It's nice to have a bench

by Mike Prada on Dec 6, 2007 1:58 PM EST in Recaps

Box Score.
Game Flow.
Post recap.
Times recap.
Wilbon: We're surviving.
Les Bullez: Team Wiz Buries Cavs.
Live blog.
Post: EJ subtly praises Blatche.

Highest plus/minus: Antonio Daniels (+20)
Lowest plus/minus: Andray Blatche and Dominic McGuire (-1)

This game turned in the second quarter, when the Wizards outscored the Cavs 31-13. The lineup that started the quarter? Antonio Daniels, Roger Mason, Caron Butler, Darius Songaila, and Andray Blatche. Eventually, Jamison replaced Butler, and Nick Young replaced Daniels, but we still didn't miss a beat. Essentially, our run was fueled by our bench.

Think about that for a second. When could we say that last year? As long as we had Jarvis Hayes, Michael Ruffin, and Calvin Booth, the best we could hope for on most nights was to tread water with our bench. Now, it's become a strength in many games, especially when the starters have been out of sync offensively.

A lot of the credit goes to the players themselves, especially Andray Blatche for getting serious and Nick Young for scoring in bunches, but let's not forget how much Eddie has improved in this regard. The major problem with last year's bench was that nobody had any role, beyond just "play well." Jarvis played anywhere from shooting guard to power forward, Ruffin, Darius Songaila, and Antawn Jamison were frequently on the floor together, and AD was lost a lot of the time. Eddie was blamed, and rightly so, because the confusing roles were killing the team. This year, though, he's handed bench players very specific tasks, and they've succeeded. Andray Blatche is there to defend, rebound, and hit the occasional jumper. Songaila is there to funnel penetration and play the high post. Young is in there to score, Mason is there to shoot, and AD, when he comes off the bench, is there to run the offense. Eddie's also giving them consistent minutes instead of yanking them in and out when they make mistakes. It's really been refreshing to see.

Would this have happened if Gilbert didn't get hurt? I don't know, based on the way Eddie mismanaged his minutes so badly at the beginning of the season. But with Gilbert out, everyone has developed a defined role, and credit for that has to go to the very coach who mystified us with his substitution patterns last season.

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yeah

its amazing, i dont know what to credit this phenomenon to. Did eddie wisen up? Is the bench this much better? Is it cause gilberts out? I think its might be a little of everything, but mostly just having a better bench. Blatche has improved by leaps this season, songaila is healthy and chipping in with his smart plays, nick young can flat out score(not much else, but damn can he score), and mason can shoot and handle the ball just enough to get by. I still think we need another pg, but thats more because i still cant place my faith in roger mason and based on almost nothing empirical.

by Wooz on Dec 6, 2007 4:21 PM EST reply actions

Consistency is Key

I think the fact that there was not a lot of turnover from last season is very key to the Wizards strong bench this year (in addition to the budding talent).

The rookies coming in could deal with vets who know the lay of the land.

The longer these guys play together, the more they bond.

And as I blogged, I'm really coming around on Nick Young. His feet, along with the nets, are starting to get wet...and confidence in his game is developing.

I even noticed him hustling on Defense last night...now if he could just develop that skills set and smarts...look out.

Peace.

www.truthaboutit.net

by Kyle Weidie on Dec 6, 2007 4:55 PM EST reply actions

blatche

blatche didn't look like he was trying hard last night, and still made a solid contribution. i don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. on the whole i think haywood is playing much better than blatche right now.

young has had several good games in a row. he's 1000 times better than i thought he'd be at this point. mason jr. looked a bit more confident out there the last couple games. i imagine he won't play much other than spot duty once gilbert comes back.

i'm sure they'll be nights when the bench lets us down, but on the whole an improved bench is what i thought would be the difference this year, and so far its looking good.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Dec 6, 2007 5:06 PM EST reply actions

world of difference

I agree completely. Watching the game is more enjoyable knowing that if the starters are sputtering in the first quarter that you've got guys who can come in and spark the team, both offensively (everyone) and defensively(Blatche). Young is a gem and a future star. Plus he and Blatche are fun to watch.

by hotplate on Dec 7, 2007 8:44 AM EST reply actions