Some Thoughts After the Orlando Game

by mamemimo on Nov 4, 2007 4:19 AM EDT

[Weekend Editor's Note: Because nothing replaces actually being at the game, here's mamemimo's thoughts from tonight's game. -Jake]

I actually had the chance to go to the Wizards' home opener tonight, and I did enjoy myself, despite the crappy seats and crappy Wizards. I had a couple of observations tonight:

The Wizards, especially Gilbert, have become very passive on offense. Now, I can chalk some of it up to rust - especially Gil, but we've been settling for jumpers way too much and not taking it to the hole. Gil did try to force things in the fourth, with disastrous results. I think its gonna take some time for him to come back to full speed - which should be expected after knee surgery. This does not excuse Butler or Jamison, who jacked up way too many shots. The bottom line is, we are a team that thrives at the free throw line - and we're not getting there.
Andray Blatche is not allowed to participate in the offense. He always spots up in the low post opposite of the ball carrier at the beginning of each play. He gets involved in setting screens and offensive rebounding, but that's it. His role appears to be exactly what Eddie had for him last year - and that's not good. He's got the best low post moves on the team (and that's not saying much) and we need to let him sniff the ball some.
Hedo Turkoglu ALWAYS fries us. See my sig. Thanks to sierradave for saying it first.
The Wizards ARE capable of playing good defense. Shocking, isn't it? While I do think they've been playing better D this year than last (although there's no real statistical proof) we were still not closing out on the three point shot and allowing too much penetration down the middle. Tonight, however, the Wizards played (gasp!) lockdown defense from the beginning of the third quarter until about 10 minutes left in the fourth. We looked GOOD. We were closing out on threes, playing good one-on-one D, NOT switching on every screen, etc. If I was Randy Ayers, I would make the entire team watch a loop of the third quarter, while I screamed "THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT!" over and over again, for eight hours straight.
Brendan Haywood is having a career year (all three games of it), but his conditioning will not allow him to play all four quarters. Haywood played 32 minutes - which is not bad, but not great, but was still relieved by Songalia in the middle of the fourth. Why? Because he was tired. Haywood picked up two cheap fouls and his defense and rebounding really slacked in the fourth. Now he should be able to go 35 or so minutes without really getting tired if he wants to be a starter (especially on this team, which rides its starters hard), but (more importantly) Eddie needs to manage his minutes better so that Haywood can play in crunch time. There is no reason that we should have Songalia at the 5, on DWIGHT HOWARD with three minutes left.
Eddie Jordan always makes wholesale substitutions after we go on a run. This occurred in the second quarter - right after my friend Jake (not the snake) says to me "We're doing too well, Jordan's gonna pull all of them." Sure enough, we got a bizarre lineup of Daniels, Mason, Songalia, McGuire and Jamison, and the run promptly came to a halt. In the second half, Eddie broke what I believe is the Cardinal rule of Wizards substitutions - always have at least one member of the Big Three in. With this much offensive firepower, we should never put the big guns away.

I know this looks pretty negative, but it is hard to be positive after opening up 0-3. There are good things to note - we held a good offensive team to 43% shooting, and there is no way the Big Three will continue to shoot this poorly. Our defense is looking like it is improving - if not by the leaps and bounds that we hoped for. Let's hope we get settled and begin playing the way we know we can.

Yo! This represents the view of the user who wrote the FanPost, and not the entire Bullets Forever community. We're a place of many opinions, not just one.

0 recs | Comment 15 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Awesome stuff mamemimo

Now be honest, did the Wizards use Chocolate Rain as their intro music this year?

Bullets Forever: Your place for the very latest in Wizards news and PhD-level analysis.

by JakeTheSnake on Nov 4, 2007 4:25 AM EDT 0 recs

Thanks

This is what happens when I don't make it on Sportstalk 980 during the ride home.

They didn't use Chocolate Rain as their intro - it was that new Kanye West song "Stronger." They did have a great video sequence on the awesome new HD scoreboard with Caron, Gilby and DeShawn rolling up in their Bentleys (or Maybachs , in Gil's case) and showing up at the red carpet all pimped out. It was pretty hilarious.

The Washington Wizards: providing career scoring nights for unknown opposing bench players since 2004.

by mamemimo on Nov 4, 2007 10:03 AM EST up 0 recs

my initial impressions

this team looks full of themselves. haywood is playing out of his mind. gilbert is a step slow. caron is coming around. jamison is rushing shots. teams are still focusing on jamison when on offense, and abusing him. our 3 point defense is 10 times worse then last year, when it was bad. eddie jordan is horrible at managing the rotations. no matter what randy ayers does, he cant fix a 13 year career of horrible defensive skills so as long as jamison is on the floor we are doomed.

this is why all offseason i said that Jamison would be better on the bench. We would be SOOOOOO much more effective with:

Arenas-Mason Jr-Butler-Blatche-Haywood starting and
Daniels-Stevenson-McGuire-Jamison-Songalia off the bench.

Bury Nick Young. he was overrated at USC and is lost out there.

We have a shooting guard that scares no one on a team with a penetrating point guard. Plus Deshawn fancies himself a power player, where is there room for his game when Arenas is on the floor?

We have a power forward who cant defend anyone at the most athletic post position on a team that cant defend as a whole. How is this the smartest thing to do? There was a reason he was a 6th man of the year...

We have an athletic four, who would allow us to have a twin towers effect to start the game:

Arenas-Mason Jr-Butler-Blatche-Haywood

make Jamison your first substitution (7 minutes in)so you can have Blatche come in and give Haywood his rest at the start of the 2nd. Run Arenas and Butler all 1st quarter.

Arenas-Mason-Butler-Jamison-Haywood

Sub in Daniels for Mason with 3 minutes left in the 1st and move Arenas to shooting guard.

Daniels-Arenas-Butler-Jamison-Haywood

Start the 2nd quarter with:

Daniels-Arenas-McGuire-Jamison-Blatche.

Take Arenas out at the 10min mark, bring Stevenson in.

Daniels-Stevenson-McGuire-Jamison-Blatche
(this is the weakest point of our rotation- bt we should be able to run the pick n roll game with AD and AJ like in the playoffs)

Take McGuire out with 7 minutes to go to bring back in Butler.

Daniels-Stevenson-Butler-Jamison-Blatche

Bring back Gil and Songalia for the last 6 minutes of the 2nd

Arenas-Stevenson-Butler-Jamison-Songalia

with Haywood back in with 4 minutes left for Jamison:

Arenas-Stevenson-Butler-Songalia-Haywood.

Am I missing how this is so difficult? Run the same rotation until Nick Young is worthy of stealing Stevenson minutes (spelling Arenas a little more) when Perch returns, give him some Haywood/Blatche minutes. Bring Haywood back in with more then four left in the 4th quarter if he's doing his thing.32-35 minutes a game for him.

07-08 Reg Season Stndgs(predicted 8/6/07) 1 Chi 52-30 2 Was 51-31 3 Cle 50-32 4 Bos/Det 48-34 6 Tor/Mia 47-35 8 NJ 44-40 9 NY/Orl 42-42

by kdp922 on Nov 4, 2007 10:49 AM EST 0 recs

Blatche should not start

Its fantastic that andray blatche got signed to a long term deal, but no team, unless it is a lottery team, should play its younger players without them earning. Its great that he did well in the preseason and he has been doing well in practice, but until he shows on a consistent basis when he is on the FLOOR, that he can play with the big boys, which he has not, he is not ready for the starters job. He has shown flashes of fantastic talent, but for his talent to develop into actual play, he must earn his minutes on the floor not just bestowed them because you guys think he should be playing. Jamison is the proven veteran, he works hard and plays well, tell me why he should not start.

by chmelikt on Nov 4, 2007 5:51 PM EST up 0 recs

Because he's playing like crap

And he could be used well as a sixth-man offensive sniper, where he has succeeded before.

I'm not officially aboard the "start Blatche!" train, but I can see it's reasoning. If Eddie isn't starting Blatche just because of the whole "no team should play its younger players without them earning minutes" credo, then he's made a major mistake.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Nov 4, 2007 6:31 PM EST up 0 recs

Jamison was 6th man in Dallas?

Right? I think this is the only time Jamison played off the bench that you are referring to. Jamison was effective, winning 6th man of the year I think, but he wasn't happy. I remember a story relayed by Ivan Carter that Jamison only took the late bus to practice a few times in his career, in Dallas, because he was unhappy there. I think the implication there was that he was unhappy not being a starter. In light of Jamison's captain status, moving Jamison to the bench would create resentment and be a huge shake up in a bad way. Especially when you would be benching a veteran, for a completely unproven player based purely on his potential.

I understand that making Jamison happy isn't the number one priority of this team. But I think people underestimate how necessary it is to have Jamison starting, even when playing poorly.

by Aldo on Nov 4, 2007 7:11 PM EST up 0 recs

I remember that story

It was in reference to Andray Blatche, and how Jamison cornered him one time last year to preach work ethic.

Taking the second bus to a game is not a sign of malcontent, as much as Jamison tries to make it seem like that. If you read Seven Seconds or Less, you'd know that pretty much every Sun starters took the late bus that year. The second bus is actually supposed to be for the key players, and it's only those that rise above who take the earlier bus.

I'm not advocating moving Blatche into the starting lineup ahead of Jamison, but if the only holdup is worrying about how Jamison will react, then I think that's a silly thing to worry about.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Nov 4, 2007 7:56 PM EST up 0 recs

Interesting

I haven't read 7 seconds or less and I didn't know that. That's interesting.

My point, however, was broader than how Jamison would react.

by Aldo on Nov 4, 2007 8:29 PM EST up 0 recs

No, I know

Didn't mean to be so antagonistic.

It's not an open and shut case here, and I'm not sure how I think, but I know that we shouldn't worry about Antawn's feelings.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Nov 4, 2007 8:43 PM EST up 0 recs

going to hang in there

i found myself really down on jamison this morning as well. he used to be a guy you didn't have to run plays for and he'd get a lot of garbage putbacks and runners and the occasional open jumper, but now he's either taking his sweet time in the post, or jacking up three pointers, often early in the offense, all the while playing horrible defense. that's not going to get it done this year. ideally he's probably a matchup guy who you play in spots where you can get an advantage with him. however he's a team captain who means so much more to this team, and eddie's going to ride him the whole season long, for better or worse.

(if for worse, look for a long season and the team to get broken up in the offseason.)

i came into this season thinking:
- the big 3 would be healthy and playing well,
- continuity would be an advantage,
- eddie could mix and match with songaila, blatche, daniels, mason, and the rookies,
- 'tawn and arenas would play well in contract years
- butler would be hungry to prove his being an all-star last year wasn't a fluke
- the wiz would surprise people and be better than people predicted

right now, aside from a major injury, this is the worst start you could have. they look like a team that goes one-on-one and relies solely on jumpers, and even the players look and talk like they doubt this is really going to work. last night's loss, more than the previous two, REALLY was a bad one.

as much as i'd like to start making wholesale changes, try jamison as 6th man, try mason or caron at 2 guard, go big up front, etc., i think the best thing at this point is just to sit tight and hope what most of thought we'd see this year eventually comes to be.

lastly, i'm kind of pissed at mike wise for stirring the pot so blatantly. you see what haywood does when he has some confidence and some people behind him. same goes for the team. i hope they get there... soon.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Nov 4, 2007 12:06 PM EST 0 recs

Where's the Mike Wise article?

Link?

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Pradamaster on Nov 4, 2007 6:31 PM EST up 0 recs

Link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/02/AR2007110202231.html

by Aldo on Nov 4, 2007 6:58 PM EST up 0 recs

Another link

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/ian_thomsen/10/31/early.season/index.html

As somewhat of a counter-point to Mike Wise's concern, although not about the Wizards, this is an article by SI's Ian Thomsen advising not to overestimate the early-season. There might be some reasons to be genuinely concerned about Washington's start this season, but this article makes some good points about keeping perspective.

by Aldo on Nov 4, 2007 7:04 PM EST up 0 recs

How do y'all feel...

about my suggestion to put Mason Jr in as starting 2 guard?

I think the impact to the penetration games of Arenas and somewhat Butler would be greatly aided by a true sharpshooter spacing the floor.

While I like DeShawns game and wanted him re-signed, it seems like he's in the way out there with Gil and Caron. Leave Rog on the perimiter and teams arent so quick to sag down and help in the lane. More easy baskets and more importantly, more fouls on the opponents bigs.

07-08 Reg Season Stndgs(predicted 8/6/07) 1 Chi 52-30 2 Was 51-31 3 Cle 50-32 4 Bos/Det 48-34 6 Tor/Mia 47-35 8 NJ 44-40 9 NY/Orl 42-42

by kdp922 on Nov 5, 2007 9:07 AM EST 0 recs

seems like a good idea for me

although deshawn was great last year at hitting the open two-point shot. it seems like a bigger problem is they aren't passing the ball much. as for mason vs. deshawn, i would prefer to get 3 points rather than 2 out of swinging the ball to our open jump shooters, but i think deshawn is a better defender.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Nov 5, 2007 10:06 AM EST up 0 recs