Briefing: James Singleton rejects the idea of tanking for lottery balls. Emphatically.
by Jake Whitacre on Feb 20, 2010 9:57 AM EST
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Al Thornton, Josh Howard lead new-look Wizards to victory - Michael Lee, Washington Post
A round of trades in less than a week may have reduced the number of all-stars on the Wizards' roster, but Howard and the misfit replacements have raised the effort and energy level the past two games. They have also forced a once-drab home crowd -- which had grown accustomed to the malaise of this moribund season -- to suddenly show some emotion. The fans -- and even the boisterous players on the Wizards' bench -- had plenty to cheer about during a dramatic fourth-quarter flurry on one of the league's elite teams. Whether it was Howard kicking over beers, Nick Young drawing a charge on Nuggets all-star point guard Chauncey Billups, newcomer Al Thornton flustering NBA second-leading scorer Carmelo Anthony or James Singleton providing a vicious block on reserve J.R. Smith.
Bad habits hurt Denver against Wizards - Benjamin Hochman, Denver Post
Yes, Denver was emotionally exhausted after Thursday's big win — and the ensuing postmidnight travel — but the Wizards (19-33) aren't exactly title contenders. Denver is. Yet the new-look Wizards (four key players were traded in the past week) scrapped all night, climbing out of a 13-point hole in the third quarter to snatch the lead in the fourth. Denver's record fell to 36-19. "At the end of the day, when it was winning time in the fourth quarter, they wanted it more than we did, and it was obvious," said Billups, who scored a game-high 28 points but had just two assists. "They got second- chance points, offensive rebounds, steals, beating us to the punch. Most of the time — in any games at any level — the team that's going to do that is going to win."
Wizards Surprise Nuggets - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington
Against the Nuggets the Wizards had the proper response from the start and scored 28-points in the first quarter. Andray Blatche, coming off a career-high 33-points against the Timberwolves, scored the game’s first ten points and finished with 18-points and 11- rebounds. "Andray (Blatche) had a great first half and carried us in that half and when he picked up his fourth (foul) we went to the bench and those guys started playing well,Saunders said. "Even though we didn’t play Andray or JaVale (McGee) down the stretch those are the guys up on the bench cheering the whole time in the fourth quarter, we haven’t had that this year."
New-look Wizards providing hustle, high-energy - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider
Thornton arrived at 2 a.m., watched the team's walkthrough and took a nap afterward. He then showed up and scored within his first 20 seconds on the court, tipping in a Mike Miller shot. He came off the bench and scored 21 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He also had five rebounds and four blocked shots. More impressively, he guarded Carmelo Anthony very well by himself, holding Anthony without a field goal in the fourth quarter. Anthony had just scored 40 points the night before in a head-to-head matchup with LeBron James the night before. Thornton refused to back down. Anthony drove on Thornton and tried to bull his way into the lane but Thornton grabbed the ball and was called for foul. Anthony shoved him in frustration and Thornton charged at Anthony before eventually walking away.
Wizards 107, Nuggets 97 - Craig Stouffer, Pick & Roll
After getting played – badly – on consecutive savvy veteran moves by Billups (game-high 28 points) that threatened to undo Washington's comeback, Young stayed focused enough to draw a charge on the all-star point guard that clinched the contest with just under two minutes to play. "That was for Dominic [McGuire] right there," said Young, tallking about his traded teammate, one of only two locker room references to players who departed D.C. over the last seven days. "When you see guys out there playing hard, you can’t do nothing but join them."
New Wizards are 2-0! - Spence, DC Pro Sports Report
For the second straight game the Wizards had 20+ assists, out-dishing the Nuggets 22-12 in this one. The key was the fourth quarter, when Washington outscored Denver 34-15 and took control of the game in the last 4 minutes. Denver was tired and Saunders used a bench lineup [Nick Young, Earl Boykins, Thornton, Singleton] and Josh Howard to finish off the Nuggets. Young bounced back for a nice game, scoring 12 points on 5 of 9 shooting and posting a +18 court ratio. He also played very nice on-the-ball defense, which is not unusual for him. When Young thinks about the game, he suffers, but when he's in a flow offensively and just playing man-to-man defense, he's usually pretty effective.
Refreshing Effort by the Wizards Results in a Win - CJ, 202SportsBlog
An effort like this, win or lose, is great to watch. However, it also elicits another emotion from me – anger. It makes you wonder why this team with Gilbert, Antawn, Caron, Brendan and DeShawn couldn’t play with this same type of effort. What could that team have accomplished if they truly played this hard? I got used to the other team winning all of the "hustle plays." Today, the Wizards won those plays. For much of this season the Wizards pretended to play defense, today they actually played some particularly when it counted most. Could you imagine a Wizards team that actually held Carmelo scoreless in the 4th quarter?!?!?
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This team is starting to remind me of the 2007-2008 Wiz
They weren’t ultra-talented, but guys like Antonio Daniels and Deshawn Stevenson just came out and hustled and played with aggression and it made the team a lot of fun to watch. I pray to god for all of our sakes that this wasn’t just a bunch of new guys trying to make a good impression and that we’re actually going to see effort for the rest of the year.
by pantslessyoda1 on Feb 20, 2010 10:41 AM EST reply actions
Reminds Me More Of
The 2004-05 Wiz, who were young, played fast and hard, and were constantly overlooked until they beat Chicago in round 1. Somewhere along the way, the Big 3 lost their mojo’s, but forgot to tell Ernie.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
this team shouldn't remind you of any wizards team in the past 10 years
because they actually play defense.
I'm not booing Stephon Heyer, he's trying hard. I'm booing the fact that Stephon Heyer plays for us.
by Area 51 Forever on Feb 20, 2010 1:21 PM EST up reply actions
No Analogy is Perfect
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
yeah but that analogy is too flawed
lets not compare them too any of the teams from the disappointing Big 3 era and them set a precedent for wizards teams that actually play defense and actually try their hardest.
I'm not booing Stephon Heyer, he's trying hard. I'm booing the fact that Stephon Heyer plays for us.
by Area 51 Forever on Feb 20, 2010 7:09 PM EST up reply actions
the remind me more
of the pre-Elton Brand 76ers, or maybe even the Hawks. Just a bunch of long, 6-7 to 6-11 guys who can run and jump like deer, don’t mind mixing it up and fighting for the ball, and actually like playing defense. Thornton is definitely a keeper. His 21 points came out of nowhere. 5 players in double figures, with none of the “dominating” the ball. Everyone rebounding, everyone defending. I LOVED IT!!!
I think this is the perfect mix for our incumbent young guys too. I thought Blatche was on his way to another 30+ point game, then he doesn’t even play down the stretch. But he was on the bench hootin and hollerin with everyone else. After Nick Young’s game the other night, I figured he’d get squeezed out of the new lineup, but now I think this is the type of game team where he could blossom. Thornton is a straight up beast, Singleton is like a rabid dog, and Howard plays in the type of your face defense that we’ve desperately needed. I also get the impression that Howard can take the lead and score when he wants, but he’s satisfied just blending in with the rest of the mix. These guys are definitely gonna surprise some teams down the stretch, and I KNOW I’m gonna enjoy watching this team more than I have in almost 3 years. My only trepidation is that the lottery pick we’ve been counting on may be in jeopardy. But, to tell you the truth, if these guys keep playing like this, I’m gonna change my vote for dumping all the salaries. If these guys show that they can play like this all the time, I say we keep it together (minus Howard probably), add a game manager at PG, maybe a banger at center, and see what happens.
About Blatche Not Playing in the 4th Quarter
I can’t find the quote, but basically Flip said it was mostly because of Blatche’s foul trouble combined with how well the unit that was in was playing. If Blatche wasn’t in so much foul trouble, he would have easily had another 20 and 10.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
I agree
but I also like the fact that we can basically put two different lineups out there to get the job done. It’s kind of funny how everybody was touting this teams depth at the start of the season, yet it never came to fruition with the old crew. But now it looks like we essentially have 2 legit units. I believe Howard was the only starter that played down the stretch in the 4th. I’m always happy when Mike Miller gets into the game, but I actually forgot about him until I saw him jumping up and down on the sideline with the rest of the starting unit.
It was a GREAT game...
I am trying not to get my hopes up too much, as we have NO idea if this is consistent play & effort… But hey… we all liked what we saw!!!
the last article excerpt pretty much summerizes what i feel about the Big 3 era
but god damn i love the new wizards.
by Area 51 Forever on Feb 20, 2010 12:54 PM EST reply actions
yep... gotta like it...
let em play Flip, have fun, win a few and see where it leads us
More Points
- The Wizards held the 2nd best offense in the NBA to under 100 points.
- A bunch of guys who just got off the plane a couple of days ago appear more able to execute Flip’s offense than a group of former All-Star veterans who had a whole training camp equipped with iPod Touches. Apparently it wasn’t Flip’s scheme that was the problem, it was the level of dedication towards it. I wonder if Antawn or Caron in particular ever thought to themselves, “who is this guy Flip Saunders to tell us how to play offense? We’re All-Stars, we can just ignore everything he says when we feel like it.”
- The Wizards have now matched their win total from last season.
- The new Wizards took exactly two games to match the longest winning streak of the old Wizards this season.
- Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are a combined 17 for 62 from the field (27.4%) on their new teams.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
I was so pumped about the IPods
Oh, preseason.
by Palace of Good Play's Golden Toilet on Feb 20, 2010 2:36 PM EST up reply actions
funny you say that
I told my wife midway through the 1st how funny it would be if we won our next 2 games (counting last night), meaning that our “rebuilding project” has the longest winning streak of the season.
I gotta say though, as much as I can’t stand LeBron, it was tough to watch Antawn look so bad in his first outing. I couldn’t help but compare his first game with his new squad to that of Thornton. Then I realized how much more pressure Jamison is under. He basically took all the heat off Shaq in the event that that team doesn’t win it all.
The only thing I liked about that game was his jersey
The Jamison 4 jersey will be the first and last Cavaliers jersey I ever buy.
by pantslessyoda1 on Feb 20, 2010 4:42 PM EST up reply actions
As fun as last night's game was, I wouldn't say they executed Flip's offense better
Flip really didn’t even run most of his sets – he just kept it really simple and called p&rs, post-ups and ISOs.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Which They Ran
And passed the ball. Frequently. To the tune of over 20 assists for the second game in a row. Guys were getting open. Guys were taking the open shots. Flip’s offense may have been simplified, but at least it was run effectively. Unlike the shot-jacking the old crew resorted to. Tell me, what plays were being called by Flip when Caron would launch a step-back 18 footer with a hand in his face and 18 seconds on the clock?
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
For sure
I’m not disagreeing, just saying that I wouldn’t call it “Flip’s offense.”
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
It Was Pointed Out on CSN Last Night
That 3 of the guys the Wizards traded for had played with Sam Cassell before. Then there was this quote from Flip Saunders:
“When we made the decision to make changes, we thought about the type of players we wanted to bring in here. Whether the players were going to be here long-term or not is something that will be decided but we wanted players that had high basketball I.Q., that played really hard and didn’t give up on plays and were hungry. If we get that, we’ll start setting the tone on how we want to play down the road.”
It looks like more thought was given to this trade by Ernie than any of us gave him credit for, and that he consulted heavily with his coaching staff on who they wanted to target. So far, so good.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
I take back most, but not all, of the unkind things I've said about Ernie G. on this blog...
because, as you say, it looks like he and the coaching staff really gave a lot of thought about who to trade for (although throwing in Brendan Haywood as part of the Mavs deal still baffles me).
He also basically said that the Wizards are keeping Gilbert Arenas, which seems to make sense given the players he brought in (mostly shooting guards, and forwards— notice: No point guards).
The Jamison deal was a good one, in that we shed salary and got a 1st round draft pick (and given AJ’s performance last night..and in the games right before the All-Star break…maybe AJ is experiencing the rapid decline of players who have logged a lot of playing time and reach their mid-thirties).
Despite the team’s great play against Minnesota and Denver, to make it back to the playoffs next season, this team will need center with size and length, a Zack Randolph type of banger at the 4 spot, a jackpot lottery pick, and one big free agent signing (Bosh). Wilbon predicts that the Wizards will be bottom-feeders for years; I now think he is dead wrong.
Who’s to say we can’t have a turnaround in one season? I can now see the method to Ernie’s madness. The key, however, is to bring back a motivated and rejuvenated Gilbert Arenas, who hopefully has learned his lessons the hard way, and is ready to be the All-Star leader of this team that we have always wanted.
I’m excited about the future, and might reconsider my decision not to purchase season tickets next year.
Nightmare scenario:
Wiz win the lottery, then pass on Wall because of Arenas. That would be Arenas’ 3rd attempted murder of the franchise.
by Palace of Good Play's Golden Toilet on Feb 20, 2010 4:30 PM EST up reply actions
No way they would pass on Wall...
He is a Dick Vitale Blue Chipper all the way.
I would rather see them finish strong and use the draft pick they get (7-8-9 or10 probably… playoffs wold be QUITE a reach… and quite a story) to take Greg Monroe. Deal the late first round pick to, say, Miami for Chalmers and a second round pick (or grab a FA like Lowry per Yoda below). Drop Foye. Sign Howard and Miller to reasonable contracts (3 yrs X 5-6 mill). Sign Singleton 3 yrs x 2 mill. Pray Gil comes back with his head on straight and hoops hunger in his bones.
Your 2010-11 Wizzies
Arenas 1 2
Howard
Miller- 3
Blatche – 4
McGee -5
Thornton – 6th man
Young
Singleton
Monroe
Chalmers
Boykins
Ross
2 second rounders
Troublemakers in the best sense…
As far as the point guard situation
Kyle Lowry is a free agent this summer. We have a lot of cap room. I’m just saying…
by pantslessyoda1 on Feb 20, 2010 4:44 PM EST up reply actions
Jack's got three more years left on his contract
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
I was half kidding
since ANY legit point guard play looks good around here. Either way though, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them try to trade one of their guys. They got rid of Ford because they basically had 2 starting PG’s. They may do the same with Jack. I’m not saying he’d be the answer for us. I was just impressed with his play down the stretch. Turkoglu and Bargnani are the clear “stars” of that team (since Bosh wasn’t playing), but Jack was obviously confident enough to take over himself. That’s what I expected from Chauncey Billups the other day.
Personally, I’d rather get a pure point guard in here. An Andre Miller or Jason Kidd type (though obviously younger than them) who is a real floor leader and looks to set up his players rather than score, but is not afraid to take the big shot in the closing minutes. Is Deron Williams available?
I don't want to sound like a homer
but it is possible we may not need a “Zack Randolph” type at the 4 spot, or Bosh. If Blatche keeps playing like he has the past 2 games (I know, BIG if), he may be the low post player we’ve needed since Webber left. Sure, he could stand to put on some muscle, but they said the same thing about Bosh, and even Jermaine O’Neal. What he does have are a nice array of post moves. His up and under moves are very reminiscent of the Indiana version of Jermaine O’Neal or, dare I say, Kevin McHale. I’d really like to see Flip try to “feature” Blatche for the rest of the season to see if he can develop some consistency. If he can, then THAT would speed up our rebuilding process.
until i see less jump shots and more strong to the hoop
i’ll continue to poo-poo blatche. he’s been shooting the lights out the last two games. that won’t continue.
i’m beginning to get ideas though, despite my better instincts.
by DarrellWalkerFan on Feb 20, 2010 6:34 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, don't fall into that trap
About great hopes for Arenas. That was the old way of thinking. The chances he comes back acting professionally, playing defense, and overcoming all the injuries to be a top-flight player are much smaller than the chances of him not being mentally or physically gifted enough to regain his old form. Just too much baggage. Enjoy the new guys, and try not to think much about Gilbert or give him the benefit of the doubt until he suits up for the first playoff game against the Cavs as the 8th seed. Gulp.
Not giving up ... just saying
that pining away for Gilbert like we did through all these injuries and shenanigans has left us with broken hearts too many times. His thing will play itself out. Lets take a break from our Gilbert Arenas hopes and aspirations. I know I will. I can be happy saying we won’t make those excuses and look at this team as more than it is anymore. We wasted three years doing that. People in DC are tired looking at our teams on paper, and would rather root for the team on the court (or field). We can pine away for the old Gil all we want, but as they say, he ain’t walking through that door any time soon. He might get traded, accept a buyout or get voided. Who knows? He might go to jail, recommit himself to becoming a true All-Star, and have a championship season with no more injuries, or do all of the same with no jail time. But how likely is that, especially in the wake of the entire team getting broken up because of his stupid act? I don’t even care much about gun-gate anymore, and I’m not on my high horse. I’m just saying that you can’t change the past, and Gil has proven he can’t be counted on as a leader. His team is dead and gone. He needs to earn the adulation of fans if he wants to ever have it again.
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