"One pick is not going to make the difference as far as us winning a championship or not. Gilbert...

"One pick is not going to make the difference as far as us winning a championship or not. Gilbert being healthy is going to make a difference; Brendan being healthy is going to make a difference. I think that's a chicken way out as far as trying to lose as many games as possible.

"We're competitors. We don't want to lose any more. It's been tough enough. ... So I'm not a big fan of [tanking]. And if anyone in this locker room is, I don't want to be a part of that."

Antawn Jamison ain't no tanker.

almost 3 years ago Jake Whitacre 23 comments 0 recs |

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“one pick is not going to make the difference between us winning a championship or not.”

He is right… One pick could be the difference between a team winning MULTIPLE championships or none. How many rings do the spurs have right now with Keith Van Horn instead of Duncan??

by dt3 on Mar 31, 2009 8:50 AM EDT reply actions

This team is 17-58

They don’t need any help tanking. Sorry, Antawn.

Krem's Sports Blog

by Matt K. on Mar 31, 2009 10:07 AM EDT reply actions

the MJ experience soured us on that. I think Antawn would love us to trade the draft pick for veteran talent because he doesn’t want another young buck in the locker room. He’s probably also David Aldridge’s source for the Wizards looking to dump the youngsters line in his recent article. The line should actually read “A Wizard is looking to…”

by morethesamewiz on Mar 31, 2009 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions

Draft picks who star on their teams

Wade-Heat
Lebron-Cavs
Howard-Magic
Iguodala-76ers
Ben Gordon/Derrick Rose/Luol Deng/Kirk Hinrich- Bulls
Celtics- the product of draft picks
Garnett (2004 14th pick Al Jefferson, 2005 18th Gerald Green, 2005 50th Ryan Gomes + SebastianTelfair +Theo Ratliff)
Ray Allen (2004 24th pick Delonte West, 2007 5th pick Jeff Green, + Wally Sczerbiak)

Oh, and then add all 8 Western Conference Playoff teams
Kobe-Lakers
Paul-Hornets
Deron Williams-Jazz
Melo-Nuggets
Roy-Blazers
Yao-Rockets
Duncan-Spurs
Nowitski-Mavs

Unless you pull a rabbit out of your hat like the Hawks and Pistons did, in pulling together a great team, the “JV” as Gil calls them become the core of most teams. Clearly, many of the vets think that without Gil injured that the team can compete for a championship. I think most of us think that they are missing a piece or two.

by morethesamewiz on Mar 31, 2009 10:16 AM EDT reply actions

So...

Should the Wizards tank the remaining games in order to get more lottery balls?

by Johnnie Futbol on Mar 31, 2009 10:39 AM EDT reply actions

I think the point is that they don't have to tank

Jamison played over 40 minutes in Arenas’s first game back; Butler returned too. And they still lost. I know Arenas is rusty, but it’s not like they were trying to lose then.

Krem's Sports Blog

by Matt K. on Mar 31, 2009 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions

In talking about tanking

Jamison went out of his way to discount the impact a lottery pick would have, in keeping with this organization’s long-held tradition of remembering the month when Arenas, Butler, Jamison, and Haywood were healthy and the Wizards at the top of the Eastern Conference (note: David Aldridge addresses the change in circumstances in the East since then), and using that memory to justify consistency as a viable strategy for winning a championship. That’s where I disagree with Jamison. I feel that we are missing one if not more key pieces.

by morethesamewiz on Mar 31, 2009 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Jamison is more of a fan of tanking then you think

Otherwise he wouldn’t have been opposed to playing the youngsters as much since the numbers have said that the Wizards are a better team with them on the floor then with vets like Mike James and Darius Songaila on the floor.

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

by George Templeton on Mar 31, 2009 11:15 AM EDT reply actions

Does not matter if Jamison is a tanker or not...

…he has tanked. Is he the Wiz go to guy? No. Does he move the needle? No. If you take Antawn off the team, would we significantly improve or get worse? Hard to get worse than now. I would argue that we’d win more, because we have the young bucks wanting it more instead of deferring to Vets like Antawn who are not moving the needle. Anyone can get 20-10. Play 40 minutes, jack up enough 3s and stand under the hoop. But are you making your teammates better? Are you a go to guy who can win it in a close one? Are you winning? Antawn is none of the above, except for a guy who has tanked, whether he likes it or not. Willingly or unwillingly AJ does not make a difference on this team.

In fact, he is a negative influence and his time is up IMO. Period

by ucantstopbernard on Mar 31, 2009 12:26 PM EDT reply actions

No....IMO

This team, holistically, is better with Jamison.

Representing DC with Wizards & Stuff - Truth About It.net and Bullets Forever.

by Kyle Weidie on Mar 31, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Absolutely

What does “moving the needle” mean? That no one outside of Comcast puts him in ads? That’s not the best criteria for whether a guy can help your team.

Jamison is absolutely an asset to this team. He’s third on the team in rebound rate (that’s if you count Pecherov, who’s only played in 29 games), he’s second in usage rate, and he has the best turnover ratio on the team. He has the second-best eFG and the second-best TS. He has the best PER on the team, which by the way is also top-25 in the league. He out-produces both opposing SFs and PFs. The Wizards are +12 for assisted field goals when he’s on the floor. If “jacking up threes and standing under the hoop” is all it takes to get 20-10, then why don’t more people do it?

by Jon L on Mar 31, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Exactly

Jamison obviously has flaws, but I think that, because we’re so used to the good things that he does on the court, we focus a little too much on what he doesn’t do. I think Songaila gets kind of picked on in the same way, and the opposite happens with McGuire.

Fact is, Antawn’s a great complimentary player who plays really well off the ball, but he shouldn’t be used or evaluated in the way you would a number one guy like Arenas, Wade, Iggy, etc.

by pantslessyoda1 on Mar 31, 2009 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions

I hear ya AJ

In that the team, as it is, needs to all step up as a collective unit.

BUT….

Blake Griffin vs. James Hardin is a pretty big difference to me.

Representing DC with Wizards & Stuff - Truth About It.net and Bullets Forever.

by Kyle Weidie on Mar 31, 2009 3:34 PM EDT reply actions

I agree

Personally I like that Jamison has the attitude that he has. I also think the Wizards chances of winning a championship actually would increase significantly if they get Griffin, so I’m glad it’s not Jamison that will be making personnel decisions for the organization But it’s a slippery slope when a team starts tanking – which by definition they haven’t been doing, they just aren’t any good – and I’m glad the Wizards aren’t taking that route.

by Johnnie Futbol on Mar 31, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Landing the 1st or 2nd or 3rd pick this year would be a game changer for the Washington Wizards

We could draft Blake Griffin … then trade Blatch with Songalia & Deshawn for a good SG

We could draft Ricky Rubio.. then trade Critt + 2010 1st with Songalia & Deshawn for a good SG

We could draft Thabeet …. Trade him or Trade Blatch move Megee to PF

by eltacoman on Mar 31, 2009 3:49 PM EDT reply actions

IF we land Blake Griffin

we could then trade

Blatch, Critt, Pesh 2010 1st , 2009 2nd with James expiring + Deshawn + Songalia

for

Jason Richardson Leandro Barbosa , Louis Amundson Jared Dudley

The Suns are going to go into full Rebuild mode this off season

GIlbert – Barbosa – MIke
Jason – Young – Dmac
Caron – Dmac – Dudley
Griffin – Antawn – Louis
Wood – Mcgee – Etan

it would cost us but we would make us contenders right away and put alot of butts in the seats soo it could work out i think we could probly squees heywood into a extention too we might lose Dmac but Championship baby

by eltacoman on Mar 31, 2009 4:23 PM EDT reply actions

What's BEST for this team in the short AND long run?

25% is still worth tanking for.

Don’t tell me you’d rather win a few games more than the Kings than get Blake Griffin.

by se7en on Mar 31, 2009 4:28 PM EDT reply actions

if we draft Ruibo

Critt + Pesh + 2010 1st + 2009 2nd with Deshawn + Songalia
for
Jason Richardson

it works in trade checkers

by eltacoman on Mar 31, 2009 4:39 PM EDT reply actions

That's a lot to give up for one guy

Krem's Sports Blog

by Matt K. on Mar 31, 2009 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree

Richardson’s never been on a really good team (not counting his last season with the Warriors), and he’s not really considered a defensive player, which we’ll really need in a starting lineup with three other gunners. I wouldn’t lose sleep over seeing any of the players mentioned if it netted us Richardson, but I don’t know that he’d be the right player to compliment Rubio and Arenas.

by pantslessyoda1 on Mar 31, 2009 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions

as long as we turn deshawn & song into Richardson i would be cool with that our pick next year we might just sell it off and we are going to sell the high 2nd this year off too….. so we give up Critt and pesh just sucks

by eltacoman on Mar 31, 2009 6:05 PM EDT reply actions