It's always sunny when you play against Washington: Sixers 104, Wizards 89

by JakeTheSnake on Dec 14, 2008 2:11 PM EST in Recaps Comment 36 comments

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Highest Plus/Minus: Andray Blatche (+3)
Lowest Plus/Minus: Caron Butler (-21)
Best Five Man Unit: Mike James, Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, Darius Songaila, Andray Blatche (+4 during the 2nd Quarter)
Worst Five Man Unit: Juan Dixon, DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, JaVale McGee (-7 to start the game)

After YELLFEST '08 on Thursday night, I thought we'd see a more focused, concentrated effort against Sixers. It didn't happen. If it wasn't for the hot shooting of Mike James and Juan Dixon, as well as the Sixers' inability to capitalize on the Wizards porous perimeter defense (only 2-12 from beyond the arc despite a lot of open looks), the margin of victory probably would've been closer to what we saw against the Celtics.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting a win last night because the Sixers are a better team and they had the added motivation from the coaching change, so the end result didn't shock me all that much, but I was expecting them to be much more admirable in defeat than they were last night.

I'm not going to speculate on what's going on in the locker room because frankly, I have no idea what's going on in there outside of what gets reported, but this doesn't look good:

An observation: the body language on this team is starting to go south quickly. Just watching these guys from the very start, it's easy to tell that the losing and uncertainty is taking a toll. A reporter sitting next to me offered this thought two minutes into the game: "Look at them, it's like five Calvin Booths walking up the court." I like big Calvin but my colleague was right: I saw five guys with slumped shoulders walking up the court with heads down. Not good.

Having a bunch of Calvin Booths on the court might be good for the team's Q rating, but it's not going to help in the W-L column. The thing to keep in mind is that the NBA season is a grind: There are highs and lows and everything in between in any season. The surface issues have been dogging the team over the last two games will get fixed soon enough, but if we keep playing like a bunch of Calvin Booths, all the deconstructed Twinkies in the world won't fix the deep seeded problems with the team right now.

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What do you know

the team’s best five-man unit included Nick Young and Andray Blatche (and Taser). But yeah, the veterans are upset with the lack of effort.

(I’ll stop doing that, I promise.)

by Jon L on Dec 14, 2008 2:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

i take solice in the suprising season the redskins are having

oh. dammit. go caps.

by little stevie colter on Dec 14, 2008 4:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

thats right

the verizon center was banging last friday night. keep it up caps

by hibachi on Dec 14, 2008 4:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

They have bad body language because they stink

They don’t stink because they have bad body language.

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

by Mike Prada on Dec 14, 2008 5:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Their body language shows their attitude about how they’re playing. Obviously, their attitude reflects how they are playing, but it also affects how they play. It’s a two way street.

Resigning yourself to losing to a separate problem than losing.

by Aldo on Dec 14, 2008 5:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ahh yes, the classic chicken/egg discussion

And I definitely oversimplified it. My point was only to say that they would not have bad body language if they didn’t stink. Therefore, while it’s distressing that they currently have bad body language, the focus should be on improving on-court play, not improving body language.

Personally, my feeling is that good play leads to happy people, not the other way around.

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

by Mike Prada on Dec 14, 2008 5:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That being said, though

There’s something really rotten going on behind the scenes. That, I suppose, is evident in the body language. And that is a much bigger problem than the losing, even if losing caused it.

I guess that was your point?

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

by Mike Prada on Dec 14, 2008 5:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Very true

There’s something really rotten going on behind the scenes. That, I suppose, is evident in the body language. And that is a much bigger problem than the losing, even if losing caused it.

I get the deep, dark feeling at some point down the road Jamison is going to start naming names in one of his rants and that’s when the season will go to crap for good.

Bullets Forever: A blog dedicated to the Washington Wizards with analysis, commentary, and more YouTube videos than your eyes can handle.

by JakeTheSnake on Dec 14, 2008 6:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

For the most part that is what I'm saying.

I’m not saying chicken versus egg. I’m not saying they feed into each other, like Jake says below. So when you’ve got a bad attitude about losing, and you’re performing poorly, you’re in real trouble.

I definitely agree that there are more fundamental problems than what we are seeing. All we’re seeing is the tip of the iceberg. The problems are more fundamental than simply not executing on the court.

I also agree that winning would fix all the problems, but it’s not possible to start with winning and work backwards. You can’t say: “Successful people make a lot of money. Therefore if I make a lot of money, I’ll be successful” unless you do everything else that comes with being successful. That’s where I disagree with you below where you say that body language is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. It’s a false dichotomy to choose between winning versus “making interpretations from body language.”

And to be clear, I don’t think the fundamental problem is poor body language. And I don’t think telling everyone to force smiles would change anything. The emerging problem is the attitude towards losing. Saying that the attitude towards losing wouldn’t be a problem if they weren’t losing is true, but it misses the point.

I was thinking that the attitude towards losing is more “fixable” than the ball not going in the basket, but as I think about it, i might be talking myself out of that. Need to think about that some more.

by Aldo on Dec 14, 2008 6:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Response

The emerging problem is the attitude towards losing. Saying that the attitude towards losing wouldn’t be a problem if they weren’t losing is true, but it misses the point.

Yeah, I hear you and that makes sense. I suppose all I was really trying to say is that these types of things happen on a 4-17 team that had playoff aspirations. But you’re right, it kind of does miss the point.

The larger point is the one you’re reassessing now, which is that its more productive to fix on-court play than losing attitude.

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

by Mike Prada on Dec 14, 2008 6:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I know

I probably should’ve phrased that differently (I’ve been saying that too much lately). The stinking leads to the bad body language which in turn leads to more stinking. It’s a perpetual cycle of suck.

Is smiling and high-fives necessarily going to fix that? No, but it would be nice to see.

(Related tangent: You know who smiles a lot? Nick Young. Surprisingly, his minutes go down and the team’s body language gets worse. Coincidence? Probably.)

Bullets Forever: A blog dedicated to the Washington Wizards with analysis, commentary, and more YouTube videos than your eyes can handle.

by JakeTheSnake on Dec 14, 2008 5:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You know what sad

You know who smiles a lot? Nick Young. Surprisingly, his minutes go down and the team’s body language gets worse. Coincidence? Probably.

I actually think this is hardly a coincidence. Nick smiles a lot, giving the perception that he doesn’t care about losing. Veterans like Caron and Antawn call him out on it, and Tapscott listens. Therefore, because of the perception that he doesn’t care, he doesn’t play.

I think that’s what you’re seeing with Nick and JaVale. And it’s so damn distressing, because body language is so irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Winning and providing the best chance of that by playing the best players is about 100 times more important that making interpretations from body language.

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

by Mike Prada on Dec 14, 2008 6:02 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

that's interesting

because it sure does seem like mcgee and young have been the ones who’ve seen their playing time cut recently.
if what you say is true, then it really is distressing. i wonder if they’ve done anything more concrete to deserve the bench. neither one seems like a ‘problem’ type of player though.

by little stevie colter on Dec 14, 2008 6:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's all speculation

But that’s the way I’m reading things.

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

by Mike Prada on Dec 14, 2008 6:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well

McGee’s been sitting a lot recently because he’s picking up quick fouls. Or at least that’s the plausible explanation they could give for it. The excuse given for Young (and repeated ad nauseum by Ivan) is poor defense, but they’re getting poor defense from almost the entire roster at this point.

by Jon L on Dec 14, 2008 6:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Cue the

now famous “Etan argument.”

Perception as Prada has pointed out does not equal reality…

Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!

by ledellforlife on Dec 14, 2008 6:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Rec'd

Well said.

Bullets Forever: A blog dedicated to the Washington Wizards with analysis, commentary, and more YouTube videos than your eyes can handle.

by JakeTheSnake on Dec 14, 2008 6:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

but if the Wiz were 4 Calvin Booths

we would be hitting all our 3’s!

(cue Jake’s hi light of Booth’s sweet three pointer from 2 years back)

Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!

by ledellforlife on Dec 14, 2008 6:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

You called?

Here you go.

Bullets Forever: A blog dedicated to the Washington Wizards with analysis, commentary, and more YouTube videos than your eyes can handle.

by JakeTheSnake on Dec 14, 2008 6:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

oh yeah that's the sweet lefty shooting stroke

that he’s known for.
actually that hightlight is more fun for including gilbert making a play. also a painful reminder…

by little stevie colter on Dec 14, 2008 6:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Could it be

and this is purely conjecture – that the vets aren’t just ticked off because of the losing – but because the poor play is hurting they ’League status."

I mean AJ and CB are fairly recent all stars. They won’t sniff the all star game this year. Secondly, when the team sucks, you stop getting calls. Again, this is pure conjecture, but I too think something is rotten in the state of Denmark (or F Street)

Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!

by ledellforlife on Dec 14, 2008 6:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

jeez

I could at least write in English. Sorry about that first sentence.

Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!

by ledellforlife on Dec 14, 2008 6:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i think the gist was clear

but any more bad grammar could lead to probation.
i do actually think there’s a least a little bit to what you said – i think that’s a fact of NBA life, even for vets who are seen as selfless team-first guys like butler and jamison.
not so much specifically about all-star games, but definitely about maintaining a certain statistical level, getting calls, and not being perceived as a not good enough to make your team a winner.
but at the same time, i think for the most part in this case those guys are just frustrated, used to making the playoffs, and now see their fate tied to a bunch of young guys who are unpredictable.

by little stevie colter on Dec 14, 2008 6:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ouch

slapped by someone who doesn’t capitalize. (kidding)

I think the point that Prada makes about Jamison is right on, especially when one considers that he also had to play sixth banana on the Mavs for a bit.

I think it has gone beyond frustration – again conjecture – but barkers like DeShawn arn’t producing and young “help” are not maturing at the proper rate.

But to refute some of my earlier points in in other posts – minutes for the young guys might be the only way out of this mess…

Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!

by ledellforlife on Dec 14, 2008 8:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

capitalize!?

who’s got time?
after thinking about it, i actually have some sympathy for the coach and the vets. no one is in any mood to devote this season to developing the one guys, after signing gilbert and jamison to big deals, but as a fan, with this record, it’s obviously frustrating not to get more of them playing time.
i wonder what the breaking point is record-wise for the team to focus on young players. and will jamison even be here to see it?

by little stevie colter on Dec 14, 2008 9:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

alas

its a self defeating cycle. The worse the Wiz are, the more I think AJ’s stock plummets. Especially at his price.

Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!

by ledellforlife on Dec 14, 2008 9:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah i'm not thinking it's likely

he’ll be moved, just that if they go with young guys, that might coincide with him being moved – maybe quietly asking for a trade, and abe thinking ok, i’d like to do something good for antawn.
pure speculation, of course.

by little stevie colter on Dec 14, 2008 9:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think that's a pretty good guess

Though it sounds a little more sinister than it should be. I’m thinking it’s less about individual goals.

For Antawn, he’s 32 and he has made it out of the first round exactly once in his career. He re-signed here because he really thought this team was close to a championship. Now, he’s once again on one of the worst teams in the league. He’s been there, done that during his Golden State career. That’s definitely pissing him off and he’s taking it out on the rest of the team.

For Caron, I think we’re talking about something similar here. He keeps proclaiming that this is the best team in the East when healthy, and it has to hurt his confidence when we suck so bad. He’s professional enough not to take it out verbally like Antawn, but at the same time, you can see he’s not always trying as hard out there. There’s also the angle that he knows he’s underpaid and he needs to boost himself up for when he’s next a free agent, though that’s a bit of a stretch.

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

by Mike Prada on Dec 14, 2008 6:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Either way

This discussion is setting me up for a monster of a post once Finals finish.

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

by Mike Prada on Dec 14, 2008 6:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

If Caron and Antawn start mailing it in on a regular basis...

this team could wind up down in Thunder territory… Leaders, someone once told me, are “supposed to do leaderly things”… So its time to suck it in, guys. You are better than that.

On a related note, I just watched a bit of the Hornets-Raptors game on three hour delay here. Antonio Daniels played 9 minutes in relief of Chris Paul, during which he dealt out five dimes… His front-court reserve counterpart, James Posey, tossed in a bunch of threes, and the two veterans’ combined efforts made all the difference in the world in a relatively easy win for New Orleans. I am happy for Antonio.

Anyway, here IMO is what our captains should do now.

1. Go to their coach and say, "Look, we have come too far to let this thing slip any further. If the Wizards become any more dysfunctional the reputations we have built for ourselves and the respect this team was beginning to get in the community and around the league are at great risk. "

2. “We recognize that, in addition to Gilbert and ourselves, some or all of the young guys you’ve brought in are the future of this team and we know we cannot afford for them to acquire a loser’s mentality.”

3. "If you commit yourselves to giving serious playing time to Nick Young, JaVale McGee, Dominic MacGuire, Javaris Crittenton and Andray Blatche, we will commit ourselves to doing everything we can to help them accelerate their development. We will be coaches on the floor. We will point out mistakes. We will demand honest effort. We will not gripe or whine to the media and we will be mentors in the locker room and during time off as well. "

4. “We like DeShawn and we know he can contribute when he plays alongside Gil, but we will talk to him about the long-term value of giving up his minutes to Nick Young at this point .”

5. “We respect Darius for what he can do on the floor and we will need his help in doing our job as leaders, too.”

6. “We will join you in explaining to Juan, Mike and Etan that their help is needed but that they must realize their roles will be to contribute in spots and to also help bring the kids along faster.”

7. “If along the way we can save this season, fine, but what is at stake is much bigger than one season, it is living up to the meaning of the words being used to market the WIzards, especially character and commitment….”

Anyway, that’s pretty much how I see it,

by khrabb on Dec 14, 2008 6:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I wish they'd do that

But I think it’s perfectly understandable that they don’t. As mentioned above, Antawn has been on losing teams his whole career and time is running out. Meanwhile, for Caron to preach player development and punt the season would be a poor reflection of his on-the-record statements that this team is the best in the East when healthy.

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

by Mike Prada on Dec 14, 2008 6:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The person who should be doing that is Ed Tapscott

Or Ernie Grunfeld. Really, it should be Ed. He needs to command respect instead of letting the vets run the asylum.

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

by Mike Prada on Dec 14, 2008 7:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well yes the coach should be doing it...

but being a Captain carries a special responsibility too. We have seen what Antawn and Caron can do when they believe in themselves and their teammates… and also, while the NBA is a business, basketball is still a game that is meant to be played with joy and enthusiasm… that brings us back to the body language thing that got this whole rather interesting thread rolling. Who wants to watch a team of defeatists collecting huge paychecks and dissing their peers and their profession… we’ve got enough of that going on in the real world in DC anyway.

by khrabb on Dec 14, 2008 7:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

True

but if Tapscott stars wielding that butt/bench/brain hammer, wouldn’t we be better off with EJ?

I think the problem is that this team does NOT need a disciplinarian as a head coach (or Eddie would still be here) but a player (preferably veteran) who puts defense first and sets an example by locking down opponents and/or putting them on their butts.

I love CB and AJ but they are terrible defenders. And DeShawn certainly lost the keys to his nickname this year.

Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!

by ledellforlife on Dec 14, 2008 8:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ISO a veteran defender....

Jared where art thou :-)

by khrabb on Dec 15, 2008 6:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This is an interesting conversation . . .

and I know this is going to sound stupid but !#*#@ the damn veterans on this team. In the past few years they’ve done a lot for this organization, but you know what they are becoming the problem and it makes me angry.
You know what Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, I respect and admire your accomplishments, but you know what it is time for you to look in the mirror. Neither one of you are worth a damn on defense and you hardly do anything to get better at it. Instead of understanding where this team is and trying to make the best of it by encouraging are young talent so that the coaching staff can develop them, you criticize them and complain. The two of you are part of this mess just as much as the young kids are, so shut up, play hard and get behind the young’uns because it’s guys like McGee, Blatche and Young that can help this team get where it wants to go!
And DeShawn Stevenson doesn’t get a pass either because for all the talk that he is a much better player with Gilbert on the floor (and I am not disagreeing with it) he had a lot of good moments last year when Gilbert was on the floor. There’s is no excuse for his play.

There rant over, I feel better (but I am a Redskin fan so not much better). C! A! P! S! CAPS! CAPS! CAPS!

"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck

by George Templeton on Dec 15, 2008 12:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs