One Small Nugget of Sunshine

by cuppettcj on Feb 17, 2010 9:54 AM EST

The newest Mavericks played absolutely terrible last night, making me smile just a little bit that they are no longer on our team. Don't get me wrong, I do wish them all well, but I do feel better that they are no longer playing this badly for us. Consider:

Caron Butler started, was second on the team in shot attempts behind Dirk, but was last among starters in shooting percentage at 25% (4-16 from the field). He also led the team in turnovers with 4, managed only 1 assist, and committed 4 personal fouls in only 31 minutes of play. I don't have any stats on how many jab-steps and hesistation step-back jumpers he took, but I'm sure he lead the team in those too.

Brendan Haywood backed up Erick Dampier (why? I thought B-Wood was better than Dampier), played only 15 minutes, missed 3 of his 4 free throw attempts (oh where art thou, Dave Hopla?), and had the second lowest +/- on the team with -16. Considering that he only played 15 minutes, that means the team was outscored by more than a point for every minute he was on the floor. I've never seen such horrible numbers from Haywood when he played here. He did manage 6 rebounds in those 15 minutes though, and half of them were offensive.

DeShawn got 5 minutes of burn. Enough time to miss his only field goal attempt and turn the ball over once. He was also a -5 in +/-, meaning that Dallas was also outscored by a point a minute while he was on the floor.

I know this is only one game, but these are the kind of shitty performances we've come to expect from the guys we've given up (with the exception of Haywood), and at least that will stop. This also gives me hope that the Wizards will be better by simply not having those guys (also excepting Haywood). Any good play we can get from J-Ho and the other guys is just gravy. And we won't have to pay over $14 million in salary next season for hundreds of missed jumpers and turnovers. That cheers me up, just a little.

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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Comments

I hope they excel in Dallas.

by Johnnie Futbol on Feb 17, 2010 11:01 AM EST reply actions

I second that

I wish Caron and Brendan all the best. I want them to make some noise in the playoffs.

DeShawn can get hit by a bus for all I care.

by John Park Williams on Feb 17, 2010 11:15 AM EST up reply actions

I Don't Wish That They Suck

But if they’re going to suck in any case, I’m glad we’re not the ones footing the bill.

"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 Feb 17, 2010 11:48 AM EST up reply actions

nothing could be emptier

than seeing any kind of sunshine because the Mavs lost and Caron et al played poorly. Rationalize all you want, talk yourself into feeling better about a team that has not yet hit bottom. Do it now because the bottom is coming fast and there is no big bounce, just a thud.

by Jheiser3 on Feb 17, 2010 11:18 AM EST reply actions

I Guess I'm Just an Empty Suit

But I feel better about unloading expensive, unproductive players. I think Brendan’s poor performance is an anomaly, but Caron has been playing like he did last night for much of this season, and DeShawn for the whole season. The bottom is coming, but I’m not going to wallow in misery. I’m going to hope for the best. Ted Leonsis will hopefully take over. Ernie Grunfeld will hopefully be fired. Young players will lead this team. We will get a high draft pick. We will hopefully have lots of cap space. So forgive me for my optimism, for my lack of tears, and for my emptiness.

"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 Feb 17, 2010 11:54 AM EST up reply actions

This is why I pointed out that this team is nowhere near bottom. You have to look forward to a time where you can hope for something different. That time isn’t even here yet. That’s how bad it is. And Caron having a bad night makes you feel better? You aren’t going to wallow in misery, you are going to enjoy someone else’s! Good luck with that.

by Jheiser3 on Feb 17, 2010 12:03 PM EST up reply actions

One Can Always Hope for Something Different

Already, we have something different. I don’t think our team can play much worse than it already has for the past two seasons. And now we will be forced to play our young players in the front court, at least. That’s something to look forward to. So I dispute your premise that we are nowhere close to bottom. I think we’ve been at bottom for the past two seasons.

As for Caron having a bad night, what else is new? Would you rather he shoot 25% for us (again)? Do I feel better that we don’t have to pay $10.5 million next season to watch similar performances? Absolutely. I think I will have a lot of luck with that.

For me, it’s not about hating Butler, or Stevenson. I will always respect the good performances that they gave us over the years. But they don’t appear to be the same players anymore, and I’m just glad that we’ve moved on. I feel better that we made the right decision by seeing them play just as shitty for their new team as they did for us the past two seasons. Part of me thought that they were only playing shitty because they wanted out of Washington. So far, that doesn’t appear to be true. So yes, that makes me feel better.

That said, if they turn things around and start playing well, I’ll be happy for them. But right now, seeing their combined salaries off the books next year, along with their deteriorated play not hurting us anymore, makes me feel better. Not a lot, but a little.

"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 Feb 17, 2010 12:17 PM EST up reply actions

I think we’ve been at bottom for the past two seasons.

you think a couple seasons of 30ish wins is the bottom? The New Jersey Nets beg to differ.

by Jheiser3 on Feb 17, 2010 2:55 PM EST up reply actions

Not Every Team Has to Be the Nets

Most don’t bottom out that low. And we won only 19 games last season. I consider that bottom, or at least very close to 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 Feb 17, 2010 3:42 PM EST up reply actions

I guess thats the merrygoround we're on

You think winning 19 the bottom, I know it gets much worse than that. Wins are only part of it. Attendance will go down even more. The team is losing money now, they aren’t yet hemorrhaging money.

Franchise going through this kind of ownership transition get much much worse. Not unlike when MLB was running the Nats, but not paying their vendors and such.

by Jheiser3 on Feb 17, 2010 4:13 PM EST up reply actions

I hope Dallas wins the championship

the only reservations I have about it are

1) The city of Dallas would have something to cheer about

2) I would feel bad for AJ watching those two guys get the ring without him.

I hold no grudge whatsoever against Butler or BTH and don’t wish them ill in any way (unless they are playing the Wiz).

by MR on Feb 17, 2010 1:47 PM EST reply actions

I actually didn't read Cupp's comments as

“I am so happy that Butler sucked last night.”

I read them as

“I’m glad that he didn’t stop doing what enraged us, which means its not Flip’s fault.”

Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!

by Sean Fagan on Feb 17, 2010 4:31 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs

Good Read

You actually described my feelings better than I could.

"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 Feb 17, 2010 10:33 PM EST up reply actions

How did Stevenson

get any playing time? Didn’t he develop enough footage of himself sucking it up for us that Carlisle knew he was getting a bench warmer. Maybe he just had to see it first hand for himself.

by ccrun1800 on Feb 17, 2010 1:56 PM EST reply actions

I think Stevenson has comprising photos

of every coach in the league

Its always Roger Mason (Jr.) time!

by Sean Fagan on Feb 17, 2010 4:29 PM EST up reply actions

I absolutely agree

I’ve been hoping for Stevenson to be traded since he got here, and Butler has been terrible this year. Seeing them cause their new team to lose suggests the Wizards made a positive move, and that we have brighter hope for the future with these guys gone.

You can call it schadenfreude if you like, but I think it’s more about confirming that the Wizards being better off without them than wanting to see them fail.

by steadyhand on Feb 17, 2010 4:45 PM EST reply actions

geez

it’s one game. after one day of practice.

if this continues, then, yeah

by DarrellWalkerFan on Feb 17, 2010 5:05 PM EST reply actions

Hey rain cloud one game is a perfect sample size to judge the suckitude of the Butler,Haywood, Stevenson triumvirate.

by ccrun1800 on Feb 17, 2010 9:58 PM EST up reply actions

But It's Not a One Game Sample

It’s a season-long sample, and the trend hasn’t changed yet. That’s part of my point.

"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 Feb 17, 2010 10:29 PM EST up reply actions

dallas has won 7 in a row

in case anyone cares.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Mar 1, 2010 5:18 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, I think this trade has worked out well for everyone

Though Butler did miss three of those games.

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

by Mike Prada on Mar 1, 2010 5:52 PM EST up reply actions

Brendan is Working Out Great For Dallas, Caron Not So Much

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/butleca01.html

Caron’s PER and True Shooting % From 2007-08 (His Best Season): 20.7, .558
Caron’s PER and True Shooting % For the Wizards This Season: 13.7, .506
Caron’s PER and True Shooting % For the Mavericks This Season: 11.4, .446

Dallas has won despite Caron, thanks in part to Haywood.

"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 Mar 1, 2010 8:53 PM EST up reply actions

again. we'll see. make that 8 games.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Mar 2, 2010 12:12 PM EST up reply actions

Butler sucked again last night.

He does the same thing. Hesitation to shoot a contested jumper along the baseline. It doesn’t matter how good of a shooter you are, it’s not a high-percentage shot.

My swag was phenomenal.

by se7en on Feb 18, 2010 3:50 PM EST reply actions

yall are haters

brendan AND CARON are playing well.Dallas has won 8 games in a row, when is the last time the wizards did that. Where did all this Caron hate come from??? Its sad to see how fast a guy can fall out of favor. Personally i still love all 3 of the guys traded to the Mavs and i want to see them win the NBA finals.

by tw10 on Mar 1, 2010 9:50 PM EST reply actions

Thinking About This Further

I’ve clearly said that I do not hate Caron, but I am relieved that his poor play wasn’t just related to us or our coaching. I’ve said that if he does well, I’ll be happy for him, but if he doesn’t do well, I’ll be glad we are not paying him $10.5 million a year to play like crap. I’ve said it’s not about hate, it’s about wanting my favorite team to succeed, which overpaid players like Caron were not helping us do. Caron wasn’t always overpaid, and when he played well I was signing his praises. But he was clearly part of the problem this season.

Of course, one could just as easily make the argument about DeShawn, who also became overpaid towards the end of his time here. Thinking about this further, I realize that there is a little bit more bitterness in me towards Caron because of his attitude. Caron’s whole, “I’m an All-Star”, “I’ve got nothing to prove”, and his deliberate breaking of plays despite playing the worst basketball of his career the past 5 months has in fact annoyed me more so than DeShawn, who has kept his mouth shut while his play went down the toilet. That said, I still wouldn’t describe my feelings towards Caron as hate. And although I have a little more love for DeShawn, I’m still glad he’s moved on and I still think the Wizards are better off without him.

… AND CARON are playing well.

I will acknowledge that Caron has played better in the past couple of games. I disagree that he’s played well overall. I’ll let the other readers decide if a 13.2 PER and a .475 true shooting percentage (updated from my post above) qualifies as “well”. Especially for someone making over $10 million a season.

Dallas has won 8 games in a row, when is the last time the wizards did that.

Good for them, but I’m still happy we made this trade. Personally, I think they are winning despite Caron. Brendan has been a big help, but I never doubted his capacity to contribute. But now Dallas has to pay Caron $10.5 million and DeShawn $4.1 million next season in addition to whatever they have to cough up to retain Haywood. I think we still made out in that deal in terms of value for dollars. But we can agree to disagree.

Its sad to see how fast a guy can fall out of favor.

I think it’s natural for fans to be disappointed when one of their players isn’t playing up to expectations. I also think it’s natural for that disappointment to be magnified when said player displays a cocky attitude and stops listening to his coach. I know I’m not the only one here who got annoyed with Butler this season. I still appreciate all he did for us in the past, but let’s face it: he never helped us win a single playoff series. For a player to say he has nothing to prove when he has never helped us win a single round of the playoffs certainly rubbed me the wrong way, and I know I’m not alone.

Personally i still love all 3 of the guys traded to the Mavs and i want to see them win the NBA finals.

I can’t stand the Lakers or the Cavs, so I wouldn’t mind if the Mavs won it all. I would certainly be happy for Brendan and DeShawn. As for Caron, I hope it humbles him a little to play with great players like Dirk, Kidd, and Marion. Assuming that it does, and that his play continues to trend upwards, I will be happy for him as well.

"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 Mar 2, 2010 8:48 AM EST up reply actions