Wizards fall to 0-21 on the road, lose to Knicks
by Mike Prada on Jan 24, 2011 10:08 PM EST
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Five things:
- Stay civil: We're all frustrated, but name-calling of any kind in this thread will not be tolerated. Name-calling towards players is not okay, and name-calling towards posters is especially not okay. Violators will get one warning and then will receive a 24-hour ban. Criticize players, but criticize them civilly and criticize their performance. Don't make the jump to say something about them as a person. If you disagree with someone, respond to their points respectfully. I cannot stress this enough.
- How you start is how you finish: Once again, this proved that the first six minutes of a game are the most important minutes. You can't win a game, but you can lose it, and tonight, the Wizards lost it. They were sloppy, unprepared and not willing to run their half-court offense. They got a nice spark from a wacky bench unit, but down the stretch, the habits you establish early always reappear. They reappeared tonight.
- Andray Blatche was horrendous tonight: You saw it, I saw it, so I won't go into any more detail. But it's games like these where Flip just has to bite the bullet and sit him when it matters. This kind of effort just can't be tolerated. I'm not saying trade him or not start him going forward, but you can't be afraid to go with what works in a game. Blatche has to earn his status during games, just as anyone not named Wall does too.
- Speaking of that "wacky" lineup: The Wizards got back into the game with a lineup of Mustafa Shakur, Al Thornton, Rashard Lewis, Trevor Booker and JaVale McGee. That lineup never saw the floor in the second half. In fact, if memory serves me, Booker and McGee never shared the court either.
- John Wall needs to be more vocal: I know it's hard, kid, but when Blatche is trying to score on his own on every key possession, you have to do something about it.
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i'm not going to call out coaches or players but i have a serious problem
figuring out why booker has not earned consistent minutes. i know we don’t see practice and all that. but what he brings, he brings consistently, and we’ve all seen it, even in limited minutes. his strengths are something the team really needs. i know it won’t make the wiz all of a sudden a decent team, but it would help.
i honestly don’t understand it.
"hindsight is 50-50" - Steve Spurrier
by little stevie colter on Jan 24, 2011 10:12 PM EST reply actions
I just dont understand how the combo was broken up
McGee-Booker. They were playing extremely well off of each other (more-so McGee than Booker) and established a nice little rhythm and also were controlling the boards in addition to chipping in some points.
We’ve been saying all along that McGee might be very effective if paired with a banger or energy type. We saw that tonight. I just want a reasonable explanation for why it wasn’t stuck with.
by qthaballa on Jan 24, 2011 10:18 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
The Freshman ManChild Sullinger is the lowpost Beast we need to Draft to pair with McGee
could Kirk n Blatche n 2nd net us a top 10 pick in the upcoming draft?
i think we will earn our top 10 pick the old fashion way. with a little luck, top 3!
by les boulez bomber on Jan 25, 2011 12:52 AM EST up reply actions
luck 2 years in a row is pushing luck
luck will be being able to resign Nick Young for a reasonable contract
he needs to be the first big off the bench at least
he’s willing to do the dirty thing and can hold his own against physical bigs which allows Javale to do Javale (alter shots with reckless abandon). I am gonna call Flip out for tonight, solely on allowing Blatche to play extended minutes over Booker when we all saw during the 2nd qtr the Javale/Booker frontcourt was holding its own. If i would give him a grade for tonight it would be a D/D-
It is very confusing
The thing that gets me is that he made a point to leave all those guys playing together in the first half…. so you don’t even try to give it a shot in the 2nd?? It doesnt make any sense.. very frustrating
Sooo
I missed the game b/c i was in class but it sounds like, that wasnt such a bad thing. I really thought tonight was gonna be night…o well. NEXT TIME
Left at halftime for another engagement
And I guess I’m glad I did…
From the District of Columbia, home of the hyperbolic paraboloid transitional floating zone defense.
Blatche needs to stop
He swears he can play like a PG, creating off the dribble. There’s a reason we drafted Wall, and it’s to direct our offense and be a team leader. Everyone said that Gilbert Arenas would be trouble for Wall, because there would be an ensuing power struggle. In my eyes, Blatche is just as bad, if not worse because he cannot score for his life. He’s on his last strike, and he better be more of a team player, or he can pack his bags because he is a liability to a developing Wizards team
by Nayeem JohnWall Chowdhury on Jan 24, 2011 10:19 PM EST reply actions
Blatche really would have benefited from a year in college
He clearly never learned how to play in a system. His AAU offense was probably give the ball to Dray and he never learned how to play anything else. I think Flip has a tough road convincing him that he is not supposed to go 1 on 1 all the time.
Thats true
But if Blatche has not learned how to play within an offense, Flip may be restricted with the plays he can call for Blatche.
I asked in the other thread if Blatche ran the point in HS
Someone posted a video of him basically taking rebounds end to end, even if he didn’t start at point due to the size of his teammates.
He picked up a lot of bad habits (or habits he needed to make the NBA) before what appeared to be a growth spurt. And the Wizards are paying the price.
Does anyone have a link to his pre-draft report. He has said he was a finesse player. I am assuming he was once when he was shorter, and now he can’t become the inside player he needs to be as a PF.
He is fine as a 7th or 8th man on an NBA team, 4th option on this one. But he simply can not have the offense run through him. It is just bad news.
I read this quote on a pre-draft scouting report about Blatche
“The biggest problem with Blatche is figuring out what role he’ll fill for an NBA team. He’s just short of 7-0, but Blatche obviously goes to sleep at night dreaming that he was a point guard and not a dominant center.”
That guy is exactly right.
by iNFaMOUS SwaGG on Jan 25, 2011 6:54 AM EST up reply actions
#5 is the most salient
If our frontcourt isn’t going to learn anything this year, then at least John should be growing into his shoes as our franchise player, or else in May Nick Young will get a fat paycheck and the Wizards will have wasted a season.
From the District of Columbia, home of the hyperbolic paraboloid transitional floating zone defense.
I think maybe Flip is starting to come around
It’s a learning process for Flip too. He has been coaching contenders and teams that are supposed to be making playoff runs. After the whole Gil ordeal he has had to change into a mentor like a Doug Collins.
I know the road losing streak is bad and gives the media something to harp on with the Wizards but they have a young team that you can see getting better.
The Kings team that lost 37 straight featured four 1st rounders. It’s a process. Look for the good, keep your heads up and be supportive instead of cynical.
Anyone else watching CSN?
Did anyone else catch Flip saying he told the team to stop feeling sorry for themselves one beat after mentioning how the team is not totally healthy?
The message on injuries is the thing that has bugged me
Yes, the Wizards have led the league in starting lineups, so to a certain degree. But when you keep saying we’re not healthy ad nauseum, you’re telling the guys who do play that they are not good enough.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
Clearly not good at the pshycological aspect of this job...
And this has been said a million times before, but he has no KG or other veteran leadership to lead the emotion/passion part of the team, and he sucks at it himself.
Maybe John Wall gets more comfortable with a vocal/leadership role, but until then… there is this.
I am going to keep cheering Gil, like it is 2005. Lets see some of that swag return, because that is why we loved you to begin with.
by returnofswagger on Jan 24, 2011 10:32 PM EST up reply actions
Josh Howard
is a natural born leader.
If we are choosing leaders, i nominate McGee. At least we know is willing to stand up to Blatche, even if its not on the court.
Howard definitely has an affect on the team's spirit when he's on the court.
But he definitely has not been on the court. And I am thinking he is not around for long, especially if that knee doesn’t straighten up quick.
I am going to keep cheering Gil, like it is 2005. Lets see some of that swag return, because that is why we loved you to begin with.
by returnofswagger on Jan 24, 2011 10:52 PM EST up reply actions
Not only that
but you have teams like Boston that have had injuries too and they never miss a beat. All teams have injuries, the difference is, the good ones have guys that will play within the system and still be productive. It’s nothing more than an excuse. He has to prepare his team no matter who’s on the court. If these guys aren’t ready to play than that’s an indictment on him. If he is suggesting he doesn’t have players to run his system then he is passing blame to Grunfield.
by ThePGPhenomenon on Jan 25, 2011 8:58 AM EST up reply actions
does the team take on the character of the coach?
he goes on in completely dispassionate manner about the lack of passion shown from the players
Only time I see Flip show passion
Is when the refs blow a call. There’s a place for that but this fourth quarter unraveling was the players doing not the refs. The players should blame themselves and dial it up a notch, rather than feeling like the helpless victims of bad reffing
by Emmet O'Neal on Jan 24, 2011 10:39 PM EST up reply actions
I agree
the players made poor decisions in the 4th.
by ThePGPhenomenon on Jan 25, 2011 8:59 AM EST up reply actions
Flip seems miserable
I think he is getting frustrated and losing his cool
When he starts to look like Larry Brown
we will know we have a problem. I can’t imagine this is fun for him though.
This was a way better game than I would've expected
Yeah, I know, it’s defeatist, but the Wizards are looking better & better. I for one care nothing about making the playoffs, I only care whether the team improves. Though a 7-game series against Boston would be fun.
A "7-game" series
would really only be 4 games.
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
I think we get our first road win in Cleveland
by iNFaMOUS SwaGG on Jan 24, 2011 10:27 PM EST reply actions
we lost to them last time we were in Cleveland
and pretty terribly as well. If they screwed it up in the past they’re probably going to screw it up again.
by Marine4Life51 on Jan 24, 2011 10:32 PM EST up reply actions
a little crazy, yes
he would be so pissed. and really, not what is needed here. bad fit all the way around
"hindsight is 50-50" - Steve Spurrier
by little stevie colter on Jan 24, 2011 10:29 PM EST up reply actions
Plus he has ridiculous cardio stamina
Maybe he could teach Andray his workout secrets and get him into shape. That would be worth it.
Just when I was starting to brighten up on Blatche
After Utah I had visions of Andray as a part of the future in Washington, but I have returned to my old thought, I want no part of him. What I really can’t get is how giving Blatche all these minutes helps out the young guys who are supposed to be developing for the future.
I can’t help but wonder if Booker and Seraphin are sitting on the bench, watching Blatche get all the playing time, thinking that is how they are supposed to play if they want to get off the bench. I hope they are watching the other teams’ forwards to learn rather than taking tips from Blache
A few thoughts
Flip needs to hold Dray accountable for so many things:
1) terrible shot selection. This is not a new problem. Why doesn’t Flip do something about it? If he were Pop or Phil Dray would have his ass benched.
2) Goes with number 1, He needs to stop trying to create off the dribble. Dray shooting jumpshots off the dribble or trying to do his little baseline crossover up and under move do not have a very encouraging success rate.
3) Terrible defense. Especially pick and roll. How was Amare able to completely destroy us?
4) Basically Dray’s offense has been atrocious and his defense has been even more atrocious. There has to be a way to penalize him and hold him accountable so that he gets rid of bad habits NOW.
Also, am I the only one who goes ughhh every time JW shoots a long-range jumper? I know i’ve said this a million times. The form and mechanics on his J need to be fixed. More and more he is not getting enough lift and his jumpshot becomes even more like a set shot. Also his form is beginning to remind me of DeShawn Stevenson’s which is not a good thing. Today he made a three shooting a set shot and i was like wow nice that went in but it was not fundamentally sound.
What's wrong with a set shot
works for Tim Duncan. After that bank shot last week, maybe that’s who JW is learning from.
There's a difference
TD is a big. JW is a guard. Perimeter players are more likely to get their shots blocked that way.
by Marine4Life51 on Jan 25, 2011 9:29 AM EST up reply actions
Good Game All Around From Everyone Except!..
Blatche — he was lazy from the tip off. i dont know what it is with this guy. it seems only time he plays hard is when we are leading. whenever we are down he just zones out into his own world. the behind the back move is so slow that it stops his rhythm even when the defender is on its heels and allows them to recover. and why does everytime he drives it is baseline side with little room to work with? that mixed with his lack of aggression almost always results in a blocked shot or missed layup. i am just too fed up with him not adjusting his game. when have we seen him do anything new ALL YEAR? maybe flip should have on a shoter leash than he has McGee on.. speaking of..
FLIP — he did a very good job in the 1st half of sticking with what was working. but in the 2nd half it seems like he forgot that blatche was struggling on both ends of the floor and that the guys who replaced him got us back in the game. i dont kno what his thinking is behing playing blatche so much. its frustrating. maybe he wants to whip dray into shape or letting him display hisself for a trade??
Shakur kept on impressing me. he is a reflection of wall with more poise. i would like to see him alot more to rest john when his minutes get up. when he was in every decision he made was the RIGHT ONE! i would love for this guy to get signed through the rest of the season so he wont pull a ALONZE GEE on us. haha. had to laugh.
Even when he struggles,
If Nick Young does not have his shot falling, Blatche is the best scoring option on this team right now. It is a big flaw with the roster, but it does not give a coach a lot of options.
My question is...
Why doesn’t flip bench dray, ever? He sits javale in a heartbeat, pulls trevor quickly…and yet, dray gets to do whatever he wants at this point.
Also, makes no sense to not play booker and javale together in the second half when they were playing so SO well with eachother…
by DCeee on Jan 24, 2011 10:45 PM EST via mobile reply actions
If they're trying to bump up his trade value
the strategy is failing miserably….
They should sit him before his trade value becomes zero.
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
by Rook6980 on Jan 24, 2011 10:53 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Should you keep playing him in hope that he improves
or bench him so there is no way teams would take him? we’re stuck… i’ll take an expiring contract and 2nd rounder at this point
We could bench him and see if he starts to take the game seriously. That works sometimes with players. We wouldn’t be able to trade him before the deadline; but we could trade him before the draft if it turns out that he regains his starting spot with better play.
by Tbonebullets on Jan 24, 2011 11:05 PM EST up reply actions
Well what else are you going to do?? Lasix is illegal.
by Tbonebullets on Jan 24, 2011 11:10 PM EST up reply actions
Maybe a hypnotist would work…dude could swing one of those little airline whiskey bottles on a string in front of his eyes, before games.
by Tbonebullets on Jan 24, 2011 11:13 PM EST up reply actions
hes the mentally finesse type lol
by les boulez bomber on Jan 25, 2011 12:57 AM EST up reply actions
They're playing him because this summer EG decided he was our starting PF
of the present and future.
by DCrez on Jan 24, 2011 11:06 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
i would rec this ten times
if i could
by insidethelines15 on Jan 24, 2011 11:07 PM EST up reply actions
How is it that Mcgee posts up Turiaf exactly one time in the game
While Blatche is left to freelance as much as he wants with horrible results?
and after tonight, I’m really confident that booker can score well down low, play great defense, and rebound well. We absolutely don’t need dray here anymore with trevor booker showing infinitely more promise
by DCeee on Jan 24, 2011 10:47 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I like Book, but,
most of his post scoring came against one of the weakest defensive units in the league. Scoring post points against the Knicks isn’t the same as scoring down low against Boston, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago etc.
Can we revisit the preseason argument of "would you rather have Kevin Love or Andray Blatche?"
President of the Chris Whitney fan-club
by Natepyatt on Jan 24, 2011 10:46 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Lets not get too down fellas
Nick Young has been more than anybody asked this year. John Wall has not been disappointing at the least. Dray has been a major disappointment, but he is about the only one. I think Seraphin and Booker have been exactly what I expected and I am optimistic about the both of them. Yi flopped out but that was at the expense of Quinten Ross so who cares. Howard’s knee is a problem, but again, not a serious loss. McGee is slightly above where he was at the beginning of the year IMO, at least he didn’t regress. I don’t feel too bad about the future.
I am going to keep cheering Gil, like it is 2005. Lets see some of that swag return, because that is why we loved you to begin with.
by returnofswagger on Jan 24, 2011 10:58 PM EST reply actions
Agreed
but that leaves me feeling like Ernie is going to have more freedom with the pick and we might end up with a hard worker with some potential. I don’t think we need to go for the HR-pick next year, just somebody that will contribute and get better. A bust will be a serious setback.
I am going to keep cheering Gil, like it is 2005. Lets see some of that swag return, because that is why we loved you to begin with.
by returnofswagger on Jan 25, 2011 1:08 AM EST up reply actions
Its not real star studded
but it is fairly even top to bottom. I think we would be better off with a couple early 2nd rounders than a mid 1st. The talent around 30-40 is going to be as good as 12-20
the draft hasnt been good for years
there is rarely ever good depth in the nba draft… I wouldn’t want 2nd rounders. Nothing hardly ever comes from those, you might get some1 to make the roster. We need another lottery pick. We are a rebuilding team and unfortunately developing what we have is not enough
Andray was a 2nd rounder....
"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 25, 2011 5:53 PM EST up reply actions
so we should try to get a blatche in the 2nd round this year?
i said nothing hardly ever comes from those picks. you cant say that was a bad pick to get him with his potential and ability.. but doesnt mean we have a good shot at getting some1 this year in the 2nd. we gotta keep getting 1st rounders at this point. 2 years ago really hurt now that we gave up the 5th pick for foye and miller.. hard to blame front office cuz it was a completely different team but now we could def. use another talented young player developing with our core
This is a game where we could've used Kirk late
Kirk can hit timely jumpers, floaters in the lane, draw attention. And he can score late.
another gap in coaching of this team
is it seems like across the board NOBODY on the wiz know how to defend the pick and roll. If it’s only a few guys than that’s understandable, but no one knows what to do, how to communicate… It’s insane.
god bless flip, but some kind of buyout or leave of absence needs to be worked out. He needs some time off.
Shut down wall to rehab those knees, give blatche a dnp for the year and time to have some kind of revelation…
by rzawrecktah on Jan 24, 2011 11:05 PM EST via mobile reply actions
The pick and roll
is the hardest play to defend. That is why everyone in the NBA does it. That is why Tim Duncan has 3 rings. I agree we didn’t look real good on D, but we’re not the first team to struggle against the P&R with Felton and Amare
Didnt know about Seraphin having his shorts on backwards
he had to change infront of the bench in the 1st with his teammates surrounding him
Woke up early in Warsaw....
one step forward, two steps back…
Sign Shakur for the rest of the year.
Give Booker more PT.
I am going back to sleep before I start ranting about Dray….
must… go… back… to………zzzzzzzzz
by khrabb on Jan 24, 2011 11:16 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I was at the game tonight
A few observations:
1. I really don’t know what it’s gonna take for this team to get a road win. I don’t know whether to be less depressed because they played one of their best roadies of the season, or to be more depressed that it still wasn’t enough to even be close at the end.
2. Toney Douglas was giving Wall a lot of problems. He blanketed him and it forced Young or (sigh) Blatche to run the offense numerous times. The results were not pretty.
3. I was most angry at Al Thornton tonight, and at Flip for keeping him in two plays two long. Not only did he shoot that airball with no one to rebound, but he committed 3 – THREE!!!! – fouls in the fourth including a charge after which I gathered my belongings for an early exit. The Knicks were in the penalty at the 6 min mark and up 6…forget it. I agree with other posters – where the hell was Rashard there?!
4th and most important: I was really ticked off by the Wizards in pregame. Watch a good team in pregame, and they are all business. Shooting shots from their preferred spots, practicing free throws, etc. The Wizards were an absolute joke in pregame. Wall was doing these stupid missiles off the backboard and laughing about it. They did some dumbass routine during layup lines where everyone did a 360 spin after catching the ball before doing anything. These guys can’t honestly say they care about getting the first road win. They are such damn clowns.
My question is, why do we spend so much time following this bunch of knuckleheads? They are the sorriest excuse for professionals sometimes. Andray Blatche makes 8 million a year. What a joke. He is so fake urgent sometimes and the rest of the time he just coasts, and the organization enables it.
So irritated right now.
by insidethelines15 on Jan 24, 2011 11:19 PM EST reply actions
What do the coaches do during the game?
Points 4 and 5 are so obvious to us, but obviously they are not apparent to the coaching staff. Similarly, isn’t it obvious when Blatche and/or the first unit doesn’t bring it?
What exactly are the coaches looking for during a game, other then going ballastic on the 4 or 5 mistakes that McGee makes?
Draft.
Jones/Kanter is becoming the clear cut choice for this team in that order IMO. Sullinger would be a reflection of Booker. plus booker plays way more above the rim than Sullinger.
perry or terrence jones?
I like Perry better. Sullinger looks good, but Seraphin and Booker are more atheltic. Sullinger has very good footwork though.
Well
right now, the Wizards have the 6th worst record in the League with 13 wins….
Cleveland = 8 wins
Minnesota = 10 wins
Sacramento = 10 wins
New Jersey = 10 wins
Toronto = 13 wins
Washington = 13 wins
Detroit/Clippers/Charlotte = 17 wins
I believe Sacramento, New Jersey and Toronto will all pass the Wizards in February because the Wiz have a brutal schedule. By the end of February, they could have the 3rd worst record in the League…. and a shot at a very high draft pick.
My preference , in order:
Perry Jones = best chance to be a Super Star
Terrence Jones = Most productive player in the draft
Enes Kanter = Huge 6’11" 260 pounds. Would be perfect next to McGee. Low post scorer. Rebounder.
He's "delightfully cranky"
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
agree with Perry
Kanter and Sullinger just don’t really look to be explosive players which is what always appeals to me in the draft. I actually like Jordan Williams of MD better for the bulky rebounder PF mold that would fit for the Wiz.
Or Rick Jackson
He might go undrafted, but he is a banger and rebounds like nobody else.
Valenciunas looks really good if you have a chance to see some Euro games, they’re usually on around 3 pm EST, but It isn’t clear that he would come over right away
heres my top 5
1-Perry Jones – prime McGrady potential
2-kyrie Irving – too tallented to pass up
3-Jared Sullinger – Skilled ManChild Big Heart hard worker PRO
4-Terrence Jones – All around multi tallented player Strong
5-Enes Kanter Looks Really Big Really Big
Who would you trade
Irving or Wall? or are you hoping for a run and gun offense, since that worked so well with EJ?
At the top of the draft, you make picks for talent level,
not position of need (or non-need for that matter). Its a tough position for draft teams to be in, but there are ways of mitigating the situation where the best prospect remaining on the board is a duplicate of your established centerpiece.
You can try and trade down. You can draft him and trade him right there. You can develop him and trade him next year. And so on.
But what you CANNOT do is pick inferior talent over him.
I like sullinger
he’s got 40 pounds on booker.. banger.more athletic than he gets credit. wide nba body with post moves
i’m done though… blatche and flip have done a number on me tonight
Have u watched Sullinger Play ?
Booker is good but not on Sullingers Level
Sullinger is the NEXT Kevin Love
he has a massive wide frame and can still add even more musle than he already has and is only like 19 with a high lowpost IQ
Sullinger
better post player offensively and better rebounder. I think Booker would matchup okay against him.
Disagree about the matchup
Sullinger is too strong and too good down there. Sullinger probably has 20 lbs on him too.
I am going to keep cheering Gil, like it is 2005. Lets see some of that swag return, because that is why we loved you to begin with.
by returnofswagger on Jan 25, 2011 1:14 AM EST up reply actions
maybe
but Booker had the second highest amount of bench presses at the combine. He has a 31 inch no step vertical. Sullinger doesn’t have very good hops and he’s not super quick. Again Sullinger is a good post player, but if you can imagine Booker playing well against a PF it’s going to be against a slower guy that can’t jump.
Booker is the most versatile defender we got.
He could get the best of anybody, on one possession, because he is so strong, and so quick. I don’t like it as an extended game-long matchup or anything though.
I am going to keep cheering Gil, like it is 2005. Lets see some of that swag return, because that is why we loved you to begin with.
by returnofswagger on Jan 25, 2011 11:25 AM EST up reply actions
That was one of the worst defensive performances I've seen in person.
The difference between the teams’ defenses was striking, especially in the back court. The Wiz seemed to be in a fog at times and obviously were unable to defend the 3. Time and time again a Knick would sprint downcourt and catch the Wiz unawares.
Three observations
The rebounding sucked. A few lucky caroms came our way but for the most part on the offenIve boards, if a outside J went up only the Knicks moved into rebounding position. The Wizard’s bigs just watch the shot and don’t move an inch. I was even more frustrated with Dray’s rebounding than his terrible end of game offense. Instead of grabbing the ball with both hands, He was thrusting one arm at the
rebound which just made the rebound
available for any Knick who could utilize both
hands at once.
McGee is awful, when He made that foul line move to the rack no one defended and He couldn’t even drop the ball in the basket. Sometimes He watches the ball rebound past Him without grabbing the ball.
Third point is We need a veteran center. Keep McGee as a project. I’m liking Dray as a sub too.
by Janber on Jan 25, 2011 12:25 AM EST via mobile reply actions
observations
1.Having Nick Young and Blatche as your 1st and 2nd options when in reality they are 3rd and 4th options on a quality team is a killer especially on the road when you gotta lean on your top option guys to bring it. They do the same thing every road game they force a bunch of dum contested shots, then they start turning over the ball then Flip makes some idiotic substituions while wall just continues like a robot to feed the unproductive Blatche and Young over and over.
2. Blatche was dreadful couldn’t catch or shoot tonight at all and the next time a Wizards big not named Mcgee does anything to cover the backside of the defense will be the 1st time EVER. No one wants to take a charge or hard foul its a basic layp drill once the team pull Mcgee out in the pick and roll.
3. Shakur is a legit NBA back up if we could get a late 1st rd pick for him say to the Lakers it might be worth moving Hinrich.
4,. Flip Saunders is clueless not recognizing that the 1st half line up with Booker and mcgeee was working and not going back to it in the 2nd half makes him totally unaware.
5. John Wall seriously needs to develop NBA jumpshot mechanics he makes a quick burst pulls up and then takes the slowest flat line release any professional basketball player can make ever and either gets the shot challenged which causes a brick or he shoots an airball.
6. Wizards need Sullinger bad he’d be a more physical Boozer or either of the Jones guys to run with Wall on the break either of these 3 players would aid the Wizards greatly.
Good points all...
I have said all along that McGee needs to be paired with a banger to cover his backside and let him exploit his free-lance strengths.
If the Wizards can get late first round picks for either Kirk or Dray, I would say take the deal.
Gotta love Shakur. He and Wall give the team genuine point guard depth, enough so that when Wall goes into confused rookie mode, he can sit for a while and observe how a guy who has paid his dues handles the position.
Have not been able to see any college hoops from over here, but if Sullinger gets you into Zach Randolph or for old schoolers, Mo Lucas territory… that’s a player worth having.
I hope Josh Howard is healing, we will need him to stay even close to respectable after All-Star Break.
Early 2nd round is going to be just as good as late first this year.
I don’t think the Lakers are looking for another point. They paid good money for Steve Blake and he is doing fine.
Maybe we can trade Kirk back to Chicago.
I just looked up Blake, out of curiosity.
He’s having a lousy shooting year from 2, but pretty nice from 3. Weird.
Hard to tell how much is him and how much is how little the Lakers need/want from him, but his PER is a whopping 7.55!
From a Knicks Fan
my best buddy is a Knicks fan who was at the game last night. His notes are surprisingly accurate for someone watching their first Wiz game of the year:
Blatche needs to NOT dribble behind his back
Your boys looked REAL tired
Your team is funny, real funny, really odd charcters
Flip looks like he drinks and smokes every night
Where is the structure in the half court?
Rahsard Lewis found some game and competes hard
Just thought it was interesting to note someone watching one game reaches similar conclusions
shine like bald head, smoke trees call me log head
Your boy Flip
Yes I’m back on this again. Flip is an overrated coach. I’ve been watching basketball a long time and I know if a team is well coached or not and this team isn’t. Prime example is the inbound play. Have you ever seen a professional basketball team struggle with something so simple? I mean the players are completely clueless. Last night, I counted about 3 times that they almost had a 5 second violation or that they almost threw the ball away. I seen like 3 players crowd up in one area and there was absolutely no spacing. That is unacceptable. This has nothing to do with the players being young, this is coaching. I learned how to run inbound plays when I was 7 years old, so why can’t grown men who are at least 20 years old do the same?
Also, beating a dead horse, but Flip’s treatment of Blatche is reminiscent of the issues he had in Detroit. He simply doesn’t have the respect of his players because he caters to certain individuals. Now let’s be honest, if McGee was sitting there dribbling behind his back and taking fadeaway 20 footers, how many of us think he would stay in the game? Didn’t think so. Nobody respects this man on this team. Randy Wittman got more effort in one game out of this team than Flip has gotten in most of the games he’s coached this year. He’s simply not a teaching coach. He’s a veteran coach. That’s what he was brought here to do, coach veterans, so why are we acting like he is the right coach?
by ThePGPhenomenon on Jan 25, 2011 9:13 AM EST reply actions
I really would like to know who you would like instead
Maybe Flip isn’t perfect, but it’s not like the Wizards are the number one choice on anyone’s list.
by HIBACHI GOLD on Jan 25, 2011 9:36 AM EST up reply actions
Well
Let’s break this down. Flip was brought here to coach a veteran contender-ready team. That team is gone now. Flip has a history of coaching veteran teams, even though some would contend that his earlier Minnesota teams were young, I would argue that he owed his success to Kevin McHale and the work he did with Kevin Garnett and on top of that, a majority of the other players were veteran players. Without Garnett, who is easily a Hall-of-Fame player, Flip wouldn’t have even sniffed the playoffs. My point being, there are certain coaches that are successful at certain situations. You can’t just take any coach and assume they will be successful with your team, especially if you change the philosophy of the team. For example, do you think Phil Jackson, as good as he is, would be any better with this team? The reason for his success is because he knows what he can and cannot do. He isn’t there in LA to groom franchise players, he’s there to coach a contending team.
The Wizards ownership needs to realize that a) these players aren’t responding to Flip and b) they aren’t playing to their potential. I agree that it isn’t completely his fault, but there are details that he misses out on that could really help this team. He doesn’t have the backbone to break these kids out of bad habits (like benching Blatche). He talks a good game in the media but he does a poor job of adjusting defensive sets that maximizes the teams ability on that end. If this team wants to get better they need a coach that they can relate to more like Sam Cassell. They need someone that they will listen to, who is no nonsense, in your face, and understand what it takes to be a young player in this league. If not Sam then perhaps, anyone who exhibits the ability to be stern on players. This franchise hasn’t had too many coaches that are no nonsense and I think it contributes to the inconsistent effort on a nightly basis.
by ThePGPhenomenon on Jan 25, 2011 10:45 AM EST up reply actions
I think Phil would do much better than Flip here.
Because Phil calls players out in the media and then actually benches them until they perform. If they dont perform, they never play.
But Phil is larger than Ernie and could do that sort of thing, whereas EG is Flip’s boss and you never know exactly to what extent Flip gets support of GM over the players. Looking back on Blatche calling Flip a “bald faced liar” in public and then starting the next night…you gotta wonder what the hell Ernie is up to.
that inbound play
has cost them at least 2 games just by itself. WTF?
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.
can Ray Lewis...
….drive down from B-more and give this team a pep talk??
Nooooo
with our medical staff, they would NEVER recover from a Ray Lewis ass-kicking.
I am going to keep cheering Gil, like it is 2005. Lets see some of that swag return, because that is why we loved you to begin with.
by returnofswagger on Jan 25, 2011 11:26 AM EST up reply actions
When I got to work today I watched the last six minutes of the game and the first six minutes of the Shakur insertion. Two different teams.
by Janber on Jan 25, 2011 12:11 PM EST via mobile reply actions
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