"Um, yeah, it was very obvious," Haywood said. "It was very obvious. They had established the way...

"Um, yeah, it was very obvious," Haywood said. "It was very obvious. They had established the way things were done around there, and you were forced to basically adhere to a certain standard. We came from D.C., and that wasn't always enforced. In Dallas, it was something totally different, and we liked it. Just look at the structure, how things were done, the no-nonsense attitude and just how everybody got along and the family atmosphere. There was no agendas. That was something totally different for us."

Brendan Haywood on 980's The Sports Fix, as transcribed by Dan Steinberg. He also commented on Gilbert Arenas, saying he's a friend of his and therefore isn't really qualified to say whether it would be good for the Wizards to bring him back.

about 2 years ago Mike Prada 12 comments 0 recs |

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That awesome locker room didn’t really help the Mavs come playoff time, Brendan.

DC Landing Strip - Waxed and Ready to Go

by Alex Reed on May 11, 2010 6:32 PM EDT reply actions

Because the way the Wizards ran things was so much more successful.

Come on.

Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.

by Jon L on May 12, 2010 3:56 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah but

The professionalism of any given NBA basketball team is going to be partly (if not largely) based on the players themselves.

by Johnnie Futbol on May 12, 2010 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions

What Haywood seemed to be referring to (to me, anyway)

was another shot at the way Eddie Jordan handled things, or rather, let some things get out of hand (from Haywood’s perspective). That, plus the fact that Nowitzki is the unquestioned star in Dallas, whereas here you had Jamison trying to be a leader, Butler trying to get his, Haywood playing for a new contract, etc.

To turn around and say “oh yeah? well you still lost haw haw” seems misguided considering what has gone on here both in the locker room and on the court the last few years.

Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.

by Jon L on May 12, 2010 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Haywood was absent in the playoffs.

Got McGee?

by Unxpekted on May 11, 2010 7:52 PM EDT reply actions

Ugh

And how did that work out for you, Brendan? Seriously, Haywood was the longest tenured Wizard. Not sure why he deserves to be let off the hook for any issues with team dynamics.

by Stanicek on May 11, 2010 8:53 PM EDT reply actions

Don't blame the messenger

I think Haywood has earned the reputation of being a pretty straight talker and accurate in his assessment of things. And here, he is commenting on the organization, not just the locker room. We’ve known for years that the Wizards is a bad organization — it doesn’t do things the right way, and that shows up in the record on the court. Haywood goes to an organization with a winning record and mentality, and notices a huge difference. No surprise, so I don’t understand the negative and defensive comments above.
Hopefully things will change with Ted.

by disgrunted on May 12, 2010 6:29 AM EDT reply actions

I've got no problems with Haywood's comment

It’s not like Haywood went out of his way to badmouth the organization. Haywood was asked point blank to compare the professionalism of the Dallas organization versus Washington. He told the truth.

What else is he supposed to say? Particularly when you consider that it’s in his financial interests to say good things about Dallas.

by nate33 on May 12, 2010 5:09 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah sure

But how do you expect Wizards fans to react? Players should say how they feel, and I take no issue with Haywood’s comments, but in the process he is inevitably opening himself up to critique.

The Wizards organization definitely has had its issues – though frankly some of this stuff is hard to evaluate looking from the outside in – but still the professionalism of a team is often defined by the players themselves. It’s not completely the organization. And while I have a good deal of respect for Arenas, Jamison, Butler, Haywood and Stevenson, I would also argue they had as much role in defining the culture of professionalism or lack there of as anyone else.

It’s probably not easy for any team to integrate a new coach and an odd-ball superstar whose been out for two years all in one season. Performing at a high level was probably not realistic from the beginning, but those were the expectations. Add to that the really weird gun incident, the death of an owner, and all the trades and you get a pretty f’d up season that’s bound to have a good dose of unprofessionalism.

I think you’re right he’s naturally going to praise the Mavs organization, and he’s right to do that, but again in the process he opens himself up to critique by Wizards fans.

by Johnnie Futbol on May 12, 2010 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions

So

He’s open to critique… and still correct.

The Mavs lost in the first round after their 10th straight 50+ win season and their 7th consecutive year averaging over 20K in average attendance. They do everything First Class.

My favorite part:

“We bought those big fluffy towels and put our logo on them and even put them in the visitors’ locker room,” says assistant general manager Keith Grant. “Everyone took notice.”

So every player who came through gets to experience what its like to be a Maverick a couple times a year. Genius.

by Jheiser3 on May 12, 2010 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Fake professionalism

That doesn’t win championships

by Johnnie Futbol on May 12, 2010 8:18 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

huh?

Whats fake about their professionalism? or is Brendan’s fake? Just find it hilarious comparing management/professionalism of the Dallas Mavericks and Wizards . The difference between shooting a bullet and throwing it.

by Jheiser3 on May 13, 2010 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions