For Washington? You have your guys. Caron Butler (20 and 10) finally came through with a Caron Butler-type outing, but Gilbert Arenas is floating, and it's worth wondering aloud if the insistence on having Earl Boykins dominate the ball down the stretch is hurting this team. 18 and four assists with no turnovers in 26 minutes for Earl, he's certainly contributing at an efficient clip, but what does it matter if better players can't be themselves.
Then again, is Gilbert Arenas himself? We guessed it would take at least a month for the real GA to pop back, and it's been that long.
Kelly Dwyer in today's Behind the Boxscore. I'm quoting this because I think it perfectly sums up the dilemma with Arenas and with the extended use of Earl Boykins down the stretch.
3 months ago
Mike Prada
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I think is 50% Earl and 50 % the system
Earl takes the ball out of Arenas’ hands late in the game and that is no doubt a bad thing, but both PG seem to take about 10 seconds pounding the ball only to pass it around the perimeter for a a contest jump shot. I’m not sure what Hawk sets Flip is using , but no one seems to know how to get open in this system. I think Boykins plays because he is one of the few players on the team who run a play, see that its not working and break it off.
However, I am really sick of the “Boykins drives under the basket, doesn’t see anyone open, drives back out, kicks it to Caron/AJ for a long J play.”
Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!
by ledellforlife on Dec 7, 2009 11:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
The other thing is I haven't seen the system tailored to get many post-up plays
Like, in Minnesota, they ran KG in the post a ton, and even in Detroit, Sheed got the ball on the block. It seems like Butler and Jamison should be able to post up when they have a good matchup (i.e. last night in particular), but they don’t. I don’t get it. That’s one advantage with having Jamison out there – you can post up your guards. Yet we don’t use that.
Maybe Flip is slowly working that in, but he better do it soon. Posting Butler up worked great against MIL (still trying to put clips together to show this).
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Mike Prada on Dec 7, 2009 11:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
We did see a bunch of post plays for Butler against Milwaukee, when he had the mis-match against Bell…. So the plays are there………. they’re just not being called.
By the way, THAT same play that Washington ran over and over again to get Butler isolated against Bell at the end of the 1st quarter against Milwaukee – is the EXACT same play they run to get the PF (Jamison) isolated on the right side of the court…. it’s just a mirrored play (opposite)…
They just don’t run those plays ENOUGH….
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
by Rook6980 on Dec 7, 2009 11:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
play
Here’s the play – starts with the hawk cut – but instead of the PF setting the high screen, it’s the SF (Butler)
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
by Rook6980 on Dec 7, 2009 11:45 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
How much do you think
it hurts this team to not be running at all in transition? It seems that Flip keeps exhorting Boykins and Arenas to push the ball, and yet we end of in the same half court grind. So much of the Big 3’s success seemed to come from a more a more up tempo style, could this more deliberate pace be hurting them?
or is it a matter of not getting their sweet spots to shoot from?
Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!
by ledellforlife on Dec 7, 2009 11:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah - I commented about that during the game
Seems like Boykins and Arenas are pushing the ball…. but no one else is running with them…
Boykins, especially, gets the ball across half court extremely quickly – but he’s usually by himself.
Even Nick Young, who is normally very willing to run the floor, seems hesitant – like he’s too worried about rebounding to get out on the break.
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
by Rook6980 on Dec 7, 2009 11:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
it would be interesting
to see how many time a Wizards PG or SG crosses halfcourt and has to hold the ball because he is already facing four defenders.
Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!
by ledellforlife on Dec 7, 2009 11:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
could a large problem for Caron
be that he isn’t getting out in transition and playing the same slashing game as in previous years? and the fact that the defense is more set is why we are seeing the “Caron Charge” every night?
Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!
by ledellforlife on Dec 7, 2009 11:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I don't think Gilbert is pushing the ball much
Flip’s teams have never been running teams. They’ve always been at the bottom of the league in pace. Also has to be noted.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Mike Prada on Dec 7, 2009 12:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
weren't EJ's one of the tops in pace?
if so, couldn’t this be a major problem?
Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!
by ledellforlife on Dec 7, 2009 12:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yes
I agree that it could, assuming you are an advocate of this theory. The Big 3 don’t look very comfortable in the half-court at all.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
by cuppettcj on Dec 7, 2009 12:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
His last full year, with Arenas out, they were very slow-paced
Every other year, they were fast-paced. I think Arenas makes that much of a difference.
I’m not sure if Butler and Jamison like running, but Arenas certainly does.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Mike Prada on Dec 7, 2009 12:14 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
You don’t run for the sake of running, but if Butler and Jamison are dragging their feet, Arenas need to just hold back until more receptive players (like NY and McGee) are on the court.
Running offenses are fun to watch (Don’s Mavs, D’Antoni’s Suns) and and on the rare occasion can surprise us (Scott/Jordan/Kidd Nets) but in the end, it the halfcourt system that wins the critical games. The best teams have a set that they can rely on, and they’re more often than not the most successful (especially in a league where’s it’s hard to find five guys willing to defend against sets for two hours).
by Pryme on Dec 7, 2009 12:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The Nets didn't even run much
They just pushed the ball off missed shots and executed a deliberate half-court offense (that wasn’t very good) when they didn’t.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Mike Prada on Dec 7, 2009 12:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Interesting
I rec’d this because it adds a lot of credence to your claim that the Wizards should have targeted an AD like point guard rather than a shoot first PG like Boykins.
On another note, it continues to worry me that EG continues to acquire players that he believes fit his team rather than those that would help the coach’s system. It was a common refrain throughout the EJ era and I am becoming increasingly concerned that this is a hallmark of EG teams. If you invested four years in Flip, than each move needs to be one that helps his system run effectively.
Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!
by ledellforlife on Dec 7, 2009 1:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Who I like posting up is.....
Blatche.
I agree Butler can post, but Blatche to me seems like a guy with good tools to become a solid post up scorer, as well as a guy who can pass out of the post and have offense run through him.
We already see this in flashes, though he often gets the ball a bit further out than would be ideal, after which he dribbles in a bit, which limits him.
Still, I’m encouraged by what I have seen of his moves. he’s slippery.
by Hoopalotta on Dec 7, 2009 10:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Wizards
I never read any comments about this, but it seems as though Caron Butler is a turnover machine and he must take at least 3 dribbles or jab steps before he can take a jumper. It looks as though he takes the offense out of flow when he touches the ball. The other 4 players tend to stand and watch onces he has the ball.
by DC Stretch on Dec 7, 2009 7:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Oh, we talk about that
Don’t you worry.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Mike Prada on Dec 7, 2009 7:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
i dont agree with that commentary at all. from what i have seen- and it is limited- earl is playing better, period. play the best players. gilbert will figure out what he needs to do and let him beat out earl for the key moments. … its not like we are giving up anything on defense…gilbert does not play it, does he?
by les boulez bomber on Dec 8, 2009 1:39 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
That is the minority point of view
that a small portion of us share. For the life of me I can’t understand how earl has become this pariah that is bullying Gil into giving him the ball in crunch time.
by ccrun1800 on Dec 8, 2009 11:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I don't think that is the message that those questioning the usage of Earl
are trying to get across. I think the questions needs to be read as “Are we really comfortable living and dying based on the play of the 15th man on the roster?” Because that is essentially what Earl is, and we are not paying Gil 116 million dollars to defer to a guy who was signed off the street.
Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!
by ledellforlife on Dec 8, 2009 12:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
IMO
If the Wizards don’t want to live and die with Earl Boykins, then the true star players on this team should step up and start playing like stars. Earl is only filling a void, he isn’t causing it.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
by cuppettcj on Dec 8, 2009 1:11 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Butler does one on one BS to much and I thought we got rid of J. Howard…little earl is good but just on some teams….hes not the answer ….Trade Bulter and Earl…stevenson
by Robh2010 on Dec 30, 2009 8:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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