Keys to the Palace: Rooms are available

For the second week in a row, the Palace is vacant.  If you have read, watched, or listened to anything related to the Washington Wizards or the sport of basketball as a whole over the last week, I don't think I have to explain the rationale behind my decision.  Let's just get to the reviews.

Gilbert Arenas

He needed 71 shots to score 77 points this week.  He didn't have to shoot anything to get him in the mess he's in right now.

Andray Blatche

Hopefully Andray can take Flip's advice and assert himself more in the low post.  A few more points in the paint will not save the Wizards season, but steps in the right direction will keep Andray from stalling in his development and create more scoring opportunities for everyone else.

Earl Boykins

He doled out 15 assists this week, a welcome sight given his tendency to pound the ball.  Shooting 1-17 from the field was a much less welcome sight this week.

Caron Butler

Tough Juice had a total of six assists this week.  Last season he had twenty games where he had at least six dimes, this season he hasn't had one.  Caron's disappearance as a playmaker has been one of the many reasons the team has struggled offensively this season.

Javaris Crittenton

To be honest, I didn't think Crittenton had much chance of extending his NBA career past this season before the gun incident.  But now?  He might as well start scouting property in Europe.  I feel bad for the guy because he's been stuck in some tough situations in his NBA career and he's never been given a real chance to prove himself, but at some point, if you're not being given opportunities, you have to make your own.  To this point, Javaris hasn't done that.

Randy Foye

If you search on YouTube, some of the most recent videos you'll find in the search include "Ryan Hollins blocks Randy Foye's shot", "Darius Miles swats Randy Foye", and "Garnett sends Foye's shot to the seats".  Does anyone spot a trend?

Brendan Haywood

I think he's just relieved that he isn't the center of controversy anymore.

Mike James

Tweet of the week: Was at chuck e cheese all day. My kids r off the chain. They r always the center of attention. Wonder where they get there personality from

Antawn Jamison

Despite his clear frustration, Antawn isn't letting his circumstances affect his performance.  This week, he hit six of his nine three pointers.

JaVale McGee

His mom started a "Free McGee campaign" on Twitter.  No, seriously.

Dominic McGuire

He received praise from a scout this week for his toughness and his work ethic, but he's still having a problem translating that into significant playing time.  The fact that he got less a minute of burn against San Antonio after Flip went on his rant about defense the game before doesn't bode well for his chances.

Mike Miller

His return won't salvage the season, but it will be nice to see him bring some stability to the off-guard spot.

Fabricio Oberto

The 14 minutes of playing time that Fab got after Filp's rant seem to indicate that he is pleased with Oberto's defensive presence.  His on/off numbers defensively support Flip's move.  He's a zero offensively at this point in his career, but for what the Wizards paid for him, he has provided decent value, even though his averages in points and rebounds are way, way down compared to the rest of his career.

DeShawn Stevenson

Despite the fact that Stevenson's personal stats are abysmal, he doesn't seem to hinder the offense too much.  When he's on the floor, the team averages 106 points per 100 possessions, when he's off the court, they average 106.2.  That said, I would consider that more of an indictment on the offense as a whole, rather than an endorsement of Stevenson.  If a player shooting 25% from the field only hurts his team's offensive output by two-tenths of a point, that is a bad, bad sign for the team.

Nick Young

Nick picked up five fouls in 5:43 of playing time against Oklahoma City.  He piled up fouls so fast that he made Andray Blatche look like Dan Majerle.  Not surprisingly, he got a DNP-Coach's Decision against San Antonio.

Flip Saunders

I, for one, would pay to see Flip and the rest of the coaching staff take on the starting five.  It would probably be more entertaining than most of the basketball we have seen this week.