if it walks like a duck....
by CJHutch on Nov 29, 2009 9:25 AM EST
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I hate to say it, but we may have just overshot in our expectations with this team. I was as guilty as anyone in thinking that our depth and overall talent would push us into the upper crust this year. But I also, like most everyone else, knew that our lack of frontcourt talent would be what held us back. I just didn't think it would hold us back this much.
I know there are many other things to point to for our struggles right now. Such as..
Arenas is far from the star he was before the initial injury. He used to be in, or at least near, the same league as Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Paul Pierce, etc. I know he says he's "holding back", but I think it's much more than that. I see him passing up shots that he used to take in his sleep, shots he used to RELISH taking. That's no holding back, that's lacking confidence. And it shows in his free throw shooting as well. One good sign is that he seems to be able to move with his trademark quickness, and get to the basket, when he so chooses. So maybe we haven't seen the last of "Agent Zero." Hopefully he just needs a 40 point outburst to boost his confidence.
Butler, to me at least, is a different story. He just looks to me like a completely different player this year. Not only has he morphed into a complete jumpshooter, he too seems to lack confidence. But it's more than that. He is making bad decisions all over the place. Passing up open looks to get a step closer, only to then be challenged. That tells me he has a lack of faith in his shooting ability. But when he drives to the basket, he just seems a step slower than his defender. Also, he is dribbling the air out of the ball on the wings, and pump faking WAY too much.
Our injuries are a legit problem, but they aren't the reason why we are where we are. Given our much - touted depth, we should be able to handle the (short term) loss of any player other than Haywood. So I refuse to use injuries as an excuse this year. The simple fact is that our "depth" has not been playing as good as we envisioned. I know my thoughts on Foye are not popular, but I stick by them. I'm not saying he is a bad player. I just don't think his talent is the right fit for this team. Sure, he's underachieved, but I think he's the type of player that needs major minutes to make an impact, and he just won't get them here.
Now, there ARE a few bright spots to garner optimism....
Brendan Haywood is playing terrific. I will be the first to admit that I had long lost faith in him. But I will also admit that I have a true affinity for big guys who "play big", and Haywood is doing that heaps this year. No, he is not going ot beat you with his athleticism, but he IS beating guys with his length, strength, and smarts right now. Personally, and I NEVER thought I'd say this, but I do believe he deserves to be mentioned in the all star talk. No, I'm not saying that he IS an all star, but he at least deserves to be on the ballot.
Antawn Jamison is playing like, well, Antawn Jamison. Not much to say here. You know what you're going to get from him, and you get it every night.
Andray Blache finally seems to have "gotten it." He does what he's supposed to, which is what is needed of your most versatile player. Whether it be 20-10 as a starter, solid post defense, or a spark off the bench, he has become a "glue guy."
Now, for the rest of the young'uns..
I said last week I thought Nick Young should get more playing time. But I didn't think that he would play this well. Right now, in my opinion, he is our best perimeter player on offense. Sure, it's only been a few games. But I think every one of those games has been better than any game Butler has had this year, and about as good as any Arenas has had. Not to mention his much improved defense. As I see it, he should be the starter at SG even when Miller comes back. He seems to play much better when starting, and we know that Miller can thrive in either role. Plus, that would open up Miller to play at the 3 more.
While McGee shows every night that he still needs plenty of work (especially on staying out of foul trouble), he also shows every time he goes out there that he will be a vital part of this team at some point in the (hopefully near) future. His athleticism is off the charts, and he will always be in the thoughts of every player thinking about driving the lane against the Wizards. Again, nothing new to most Wizards fans.
Last, there's McGuire. To me, his (limited) opportunities to show off his defense have proven to me that he is the "defensive stopper" Stevenson is SUPPOSED to be. Why Dom doesn't get more time, I just don't get. Players like Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace have always given us fits, and he seems to legitimately be able to lock them down. That foul call on the breakaway last night was frustrating as hell, cuz I think Dom got all ball. He seems to be developing into a reincarnation of Bruce Bowen, and I hope we don't cast him aside like Miami did Bowen.
Sorry, for the length of this. I didn't think I would go on this much. But I think that we have problems that can't be solved with our current roster which, given our cap situation, and the age/money invested in our big three, really sucks. Am I alone here?
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.
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Gil
I have not missed a game this year and can say without a doubt that he has lost a step since the first 3 games. Yeah he is a head-case right now, but there is something else going on. I would not be surprised to see him shut it down in the next few weeks. He has not gotten a good first step on his defender in weeks and certainly has not finishing like he used to. All this talk about ball distribution and set plays is garbage. He has been playing ball his whole life, and if he still had the tools there would be no problem. He would take the stupid “warmer” off his knee and play like he did in Dallas. Its the same offense. I pains me to say it, but the guy is hurt.
I have been
avoiding that discussion, because as soon as he misses time because of a knee flare up, it means that he is done, a la Penny Hardaway.
He might indeed still be hurt
I’ve been re-watching the Miami game all day, and he certainly looks it. That said – this really is a completely different type of offense from the Princeton, so you absolutely cannot discount all the mental stuff going on.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
maybe, but
this really is a completely different type of offense from the Princeton, so you absolutely cannot discount all the mental stuff going on.
that sounds a lot like what I’ve been hearing about the Redskins and Jason Campbell the last few years. I know it’s an unfair comparison, but, at the end of the day, it’s still basketball. An offense doesn’t dictate whether or not your hot is falling, and/or whether you’ve lost a step. Maybe the offense says Butler should shoot from the outside more, but what does it say you do when those shots aren’t falling? I hate to keep singling out Butler, but I think he’s the only one of the “Big Three” without an excuse. Arenas has a ton of rust to knock off, so I’ll give him some time. And Jamison is older AND playing with a bum shoulder, while STILL being as consistent as ever. Butler should be performing better than both of those guys. And if he doesn’t fit this offense (which is an absurd notion to me) then that’s even more reason to trade him.
I agree re: Butler
Mostly because his role isn’t much different. Gilbert’s, however, is.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
so, there's one
more instance in which we agree on something. See…progress. JK.
Seriously though – yes, Arenas should be given time. Not just because of the offense, but because of the time off. Truthfully, I wouldn’t be surprised if it took him most, if not all, of the season. I just hope that the rest of the team can make up for it. Unfortunately, I don’t see any sign of this from Butler. Also, (and we’ll probably go back to disagreeing here), I don’t think Foye is , er, “as advertised” either. Maybe I was looking at it differently, but I thought Foye would be another “go to guy” for this team. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he COULD be that on his own team, but that’s only if he’s a top 2 option. Again, I realize it’s still very early, but it seems to me that Nick Young is doing what Foye was supposed to do.
Like I said though, it’s still way early. So I guess we’re still at “we’ll see.”
Foye certainly has played very poorly since he came back from injury
Before his injury, I thought he was fine – typical Foye. After his injury, it’s been ugly.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Let's not Throw Foye under the bus yet
He’s been hurt and they have been changing his role alot. Also when I watch him I see an above average defender. Even if NY’s defense is real I’m not sure how he would do against the Ben Gordons, Tony Parkers, Rando’s etc….. When he switched to Parker against the Spurs he prevented Parker from getting layups off, leaving Parker trapped under the basket a couple times after he had been running right through us earlier. I also notice him doing stuff like running back and forth between his man and the weak side big man when the ball is on the other side of the court from him. CB just camps in the passing lane Foye actually works hard and runs back and forth. I’m not too worried about Foye scoring a ton of points and since Boykins got here he hasn’t been playing the point so his assists are down. I envisioned him as go to guy off the bench anyways which will happen as Boykins comes back to Earth.
As for Arenas it’s been pretty clear his legs aren’t there for weeks. You can see him not getting proper Knee bend on jumpers and FT’s. Doesn’t mean he is neccesarily injured though his muscles might be fatigued. Supossedly his leg muscles had atrophied badly before Grover got to him so they might just be worn out after seeing regular duty for a month.
by BayAreaBullet on Nov 30, 2009 2:50 PM EST up reply actions
You ain't alone
I think that we have problems that can’t be solved with our current roster which, given our cap situation, and the age/money invested in our big three, really sucks. Am I alone here?
If I were the GM of this team, this is what I’d require from other teams to “pry” away our big three:
Arenas: I’ll take back a terrible contract, as long as it ends next year or sooner.
Reason: He may become untradeable, and his contract will kill the franchise for 5 years. Might we regret it? Yes, but all that money could be put to good use.
Jamison: If you want his contract, it’s yours. Something expiring or players with acceptable contracts.
Reason: Age and lack of defense. He’s earning his pay this year, but I highly doubt he’ll be worth his escalating $$ in the next two years.
Butler: A good role player and a mid-to-late first round pick. Or just take Deshawn with him and give me expirings.
Reason: I think he’s still pretty good and will eventually adapt to the new system, but I get the distinct impression he’s on the downside of his career. His contract doesn’t hurt that much because he’ll be an expiring next year, so I want more value here.
Somehow, these three are currently among my five least favorite guys on the team (after Stevenson and James, of course). Right now I would trade these three for the three best players on almost any other team. That all changes if Arenas regains his former brilliance this year, but that seems far-fetched now.
well you could trade him for Kenny Thomas or udanis haslem
There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq Chuck Norris lives in Texas
This Arenas controversy is of our own making
It’s gonna take him all year to get his groove back. That’s not surprising we were just expecting an unreasonable recovery rate. We gotta let him work thorugh it unless letting him rest his legs for a week or 2 would help. We gave him that contract so our whole team is invested in him. Lets just be reasonable and let us work through all this. The only thing that would really worry me is if we aren’t playing our best ball at the end of the season.
i think that's a fair point
but he looked so good against dallas. i think everyone got ahead of themselves. it is hard to reconcile that arenas and the one we are seeing now.
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 30, 2009 5:09 PM EST up reply actions
yeah but it's like the 2 games he came in last year
He would be super hot early and then later in the game when his legs tired he would shoot horrendously. His legs were fresh in Dallas and look tired now. Not blaming people for jumping to conclsuions just saying we kinda created a controversy here.
by BayAreaBullet on Nov 30, 2009 5:23 PM EST up reply actions
The only problem is
he hasn’t had a Dallas game since the Dallas game. Maybe you can throw the Nets game in there but then again thats the nets ( 0-17 ). I honestly believe he is still hurt. He has gotten worse game after game. I just think we shouldn’t overlook the knee. I think we are all looking for other reasons because we know what it means if the knee is truly an issue.
well we don't know about the knee
and I feel even if the knee is fine the LEGS should be struggling. It’s easy to tell his legs are beat it’s just that doesn’t neccesarily mean his knee is the problem.
by BayAreaBullet on Nov 30, 2009 6:30 PM EST up reply actions
I asked Flip about the knee today after practice
He said something close to what what BayAreaBullet said.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
"If it walks like a duck"
I thought this post was going to be about LeBron…. He’s a great player and all, but he just doesn’t look graceful when he walks down the court. The dude waddles.
by yop32 on Dec 2, 2009 10:18 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
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