical action. By definition, those terms are measures of mental and emotional focus, not physical action. They mean the same thing regardless of whether they're applied to rebounding, defense, or practice. They're measures of mental and emotional commitment and focus, and that's where Haywood too often fell short last season. On too many occasions he came out onto the floor without proper effort, concentration, and intensity. Whether that absence made itself felt on defense, in rebounding, or in shot selection was irrelelvant. It's absence from his play too often hurt the team, and that's why Jordan benched him. It had nothing to do with any shadowing conspiracy theory or some imagined personal grudge. Jordan benched him because he thought his play was hurting the team. And, as coach, it's not only his right to make such decisions, it's his responsibility.

It's clear that, for whatever reason (and the simple truth is that none of us know what those reasons are) Haywood came into this season more focused and committed, and that's good news for the team and its fans. But the suggestion that an increased level of effort, concentration, and intensity is not, in and of itself, enough to make such a a dramatic difference in the quality of his play (and make no mistake, the difference is dramatic, at least so far) is simply untrue. A sharper mental focus can make a huge difference to anyone's level of performance, not just an athlete's. I don't think there's a player or coach who would dispute that.

Kal, I get your point. It makes sense. But I have to say that I don't see the point of separating mental approach and physical action. They're the same thing to me. I couldn't care less about a player's mental approach if it doesn't translate to physical success. Isn't that the whole point, to field the most successful team possible?

We're obviously never going to agree on whether Haywood's play was affecting the team. You say it obviously did, I presented tables from 82games.com indicating it never has. If you're going to ignore those to steadfastly hold to your opinion, then I don't really know what to say to you.

I know why Jordan benched him, but I question whether it was the right call. If Haywood's play was really hurting the team, wouldn't it have been reflected in the plus/minus numbers? It's not a personal grudge; it's a bad coaching decision.

It seems like Jordan's benching came down to motivation -- he knew Haywood was better for the team, but he felt if he benched Haywood, he could motivate Haywood to play even better, and therefore be even better for the team. It's a trick he's used far too many times, and it was only a matter of time until Haywood cracked and went in the opposite direction, thereby hurting the team more. It seems Eddie has understood his error, and went to meet with Haywood to mend fences. As a result, you're seeing a Haywood that has been motivated more effectively, and therefore, a better Haywood.

I don't think Haywood has suddenly gained any newfound mental focus or skills. I just think he's being handled differently by Eddie, and for the time being, it's working out. Should he get some credit for playing better? Sure, but Eddie was the facilitator here -- his poor motivational skills detracted from Haywood's and the team's play last year, and his ability to adjust has had the opposite effect thus far this year.

Besides, why simplify? The answer to a question is always somewhere in the middle.

By the way, that last sentence is the cardinal rule of Bullets Forever.

"But I have to say that I don't see the point of separating mental approach and physical action. They're the same thing to me. "

No one is separating anything. The mind and the body are two different things. Always have been.

"I couldn't care less about a player's mental approach if it doesn't translate to physical success."

But no matter how physically talented a player is, he won't ever be successful if he doesn't have the right mental approach. (See Marbury, Stephon). Coaches love talent, but almost every one will tell you that talent without the proper attitude won't equal success. Haywood's problem, going back to his college days, has always been that he's had the physical ability but that he too often lacked the correct mental/emotional approach to properly employ them. This isn't breaking news. Read just about anything written about him by scouts when he was in/coming out of Carolina.

"I don't think Haywood has suddenly gained any newfound mental focus or skills."

Of course he hasn't gained any new skills. That's exactly my point. For a basketball player, skills are physical, and he's always had the raw physical ability. But, as I said, this isn't about physical ability. As for him gaining new mental focus ... Haywood himself has already addressed that question and said, in no uncertain terms, that he has. He was quoted about two weeks or so ago as saying that last season he was too often worried about his playing time and being pulled from games and that it affected his focus in the game. But with Etan out and knowing that Jordan has no choice but to play him, it's changed his mental approach.

"If Haywood's play was really hurting the team, wouldn't it have been reflected in the plus/minus numbers?"

Numbers don't tell the whole story. They never do. The game is played by human beings, not computers or calculators.

"Besides, why simplify? "

And, once again, I'm not simplifying anything. I'm only stating an already simple, generally well-understood truth. That a person's frame of mind can, does, and will have enormous impact on his performance in any endeavor. And Haywood's mind, for whatever reason, was too often not right prior to this season.

Unbelievable.

If you're going to trot out the tired line of how the game is played by people and not numbers and calculators, then you're honestly not worth anyone's time. Who are you, Joe Morgan?

That noise you just heard was the point flying right past you. But you got those numbers nerds good, so congrats, you have that going for you.

Kal, Prada... What the heck are you guys doing up at 2 or 3 AM talking about the Wiz? And here I thought I had it bad.

Michale Lee's article and BTH himself should end this argument once and for all.

" I've always said if I get the minutes, I can produce and now I'm getting that chance," Haywood said. "For me to know that I'm the center this year is huge for me. I don't have to worry about slow starts or anything else, picking up two quick fouls and not playing the rest of the half. I don't have to worry the mental aspect of the game. I can just go out there and be the type of player I envision myself being."

It was never about ability. It was always about getting the consistent opportunity. Case closed.

Numbers don't tell the whole story. They never do. The game is played by human beings, not computers or calculators.

But the computer showed that the human being who played the game made his team much better. +/- is a very reliable statistic, kal. Its predictive value has been verified.

In fact, the case could be made that in some ways, it's more effective than what we see with our eyes. By that, I mean that some folks -- like me, mark and BF#1 -- saw a guy in Haywood that was getting the job done when he got consistent minutes. You and some others saw a guy who wasn't getting it done. Well, we can't all be right. Therefore, maybe some objective statistics can shed more light on his effectiveness. In this case, I believe they did.

Having seen the Wizards win without Gilbert against an inferior team, I am thinking maybe he should sit when the play the 76ers so that he can get better. I know we Wizards fans can't be overconfident against anyone given the Wizards past history of blowing extremely winnable games, but I am thinking this four-game winning streak may have changed things in that respect.

We don't play again until tomorrow, GT. If he needs to take more than 3 or 4 days off, we're in serious trouble. If he rested the last day or so, I see no reason why he can't play tomorrow. Of course, I'm no Dr.

I am excited that Ivan will be back this morning. With a good game on Saturday, following a great fourth quarter on Friday, we need updates. I hope you had a nice weekend in MN. What's really up with GA's knee? I know the MRI was positive, but then he has to sit out a game? Fortunately, we played very well. What about Nick? No TOs, 17 pts. in 15 min? Does this mean more PT for him? Also, could this make EJ understand that if the rooks are given a chance, they may even produce in important games? A double-double for Antonio, looked better than he has all season by far? This offense moves so smoothly with him as PG. Any thoughts about trying to get more time for GA at SG? I know it handicapps us defensively, but wow, AD distributing the ball to GA, CB, AJ, AB, and suddenly BH as well. That could be the best offensive machine in the NBA! I don't even think Phoenix is that far ahead of that lineup.

What does everybody think?

George,

Good point. Gil's got to get as much rest as he can early in the season. Better to sacrifice a win or two now, if necessary, than risk not having him at full speed for the playoffs.

Gilby sat out the Blazers game b/c of a swollen knee. He might have to get it drained again, if he wants to play, or sit out a long time, and hope it heals. I don't see how this injury is going to get better as the season progresses, and come playoffs time, if Gilby is still like this, he'll make that same decision again..drain or not play.

I'm willing to bet that despite his knee condition, if he gets into the all star game, he's going to go and play.

"I gotta represent my team and the city I love!!!"

I don't know Mark, I think he isn't all the way healthy and it just seems like a week off and maybe the Gilbert won't have to worry about it anymore this season. And keithinator you are correct, but the Wizards might have it the best of all worlds because they can win without Gilbert for the short term.
Ron, we have more depth in terms of scorers, but we still aren't better offensively.

I think the "win without Gilbert" phrase is a bit overblown. Last season, they couldn't win without Caron either. Each of the big 3 are important, but it seems that w/o Caron, this team loses scoring, and most importantly, toughness. Caron is clearly the mvp of this team.

"Caron is clearly the mvp of this team"

DCIdiot88 strikes again.

No matter what you all say, no matter what the situation is, no whether Gilbert plays or not. This DC88 man/woman or whomever, is going to rail on Gilbert. If Gilbert were to have 30pt,11 assists and 12 rebounds, he would still find a reason to put dude down. I only come to his post on occasion but everytime I come it is the same old thing. Apparently this guy/girl doesn't like the Wizards and will jump on any "true" fan who gives the Wizards any type of fan support. I was at the game and it was a great game from all accounts. And, the game prior to that as well. Gilbert will be just fine and is going through no more than what any other player would experience. That is why Jason Kidd and numerous other players told him to take it slow initially. Gilbert and the Wizards will be fine this season as I stated the last time I was here.
'

To put this "Haywood needs minutes to produce" argument to rest, just look up his game log on basketball-reference.com. You'll find tons of games where Haywood played more than 20 minutes and colleceted 4 rebounds or less.

Gilbert has a "sore" knee the other night - not a "swollen" knee and the coaches and trainers decided to let him rest. Point blank.

Wow, the media needs to shut the hell up about Kobe and the Lakers without enough talent, etc. All excuses for a prima donna.

First, they say Kobe doesn't have enough help, now they're saying the Lakers might have the best reserves in the League! WTF? http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=271118013

Anyone see some tongue in cheek humor from Bryant's comment about Kwame?

"The Lakers lost starting center Kwame Brown early in the game as well. Brown left in the first quarter with what the team called moderate sprains of the left knee and ankle. X-rays were negative.

'It's going to be 24-to-48 hours before we really know what's going to happen,' Jackson said. 'I haven't seen it on tape. I know it wasn't a pretty sight.'

Brown was injured when Bulls center Ben Wallace fell into him. Bryant charged into Wallace while driving toward the basket and passing underneath to Brown, who went down in a heap clutching his left leg after the contact, which came as he was going up for a shot.

'He'll be fine. Kwame's a beast,' Bryant said with a smile."

Juandixonformvp, give it a rest. What interests most (admittedly not all) of us is what Haywood's doing now. If you're right that he underperformed before then all that means is that he's a candidate for most improved player. Whatever. Like I said, give it a rest, dude.

I think Caron could well be the team's MVP and it was a great move making him co-captain. With a young team you need the guy who can set an example and work with the young guys. Caron is great with all those things and at the same time has obviously raised his game again since last year. When your top players keep working on and honing their games then the younger and secondary players know they have to keep working too.

DCIdiot88 is wrong again. Caron is a tough and great player but he isn't the MVP. He also is making strides with his leadership skills on this team.

Most MVP type players create shots for themselves and most importantly for others. They have to be playmakers for their team. Gil is the closest the Wiz have to fulfulling those two criterias.

Without Gil, there's no way AJ has that many easy open shots, even more so for DS. Haywood gets many more offensive rebounds when Gil is streaking to the hoop and post players having to help out their perimeter mates. I'm not saying Gil is the best playmaker out there, Kidd probably is and Nash or LeTravel is probably the best combo playmaker/scorer in the league; but with his speed, strength, and shooting skills with enough passing - he puts so much pressure on a defense to help out. That's what makes Gil our MVP with Caron a comfortable second.

Then again, why reason with DCIdiot88? He/She/It obviously has no common sense...

If Gilbert is rested, he should get some PT in against the Sixers at home tomorrow... but no more than is absolutely necessary to keep his game sharp, as it is essential that he be ready to play against the Bobcats on Wednesday.

As I have said in the past, DS cannot contribute offensively when Gilbert is not in the game. AD cannot draw defenders the way Gilbert does, and this means that DS will not be as open as he needs for his shot to be effective. This does not mean that DS should not start as his defense is essential, which will be particularly true against the Bobcats' Jason Richardson... which is why Gilbert must be available in Charlotte if at all possible.

Caron will really have to be at the top of his game both against Philly and Charlotte. Iguodala is the Sixers only real weapon and Gerald Wallace absolutely brutalized the Wizards late last season.

"D.C. Man Is Fatally Shot During Carjacking"

I read this headline and got worried... It better not be our DCman. Not to make light of a serious thing...

By the way, I think it's a little rich to let Haywood slide by on the "all I needed was minutes" business. Etan has been out before, and Haywood hasn't brought the better effort. Also, Etan's presence doesn't explain his other baffling behavioral problems. Like laughing about a loss, or leaving the court early. At the end of the day, having some competition for a job is a healthy thing for the franchise, not matter how scary it can be for Haywood.

A professional, should learn to bring it, with intensity, no matter what role they are being asked to play. 8 minutes, 48 minutes... whatever. Personally, I'm not ready to jump onto the Haywood bandwagon, until he really shows that he can maintain this level of play consistently, and when Etan is back. We have seen him play really well in spurts, and I'm always really happy when he is playing well. SO i hope he keeps it up and keeps me happy, and doesn't dribble the ball in the post (omg).

Last thought. 4 Prada and Kal.

Your argument got a bit existential, I was reading it and thinking of phil jackson...
phil-"see kwame the physical effort can neither be separated not wholly combined with the mental effort... do you hear the sound of one hand clapping?"
kwame-"coach that sound is kobe spanking my ass"
phil-"indeed, and now I suppose you will be asking for a trade."
kwame-"no, just my binky"

huzzah!

Go Wiz, keep the streak going!
I'm just a bit worried about Gil's knee. This is a loooong season, EJ should rest him more to be more productive come the Feb to March push.

BTW, a few post back I was called stupid by The Truth for saying that JCN is better for our bench than Mason. A shout out to Truth, have you seen JCN stats lately. He's now starting for Memphis. Now who's stupid!

Actually folks, Brendan did improve one of his skills this season - he has greatly improved free throws - leading to more points per game. Next, he may want to improve peripheral vision so he can see who is free - does not necessarily need to force a shot all the time. As for dribbling, he does ok when posting up - has a great under and over layup to his right, it's just dribbling and/or bending from the waist after a rebound that gets him in trouble.

stupid cuz JCN didn't wanna play here no matter what, that's the truth!

did anyone elso notice that we start the game the same way every time? BTH does that drop step move for a two handed layup and then never goes back to it again. with his long arms, that move is darn near unstoppable by most guys in the league.

I'm not saying if he wants to play here or not. What I said is, he's a better player. Stupid!

Mitch, why should Juandixonformvp give it a rest when people like Mark aren't giving it a rest?

Juan is right: there were long stretches the past few years where Etan was out and Brendan was the man, and Brendan didn't respond.

And Mark, I read the same article and came to exactly the opposite conclusion: that most of the problem was mental. In the part you quoted Brendan said it was mental. And in the next quote, which you didn't paste, he says this: "I felt when Etan went out, I knew I had to raise my game up because there was a lot of people already doubting me anyway," he said. "If I didn't step up to the plate, they would've been like 'He's just running his mouth for nothing.' I feel like I had a lot of people to prove wrong and I still have people to prove wrong. That's one of my main motivations for this year."

It was never about the minutes, it was about respect or entitlement or whatever goes on in the mind of an underperforming, overpaid sports professional.

I think Mark also posted on here that he had knee surgery, so he may have some insight on rest, recovery, and rehabb.

As to George's question of Arenas sitting out tomorrow night, only if he has actual swelling or fluid accumulation. From my limited experience, only got two knees and only one's been under the knife, trying to layoff for a week or two once you're in rehabb stage only makes it stiffen up and slows things down.

If Gil's knee has been accumulating fluid he needed to back off a little and layoff the back to backs like he did this weekend. If it responded he should get back in the game tuesday and work it again.

It's a process, the only thing that I see that was a mistake was he should have ramped his minutes up slower and should never have tried to play the Boston/Orlando back to back at he season's start.

There is no reason to beleive that Arenas will continue to have to have the knee drained everytime he plays all season long. In fact I don't think they could find a Doctor in his right mind that would even do it.

Having to have your knee drained means that you have to modify your recovery schedule. They don't schedule rehabbs on back to back nights for a reason. And flying also encourages swelling after it's been worked, so that's another reason to be careful with the back to backs for awhile.

My point at the beginning of the season was that Gil and Eddie should have sat down and mapped out the first 10-15 games and planned out which back to back to skip and how to ramp up the minutes from the 18 per game he got in preseason to a normal playing time.

At least they're monitoring it better now, can't say that I was any smarter then Gil they had to drain mine too before I'd slow down.

Thanks for the Compliment Arnie, and Patrick cutting back on the caffine could help lengthen the attention span.

88'er...forget it, it wouldn't help anyway.

Let's hope Ivan gives us an update on Etan when he comes back.

Good point, Prazak. To me it would be nice if everyone-on both sides of the debate- would give it a rest about this subject. I also know I'm not going to get my wish. People start out with conclusions and then pick through the historical record selectively to back up their positions. My feeling about it is why pick the guy apart now and put his butt on trial in the blogosphere when he's performing really well? Do people really care about the team or are the commentators just getting wrapped up in their own egos in terms of who's right and who's wrong? (Obviously it wouldn't be the first time that happened.)

You are right of course that in the past BH has underperformed even when ET was out. I guess my point is why focus on the past negatives when people could be enjoying the present positives:)

A general point, (not directed at you Prazak b/c you're you're pretty concise)if people just thought to themselves "have I said this before?" before posting something there'd be a lot less verbiage and a lot shorter posts on all sides of all issues (I've been guilty of repeating myself at times too).

BTH has been a bright spot to the underwhelming Les BouleS team thus far this season. If people have problems over that, then they're just angry that their predictions of his demise were BS.

Maybe if BTH sensationalized his summer activities, wanted to opt out of his contract for more money, loaned teammates fur coats, dunked on old whinos at the local projects during summer league, dissed his NBA fraternity, etc., then I'd call him a loser and bad guy myself, but he's done none of that. All BTH did during the offseason was work out and watch 24, so he says.

Mitch, you're right, it's not an easy question to answer. I, for one, am done discussing it. It just grinds my gears when someone throws out the whole "games are played by players, not numbers" cliche. As a blogger, I've heard that one enough.

Go Wiz, keep the streak going!
I'm just a bit worried about Gil's knee. This is a loooong season, EJ should rest him more to be more productive come the Feb to March push.

BTW, a few post back I was called stupid by The Truth for saying that JCN is better for our bench than Mason. A shout out to Truth, have you seen JCN stats lately. He's now starting for Memphis. Now who's stupid!

Posted by: Dave, | November 19, 2007 10:58 AM

wow congrats he has had 1 good game and one so so game. Yet still doesn't play in close games cause his D sucks. when he is in the game MEM can't even play man they play zone. So yeah it's still stupid to think he would've helped us. Like I've said in other posts he is a streak shooter. Key word STREAK. of course he'll have a good game here and there (offensively speaking) but for the most part he won't. At least Roger can play some D. Hell Navarro gives up as much as he scores. Plus we have Nick Young who is as good offensively now as navarro and better in D and has a ton more upside. And to think in any way he would've came here is stupid also. Everyone needs to realize JCN was never let me repeat that NEVER going to come here(thank god). He signed in mem for 500k he wanted 3mil+ to come here. And thats was after we pretty much had DS signed. So all in all I still say to think he would've helped this team is STUPID. And yes I've watched him. Probably more than anyone on this blog. I have a sat dish. I saw him play before we drafted him. He is a decent player..... in spain. And he couldn't D up guys over there.

Allow me to illustrate the Haywood issue once and for all:

1. I have been a starter on the team for many years and have always meshed better with my starting teammates better than my counterpart(s).

2. But I start with at least 2 guys that have always acted like sieves playing defense. One PG and more frustratingly, my good buddy from NC, the PF AJ.

3. Now what happens when either of their men drives right past them to bucket, possession after possession? I gotta help out and when I help out, they're not there to help out on the rebounding or boxing out or rotating. It gets the whole team discombobulated defensively. I mean the 4 position should be helping me out protecting the paint, but instead he's playing the ole' defense and putting all his efforts on the other end of the court.

5. When I need to rotate to help them out, I'm caught out of position to rebound - I'm not a smaller quick guy like a young Ben Wallace; I can't recover like those guys can. That's another reason why I can rebound so much better off the offensive glass - I can seek rebounding position knowing the shot is going to go up and I don't have to react and recover like I do on the defensive end.

6. Then this cat, EJ, calls me out in front of teammates and in the papers for not getting enough rebounds and playing defense and all that. Like this is all my doing and I'm not putting any effort. All this while my boy Gil and AJ are exempt from defensive criticism or effort except for lip service by EJ. One man, or 3 can't play team defense for 5 guys!

7. This pisses me off getting repeatedly thrown under the bus by this defensively challenged coach who can't see the big picture. I may not be the most gifted and best defensive center, but my plus and minus numbers for my whole career speaks for itself when I'm on the floor.

8. On the flipside, I'm not going to go to the press and openly call out my 2 teammates (even though I am here) about their defensive weakness because really it's EJ's fault for not holding them accountable. They can certainly play passable defense, but they get a free pass from EJ and that's where my beef with him is at. How much motivation do I have playing help defense and rebounding when my efforts are not appreciated but instead I'm being thrown under the bus by the head coach? How fair is that? And I don't even have to mention the inconsistent minutes. EJ is lucky I didn't throw AJ, Gil, ore more appropriately EJ himself under the bus like he did me but I'm a team player so I just say that if given the consistent minutes I would perform.

9. With Coach Ayers help and input, defense is now more than just a lip service by the WHOLE team and it is so much better team defense when AB is playing next to me. I don't have to worry as much about his man beating him off the dribble and having to play help defense as much. Things are that much better and that allows me to rebound and play to my strengths. That is the reason why this is my best season so far.

HOPE THIS CLEARS UP EVERYTHING ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!

Good post by "BTH."

BTW, it is not invalid to think that Caron is the MVP of the Wiz so far this year for his leadership, shooting and all around good play.

Wow, I didn't know that Mason is defensive stopper....I thought we got him cause of his ability to hit beyond the arc.....which JCN is better :-) I've also watched quite a bit of him with Mem and with the Spanish team.

don't start putting words in my mouth son! You will never find a post were I said mason was a defensive stopper. I said he can play D which Navarro can't. This team doesn't need scoring we have scorers. What a back court Gil and JCN what D would we play? I know worse than matador. And if you have watched him then you should know how the ONLY thing he can do is shoot and he doesn't do it consistently. You should know how HORRIBLE he is at the defensive end. Give me a break, JCN. Do you even look at the fact there is no possible way we could've even kept him. NO of course not the only thing you look at is he has had 2 decent games. well get ready he's gonna have a few more hell I could have a few good ones getting shots as wide open as he has. Your just another one of these know it all guys who think we should scrap the defense and go all offense. Good call coach, that might work in 5th grade but not in the pros. we need and have needed DEFENSE. Once again we have scorers. And we got a conditional 1st rounder for him I'll take that any day.

At least JCN is a STREAK shooter...your beloved Mason doesn't have any O or D on him. Who says we don't need defense....if your answer for defense is Mason then kiss the Wiz playoff goodbye :-)
You mentioned JCN has a couple of good games....how about your son?
Remember you insulted me first. I was just expressing my "humble" opinion which I believe I'm entitled as all of the bloggers here. BUT I also realize that there are some here that tends to think that they know it all and they are better than others :-)

once again your just making stuff up to look better. Mason plays defense compared to your god Navarro. Second the mason for Navarro argument is dumb because there is no way we could've kept navarro, Stevenson , Blatche under the cap. It came down to Stevenson and Navarro. JCN wanted to much money. Mason signed for pennys. So keep praying to your God JCN and the wiz and I will keep winning with defense.

Your name fits you well. "The truth", it's like you know it all and ALWYAS correct :-)
The wiz practically got nothing for JCN. Well the Wiz will be playing Memphis soon. We'll see if your son get the better of JCN, okay? :-)

because on this topic I do know it all. Your still stuck in the fantasy world where you actualy believe we had a chance to bring him here. get up to date

In your first post to me you mentioned that your son is way better than JCN. Now you are diverting your route...whats up with that. You can't win in a debate like that :-)

once again your making sh*t up. I never said my son was better than navarro. Cause I don't have any kids. So you need to get your facts straight. There are some kids I've coached that are comparable for sure. either way, you obviously have no clue about JCN or his situation so until you read up on him and watch more than 1 of his games you shouldn't try to say jack about him. Your still stuck in the fantasy world where you actualy believe we had a chance to bring him here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To refresh your memory I'll re-post the one your reply to me:

then your stupid! how about JCN 1-5 game the other night or the 23% shooting from the field or his 4 turnovers not to mention the comentators in MEM complaning about his defense. Get real. Once again, I've seen this guy play many times I'll take roger or Deshawn anyday over him. We do need some help scoring right now but JCN is not the answer. But it doesn't matter to anyone on here cause obviously evryone thinks he's a god. He is streakier than a fat mans underwear. and undersized. EG is a genius for making this trade, even if we never see the pick it's still a good trade.

Posted by: the truth | November 9, 2007 02:49 PM

So what can you say? Did you enjoy the game with the grizz....I told you he was good.