Wizards fall to 0-20 on the road after loss to Bucks
by Mike Prada on Jan 19, 2011 10:21 PM EST
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PrintThere came a point in the third quarter when the Wizards stopped attacking the rim. Andray Blatche was doing it for a while, but he went out, started to lose his rhythm and nobody else really picked it up. Ideally, this would be time for John Wall to put his head down and get to the rim, but he didn't, for some reason, even though he was guarded by Earl Boykins. Throw in Nick Young getting taken out for the final six minutes of the quarter (more on that in a second), and you get another loss.
Otherwise? It's simplistic, but it really comes down to making shots. When you play the Bucks, you're playing a jump-shooting game, because that's what they do and that's what they force you to do. Early on, they were missing everything, and the Wizards were running out in transition and getting easy scores. But eventually, the Bucks starting making more shots, and those opportunities disappeared. Suddenly, it was the Wizards who were shooting jumpers, and we know what happens then.
Also, I was confused by Flip Saunders' substitution patterns tonight. He took Young out early in the the third, and had Rashard Lewis and Wall play the entire quarter. Naturally, Wall got tired, then sat out too long to start the fourth, and that was the game. If I was there, I'd ask Flip about why he decided to manage the minutes like that.
0-20 now, and tough road games are on the way. This could be a while.
(Alright, fine, I'll admit it: Boykins changed the game. Dammit).
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The statement play of the game
Was when Boykins jumped up on Yi to double him, and Yi threw the ball out of bounds. We’re scared of a Boykins double team.
But he is still better defensively than Blatche or McGee, as for rebounding, nobody did that well tonight except the guards.
Aim for the head baby Jesus
i beg to differ
seraphin helped propel the team and then went into oblivion for the rest of the night…wth??
This is not on Saunders
This is on the players. They choked.
Missed shots in 3rd and early 4th, bucks on a little run. It eats their confidence.
"If you don't shoot, you can't score"
Johan Cruijff
" My psychiatrist just doesn't know what I go through. He is a Lakers fan" Hambonejackson
We scored 38 points in the second half
We actually hit the same number of baskets as the Bucks – but they hit more 3s and made 10 more free throws. And out rebounded us.
rotation rotations rotations
he was told what to do in the first quarter, the rest of the game he sucked
So looking ahead
New York isn’t playing as well right now. Dallas and New Orleans don’t look unbeatable in a general theoretical sense.
And then there’s Cleveland.
Bench failure....
Keyon Dooling? Earl Boykins?
One step forward. Two steps back.
Cleveland will be so amped for us….
Back to bed in Warsaw/
Keyon Dooling? Earl Boykins?
Both NBA All Stars lighting up Wall.
He played great last game but Williams had 28 points as well. This is becoming a serious problem
"If you don't shoot, you can't score"
Johan Cruijff
" My psychiatrist just doesn't know what I go through. He is a Lakers fan" Hambonejackson
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jan 19, 2011 10:32 PM EST up reply actions
MORE BOOKER
"hindsight is 50-50" - Steve Spurrier
by little stevie colter on Jan 19, 2011 10:29 PM EST reply actions
YES!!!!!!
Washington DC sports are so fucking scared to play their rookies then they trade them away to be superstars on other teams. The town of aging stars and mediocrity. I HATE that shit. Play Wall, Play McGee, play Booker, play Nick!!!!! All of these guys are playmakers and need t learn how to play together. We don’t need Yi or Kirk out there!!! Damn can’t wait until Flip is gone.
by Delonte Mckinley on Jan 19, 2011 10:33 PM EST up reply actions
January mpg
Seraphin 4.0 mpg and Booker 2.8 mpg through 9 games. Seems like an arbitrary but sound rule of thumb that a fully healthy first round draft pick averaging <5mpg halfway through the season should be in the D League getting experience.
by Emmet O'Neal on Jan 19, 2011 11:19 PM EST up reply actions
FLIPS LINEUPS
I’ve been defending flip a LOT this season, but tonight really confused me.
We had great energy early on, then it looked like they just stopped trying midway through the third when the bucks lead started to grow.
AB, JW were just dead tired mid 3rd. Dead tired. AB was taking flat shots and they couldn’t even get back. KH wasn’t even trying for some reason like he usually does, and rashard couldn’t hit at hing.
WHERE WAS THORNTON and Booker for some energy?
WAll coming in w/5 min left. GIMME A BREAK!? It doesn’t matter how many mins u play in the 3rd, at that point u need yur starters in there. AND IF at this point (and dont give me the injury defense there are plenty of ways to keep your stamina up during injuries), if JW can’t play 40 min than honestly he’s not getting them in shape.
If he can’t motivate em for this game he should be fired. There I said it. This is the final straw.
Sorry if ...
this was a post in pure frustration but I think this may be as frustrated as I’ve been all season.
If we lose because we suck im fine w/that but tonight they just lost their heart
The sub patterns were really suspect
I think everybody’s pretty fed up with this streak by now, especially after collapses like tonight.
From the District of Columbia, home of the hyperbolic paraboloid transitional floating zone defense.
I couldn't watch the game live...
but looking at the box score – it looks like Blatche and Young had good games and the rest of the team couldn’t hit shots….
As for substitution patterns… the only thing I can think of for Young sitting so long in the 3rd quarter may be because his knee has been hurting.. Even young guys can’t continue playing 40 minutes game after game when they’re hurt…… I expect Flip decided to sit Nick more this game rather than lose him to injury.
Why he sat Wall so long and left an ineffective Kurt Hinrich in for lo long? No idea………
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
What happened to kirk?
2 weeks ago he was diving into stands. now he’s just flat out there
Right
I have no clue why John played the entire third. Under those circumstances, you kind of have to sit him for a while to start the fourth.
They played well early because they finally realized the baskets
are the same diameter in the on the road as at home. As long as they can continue to play well early on the road they give themselves a chance to win a road game. I think they are starting to things around.
by hambonejackson on Jan 19, 2011 10:35 PM EST reply actions
FIRE FLIP.. which is a starter..
sign pargo! (gives wall some rest at times),, get whatever we can from a thornton/yi/armstrong package, preferably a reliable defensive big (maybe booker & seraphin finally get quality minutes),, hire a BIG MAN COACH (a real one!, maybe mcgee can actually draw a defensive foul instead of offensive ones),, and if kirk keeps acting like hes allen iverson/jordan whenever he touches the ball,, trade him for another vet. guard! (mike bibby??)
Pargo?
C’mon son.
Also, nobody wants one of Thornton/Yi/Armstrong, much less all three.
by Mike Prada on Jan 19, 2011 10:37 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
JaVale with a negative 20 on the night
and breaking plays. Sigh. I thought he the lightbulb went off in the Utah game
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
again, for emphasis
No one can honestly believe that flip should coach here. Unfortunately for Flip, NBA teams only play half of thier games at home. We can’t win on the road, and to compound that problem, Flip Saunders is making extremely stupid decisions.
Is John tired by.the fourth? Maybe, but you play him the whole fourth in a tight game. Period.
Does Javale make mistakes? Yes, but his energy on defense and ability to string together multiple huge plays is useful down the stretch; Something Javale can’t do sitting on the bench in the fourth.
When a line up is playing atrocious on all levels, you make a change so the game doesn’t get away from you. Flip never does this so far this season, instead electing to make fans slam theire head into walls and coffee tables. The same goes for players; absolutely no reason to keep kirk in for as long as he was…which was the rest of the game. For all of the praise Flip goes Kirk, all I see is a sulking, selfish jump shooter who isn’t shooting well anywhere unless he’s running to the rim or within 9 ft of the rim on the baseline. He hurt us tonight, and to be blunt, he’s hurt us a lot this season by missing open jumpers. A lot of missed open jumpers.
Some good has come from flip. But I know there’s a coach out there that can get the best out of Javale while letting him play down the stretch, and make better decisions with lineups when it matters.
by DCeee on Jan 19, 2011 10:36 PM EST via mobile reply actions
which system
dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, miss shot?
we didnt score a fg til what, 8mins left in the 4th? I know Wall played a lot, but he had like 15assts and the game was slipping away. Seems like you dont let that happen to keep his minutes at 37 instead 40
Wall was dead on his feet
which is on Flip for playing him the entire 3rd.
The problem is that we have an entire roster of jump shooting big men. And when the team goes cold, we give up huge leads or fall behind. It’s a matter of roster construction IMO not coaching.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
We had 44 points in paint to Buck's 30
Wall finds our Bigs in the paint….but he cant play 48mins
Ernie's got a big old share of blame here
It’s a matter of roster construction IMO not coaching.
I think roster construction is the biggest issue here. One of the reasons Flip’s coaching gaffes are so evident is that we have so few effective players at each position. Ernie’s rosters have always been pretty one-dimensional, and drafting players who can’t get on the court (although Flip has been sitting Booker and Seraphin a lot) doesn’t help change that identity. It’s not easy to construct a winning roster out of the parts we were left with after the Big Three was broken up, but Ernie’s track record really doesn’t encourage me looking forward.
From the District of Columbia, home of the hyperbolic paraboloid transitional floating zone defense.
agreed 1--%
and flip knows it. every interview now he points out how disfortunate his team is through injuries, rookies, lineup changes, etc..
Honestly i dont feel he’s the reason for NY, AB, and JM’s improvement. THey improved through simply getting more minutes and being themselves. They always had it in them.
Pargo..
IMO this team is in need of a scoring guard! that guy can light it up! none of our guards are natural scorers which hurts us because mcgee cant create a shot worth sh!t. which allows teams to double blatche. hes better than Livingston!
The last thing this team needs is a scoring guard
Also, Pargo is awful because he is really inefficient and never passes or defends, and in no way anywhere close to Shaun Livingston.
Young is playing COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY under Flip
than he did under either Eddie Jordan or Ed Tapscott….
It was Flip that told Nick to shoot more within the offense – coming off screens, in the corner… He told him to study film of Rip Hamilton…
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
Sorry reply fail
that was in response to playnpg22
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
I think its..
more a case of young developing a more accurate jumper.
He had the same looks under both coaches w/less minutes thats all.
Its natural maturation process for a spot up shooter. I woiudln’t give flip that much credit truthfully.
He is working on the offensive end
in a completely different way than he did under Ed or Eddie. He never curled off screens before. It was always put the ball on the floor and shoot and shoot a contested jumper. I think you are doing the staff a disservice.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
...
If flip was really the catalyst that developed those guys he wouldn’t point it out so much in every interview.
I'm not sure what you're implying
Young himself has given credit to Flip. What more do you need?
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
I strongly disagree
We posted about this over the summer, but Nick has become a catch-and-shoot guy, when all he did was freelance with Eddie.
He has changed his shooting motion
and he was a good shooter. Imagine that! But Young did it. That ball is in and out of his hands so much faster now and he is hitting it. Kudo’s to Young for being so gifted.
by hambonejackson on Jan 20, 2011 1:52 AM EST up reply actions
I also strongly disagree
Nick, in his first 2 years under Jordan and Tapscott came off the bench to be the “instant offense” guy. He dribbled almost as much as Kirk Hinrich does…. Lots of juke steps, ’tween the legs, behind the back… 4-5-6 dribbles… then a shot.
Very rarely in those first two years did he ever just catch and shoot – and he NEVER used screens – because Eddie Jordan didn’t know what a screen was….
When Flip Saunders got here, he talked to Nick Young in the off-season . Told him to change his game. Told him he had to play defense. Told him to watch film of Rip Hamilton. Told him that if he played defense, and shot within the scope of the offense – he would get minutes.
Throughout Flip’s first year, Nick would get pulled if he broke the offense…. or if he didn’t put forth effort defensively. Towards the second half of the year….. Flip had just about broken Nick of his bad habits. Nick was becoming a better player… a more efficient scorer. A more consistent shooter. AND he was playing decent defense. After the trade that sent half the team to Dallas and Cleveland- Nick got even more playing time….
This year, we’re starting to see the glimpses of the result of Flip’s tutelage. Nick shoots a high percentage – the best of his career… and his TS% has hovered in the high 50’s all year. Not only that, but he’s rebounding more and playing good defense. Not only that, but now he’s even starting to see open players- and his assists are coming up (2.8 assists per game in January)…..
He’s starting to show what a truly good Shooting Guard he can become… A consistent 20 point per night scorer… An excellent one-on-one and team defender. And more importantly, a guy that can play and score within the confines of an NBA Offense.
So to say that completely changing his game around from a one-on-one isolation type player, to a catch-and-shoot player that shoots off screens and gets his points from running the Offense – is simply “more a case of young developing a more accurate jumper.” – is , in my opinion, flatly wrong.
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
Jannero Pargo?
You can’t be serious…We already have a scoring guard, his name is Nick Young.
by Marine4Life51 on Jan 20, 2011 11:17 AM EST up reply actions
Javale played bad tonight overall
But we’re so bad with interior defense that flip Jason almost no choice but to keep Javale in. Its almost like, do you punish a player, or hope and pray that inferior paint defenders can NOT lose the game for you? Its a tough spot for flip on that scenario, but I wasn’t talking specifically about tonights game, but rather flip pulling Javale on a normal basis in the fourth this season, sometimes without reason.
And yea, kirk seriously needs to stop the Iverson bs. What is he doing out there this year? What happened to him?
by DCeee on Jan 19, 2011 10:42 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Flip has no choice*. Predictive text sucks.
by DCeee on Jan 19, 2011 10:45 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
He’s a way better defender than Yi. Didn’t see him in Tue end at all.
by DCeee on Jan 19, 2011 10:48 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I don't know one way or the other
But it is possible Flip has been encouraged to play some guys leading up to the trade deadline.
BOYKINS DOOLING DOUGLESS ROBERTS ARE U KIDDING ME
i cannot beleive we lost tongiht. Pathetic lack of heart, shitty coaching
I feel bad for Nick and Dray
They played hard tonight, on both ends.
Lame that we had a meltdown in the waning minutes again.
by DCeee on Jan 19, 2011 10:50 PM EST via mobile reply actions
as much as he annoys me at times..
i definetly dont want to throw kirk away for garbage at the deadline.. then wall would have to play 50 mins a game
Nick's hair looks nice
Also Dray dropped Drew Gooden in the 4th with a nifty headsy. Also ……..there’s ……….we almost ……….
agreed i think cartier
could defiantely play a bigger role he can knock down open shots and his perimeter D is actually solid.
flip hates him tho
One of the Wiz kids main problems is hitting shots
I’m tired of seeing Thornton (as hard as he plays) trotting out there and missing jumper after jumper, though i dont think that was the case today. NY and Kirk are the only consistent threats behind the arc shooting. Add Lewis and that’s only 3 players. Give Cartier some more tick!
Shard, JaVale, Nick, Cartier, Book, and Kirk
are the only Wizards with a TS% over the league average.
Of that group, Nick is the only one with a usage rate over the league average.
Meanwhile, Dray, John, and Yi have usage rates above the league average, and also have 3 of the 4 worst TS% on the team. (Kevin has the other worst TS%).
I’m not suggesting a revolution, but I would love to see at least a little shift in the offense, with better shooters having a bigger role.
by wjb1492 on Jan 19, 2011 11:16 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
does anyone else feel a change at coach would motivate our players?
I think it could completely change our season.
by DCeee on Jan 19, 2011 10:52 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Interim coaches in the NBA almost never have a positive effect
Ed Tapscott?
Further, you would have to either someone who coached Flip’s system or a coach that runs the most simplistic of sets. So no, it’s doubtful it going to change anything
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
He's another set killer
Isn’t that what people attack Dray about? Thornton may be even worse. Plus if Kirk is traded (which isnt happening right now) who’s gonna back up Wall?
huh, well
Going to be a long season then.
Its so strange, because when you look at our line up of wall, young, Lewis, dray, and mcgee…..that’s a super talented, super athletic group of players. In fact, talent wise, that’s arguably the most athletic lineup in the league next to LA clips.
Maybe that answers my delima: talent can’t win games by itself.
Sad night. This was our chance.
by DCeee on Jan 19, 2011 10:59 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I didnt catch anything live until the 4th, someone tell me if I'm close
Bucks dominated the boards, nobody apart from Dray and NY had a decent game (and maybe Wall for stretches) and Seraphin didn’t get enough minutes for what he apparently (judging by +/-, which is dangerous) was earning?
Seraphin..
definetly deserved more minutes tonight. he looked alot more polished tonight. i guess flip forgot he was on the team..
Still no one has answered the question
WHY DID WALL SIT UNTIL 5 min left in the 4th?!? why
no excuse
its called Sucking it up. You’re the #1 overall pick if he can’t go 45 min by now gimme a break flips not conditioning them well
Not true at all
Wall played 38 minutes and has been playing in that territory for most of the year. Throw in all the injuries (and the fact he’s most likely still playing hurt) and what more do you want from him? I know we’re upset, but let’s try to be reasonable also.
he has been battling nagging injuries
all year. Why would you want him to hurt himself? Why run the risk of cramping up? Every great PG (Williams, Jenning, ect.) has said that the toughest thing is the conditioning and that comes in Year 2. Sucking it up just gets people hurt.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
If Flip played a 20 Y/O 45 minutes he would really deserve to be fired then.
Aim for the head baby Jesus
like flip said..
“hinrich settles down the team in late game situations” i guess down by 14 with 4 mins left is the time to settle down down the game.
Phil Chenier said he noticed Wall limping
So that’s probably why Flip kept him on the bench for so long.
by iNFaMOUS SwaGG on Jan 19, 2011 11:15 PM EST up reply actions
why does everyone who doesnt agree with certain people's opinions always questioned.
They are opinions. I guess im in the “rub some dirt on it crowd”. Since we are throwing around names and labels i guess you are in the “defend flip at all costs” crowd.
by baltimorebullets80 on Jan 20, 2011 12:03 AM EST up reply actions
So you think its a good idea to risk further injury to the teams single most valuable asset ?
Aim for the head baby Jesus
Hardly a defend at all costs
But I will certainly defend his only playing his rookie PG 38 minutes.
And since you’re defending your right to have an opinion, why on earth would you think that people who don’t agree with it shouldn’t post their disagreement?
What happened to McGee?
Remember that stretch of about 8 or 9 games when he was pulling down 15+ rebounds, dropped 20 points a few times……he was a beast. What happened? He can’t play with that energy and determination every night? Also, we have too tight of a rotation. Less minutes for Wall, more Booker and Seraphin. This is a rebuilding season, we deserve to see what Booker and Seraphin can do in an NBA game as they are our 1st round draft picks.
by PhenomenalSwag on Jan 19, 2011 11:06 PM EST reply actions
Hard to string together good games consistently
Without at least decent b-ball IQ or supreme talent. Neither of which McGee has at this point.
yea
Super athlete, but no good offensive moves that are reliable right now. Honestly, watching him fadeaway a few times the last couple games, his follow through and that shot in general look far better than his set shot (not saying a lot). I guess what I’m saying is…well…it looks like he could potentially get that shot down one day.
Has anyone else noticed his touch is was softer on the fade than his normal jumper? Hope he works on it this off season.
Then again, how can he follow his missed shots for dunks when he’s fading away…sigh…another thing Javale can potentially do well but probably doesn’t want to.
by DCeee on Jan 19, 2011 11:19 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Agreed fully about Booker and Seraphin though
I’d like to see less of Yi at this point, even if its at the expense of losing more. Same goes for Armstrong, even though I know at least one of them has to play most nights.
Add in Cartier Martin for the “more minutes”claim though. He’s the only player aside from NY, Kirk and Lewis that can actually shoot the ball on the squad.
I know John is a PG but I wish that in the fourth quarter he would stop being so passive and use that ability to get to the foul line like Wade and Rose.
TNT should've treated Lebron's return to Cleveland game like 2k11 and cut the game off after the Cavs were down by 30. lol
Why can't they rebound on the road?
and since they were having a lead after 1st quarter they forgot the Bucks is a good defensive team.
Lewis probably kicking himself
Most of his 5 missed threes were good looks. If he knocks some of those down I think this game goes differently. Then of course there was McGee, who didn’t seem focused tonight. At one point he was standing under the basket on a Bucks shot, saw Bogut sidle up next to him, and moved AWAY to the other side of the hoop (where other Wizards were already in position to secure the rebound). It looked like he was just maximizing his individual chance to get a rebound rather than, you know, playing against the other team. I yelled at him, but I don’t think he heard me from home (and 90 minutes in the future). Naturally Bogut got the rebound.
Dooling and Boykins…couldn’t you save that for some other team?
"Be patient or be a Heat fan" - MR
I think this team is a playoff team next season
I think they are very close and its time to make some trades so that we can build towards the future of this team to become a playoff team. If this team goes into the playoffs this season then there is no future team to go to the playoffs and that ruins the whole plan, which is, to eventually go to the playoffs. So I think it is important to trade Howard and Hinrich to Dallas for Beaubois and a 2nd pick. This will ensure us that we will not go to the playoffs this year and if Howard and Hinrich stick around and get this team into the playoffs this year, then Grunfeld should be fired.
This will ensure us that we will not go to the playoffs this year and if Howard and Hinrich stick around and get this team into the playoffs this year, then Grunfeld should be fired.
I completely understand what your saying with Grunfeld but I had to lol at imagining the irony of him getting taking us to the playoffs but getting fired.
by purpleonblack86 on Jan 20, 2011 3:59 AM EST up reply actions
I agree with your reasoning about everything
but why do we need Beaubois? Isn’t he a future starting point guard? I think we should target someone else but with the same theory in mind, trade one or two of our vets for future picks and young players. Playoffs this year would put a small dent in the overall development of our future. If we want our future to be making the playoffs as the 4 or 5 seed every year, then sure let’s get in the playoffs this year. If we would like to be an elite team in the East in a few years, then we need another young stud to develop with this team. We already tried option A from ‘04-’09, didn’t really work out.
by PhenomenalSwag on Jan 20, 2011 11:41 AM EST up reply actions
And why exactly
would Dallas want Howard back? They have plenty of other options for replacing Caron Butler than recycling a player they practically tarred-and-feathered on his way out of town….
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
1st quarter
How do you not go back to what got you the lead in the first place. I was like ok, he’s trying to win this. He didn’t move Lewis to the four and he came off the bench with Seraphin. Like it or not, Seraphin uses that body to create space for Jwall and NY. Booker and seraphin set a screen for jwall that led to a layup. team is rolling….no sign of Yi. THEN the “coach” puts in Yi and martin and a lot of backups and i’m like is he just playing the bench to say he’s playing the bench. YES yi hits jumpers, but he doesn’t set picks like Booker and Seraphin and make cuts. HE STANDS OUTSIDE FOR JUMPERS. Flip then put Yi in first in the second half and that was the ball game…..BLEW IT
We built the lead with fast break points
That wasn’t going to hold up for the entire game. A disciplined team should be able to prevent those easy fast break points, and the Bucks are a disciplined defensive team. I’m actually surprised we were able to get so many points in transition before they clamped down. They adjusted. We couldn’t compensate.
Actually, if it had been up to me, I would have tried using Yi even more, but play him at C, not PF. Use Yi to pull Bogut out of the paint, then have Blatche and Young try to post up Ilyasova and Dooling. We had some size mismatches that we didn’t do enough to try to exploit in the post.
yi
yi is fools gold, the same reasons that we were getting tired of blatche are the same reasons we shouldn’t be playing yi as much, who needs their big man standing on the perimeter waiting for jumpers….bad coaching. and who’s to say if it would have worked again, if he didn’t even try it. BAD TEAM MGMT
by skeeta on Jan 20, 2011 8:33 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Yi is a lot better than he is given credit for
Yi is a decent backup C. It’s not saying much, but he might be more effective than JaVale at this point.
Yi is a smarter defender. He doesn’t get JaVale’s blocks, but he also doesn’t goal tend or take himself out of position by going for too many up fakes.
Unlike JaVale, Yi doesn’t score efficiently, but by spacing the floor, he allows the rest of our players to be more efficient. Yes, he stands on the perimeter waiting for jumpers, but by doing so he allows other players to have more success attacking the rim.
He doesn’t rebound as well as JaVale, but he’s not too much worse on the defensive glass where it matters most. He doesn’t get the putbacks that JaVale gets at the offensive end, but on the other hand, Yi is rarely late getting back in transition.
Losing to an average team missing 3 starters and their best player bites.
It’s all on the coaching. There really is no excuse for that.
Third quarter slump
The Wizards went ice cold on jumpers in the 3rd, and couldn’t come back from it. It wasn’t coaching or Yi. They just missed a bunch of shots that normally go down at a better rate.
"Be patient or be a Heat fan" - MR
Flip's Doomsday Clock is approaching midnight again...
The last two games stopped it at 11:52 PM…
You guys are sometimes more entertaining than the games
After the Utah game, it’s playoff!!, the young guys are emerging and the team is gelling, etc.
After this game, it’s fire Flip, and if only Flip had rested Wall at the 10 minute mark of the 3rd instead of the 12 minute mark, we would have won.
Mike, the reason for the guard substitutions in the third is that Flip has three guards that he will play. That means someone (Young in this case) will get short minutes in the third, with Hinrich coming in, and someone (Wall) will get long minutes in the third, so that the first guy out (Young) can get decent rest before coming back in.
by disgrunted on Jan 20, 2011 8:07 AM EST reply actions 3 recs
I'm curious...
we could definitely use a fourth rotation guard, and with Hinrich having some trade value, do you think there are any teams we could drag a couple backups from, possibly tossing in our expirings?
by Bullet Nation in Exile on Jan 20, 2011 8:35 AM EST up reply actions
Cartier Martin seems like a decent backup at the 2 position
but he’s nowhere to be found.
by PhenomenalSwag on Jan 20, 2011 11:42 AM EST up reply actions
Totally agree
What is to be gained by firing Flip anyway? We are lottery bound, and we should like it that way. I mean, dude, I saw the meltdown coming with most of the 4th left to play, and I turned on American Idol. Some of you need to step … away … from the computer.
I understand the need to vent after another humiliating loss, but hey, we just don’t have the players to compete. That’s not going to change. Is it Ernie’s fault? Maybe, but that ship has sailed.
And look at how Ted runs the Caps. He’s not a knee-jerk blow it up guy. He’s not in a hurry to fire the coach or the GM. I hate Flips offense too, and I hate his substitutions, and I hate his zone defense, but what point is there in firing the coach right now?
Plus, think of Ed Tapscott, and Gar Heard, and Leonard Hamilton. If we got a new coach we would constantly be second-guessing that move for the next two years, and we might get some duds. Lets keep building, and worry about the coach later. It’s like saying the Redskins should trade for an all-star quarterback before establishing a good line. Oh wait.
Redskins mentality is what makes us so impatient here in DC with most of our teams
We don’t really know what we have yet here with the Wizards…
Well, Flip played Cartier in the first
So I don’t see why he can’t also play Cartier in the late third/fourth.
I'll say some positive things...
I saw almost the whole game. First off, I was watching Yi closely, and I don’t think he had a bad game at all. He made shots, he actually played good defense, he had at least one blocked shot. He is also a developing young player who needs some PT – he cannot be allowed to languish on the bench either.
Wall is fantastic, but his turnovers came at the worst time – late. I say again, win or lose, we cannot be playing that guy if he’s hurt.
Mcgee always makes his and-one’s, but if he misses the initial shot and gets fouled, he almost never makes 2 foul shots, and last night missed both. That hurt.
Still, it’s just a matter of time for these guys – they are improving. Most players on the team are improving right now.
Nick has crossed the Rubicon, and will never be the same again. His assists and rebounds are up, and he’s going to be an all-star next year for sure.
Thornton is improving too – hitting threes.
Blatche has awoken, and is playing with more focus. His shot is really starting to fall, and his rebounding and aggressiveness are up too.
The team is coming together, and will finish the year much stronger than they began it.
"Jesus got a sweet jumper!"
I think you're a little quick to pull the trigger on putting Nick Young in the All-Star game next year
Look at some of the guards in the east, Rose, Rondo, Joe Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen, Jameer, JRich, Felton, etc. Let’s see if Nick can become more consistent on the road throughout the remainder of the season. He’ll need to get his scoring average up to 20ppg and continue to contribute in all facets of the game in order to be an all-star. I haven’t seen J.R. Smith or Jason Terry make any all-star appearances in the last 5 years. Let’s hope Nick can improve and become a more complete player and consistent scorer.
by PhenomenalSwag on Jan 20, 2011 11:48 AM EST up reply actions
Consistent scorer……. I agree that Nick needs to be more consistent on the road… but his per game averages: 20.9 points (on 46.4% shooting), 2.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds
stack up well against the other Shooting Guards in the East – and he just keeps getting better…
He is certainly a better than average NBA starter right now…
It’s not such a far fetched idea that Nick could be an All-Star quality Shooting Guard by next year….if he continues to develop has he has this year and last…
I give all the credit to Flip Saunders.
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
Part of this loss has to go to an inability to get to the line
We only attempted 20 FT all night…that is pretty terrible
Something else...
I just remembered.
The GD refs let the bucks set obvious moving picks – ALL GAME LONG.
THEY NEVER CALLED IT ONCE.
That could have helped us get to the line more.
"Jesus got a sweet jumper!"
I honestly thought this was a weirdly called game
I freely admit that I am biased, but it seemed the refs called it very tight on our end and loose on theirs. There were multiple times in the first that I felt there was an obvious foul on the Bucks that wasn’t called and iffy calls on us that were. Beyond that, pretty much everything called on us led to free throws – there was one point where they had 21 free throw attempts on only 12 Wiz fouls, while we had only 6 attempts on 8 fouls.
But more than the refs even, we didn’t do a very good job of trying to draw fouls in the second half, and we weren’t shooting well enough to live on outside jumpers.
I didn't read all the comments so this might have been said but...
Did anyone notice the lineup Flip had in the second quarter? It was Wall, Martin, Thorton, Yi, and Armstrong. There is literally 1 NBA player in that lineup (Wall). Our lead got destroyed while that group was out there. Flip’s lineups are so horrifically bad sometimes, I just don’t understand why he is still the coach of this team. We have better players than the Bucks…..that is not a game we should have lost….they didn’t even have their best player and we lost to the Bucks. It’s embarrassing.
That lineup played 2:48 and was even while on the floor.
I agree it’s a weird lineup, and certainly didn’t add to the lead, but it did not lose the game for us.
We got destroyed in the third, when the starters went -6 in the first 6 and half minutes, and subbing in Kirk and Yi for Nick and Javale went -5 in the remainder of the period.
Speaking of Armstrong...
Did anybody notice that “shot” he took?
The 17 footer where he basically didn’t even hit the rim?
U.G.L.Y.
He ain’t got no alibi – dude cannot shoot at all.
"Jesus got a sweet jumper!"
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