Keys to the Palace: Let's Get Real

by Jon Kelman on Feb 14, 2011 12:47 AM EST

What a week. I was tempted to give everyone a key if the team beat the Cavs, particularly after a great performance against the Bucks, but then that 'effort' happened against Spurs. I want to be able to talk about how the defensive rotations took massive steps forward against the Bucks, but the Spurs game overshadows the good.

I am trying to tell myself that it is fantastic to get off the schneid and finally have that first road win. As Mike said, time to dance. Maybe the game is all we needed to get over the mental block and will serve as a springboard.

On the other hand, we could have lost by 50 to the Spurs, and that is not acceptable. Maybe the team was looking ahead, and maybe the Spurs had something to prove after a bad game the night before, but that performance is not something I can accept as a fan. It is a game like that makes you realize we are celebrating a win over a historically awful team. Let's enjoy the win, but stay real about the state of the Wizards.

Keys to the Palace

Player	Week 16 PER	Week 15 PER	Difference	Comment
Kevin Seraphin	8.4	7.7	0.7	A big week for the young big man. He did nothing spectacular, but solid performances, great signs of development, and playing time are reasons enough for a Key. The most exciting part of this week for me was his desire to initiate his own offense. I understand that him taking shots is probably bad for the team right now, and at times funny to watch, but these are encouraging signs. I also though he was the only bright spot against the Spurs.
Cartier Martin	14.5	13.1	1.4	Cartier took advantage of a few late minutes against the Bucks and got himself back into the rotation, and maybe onto the team next season and beyond. The two great shooting performances that more than outweighed the lackluster effort against the Cavs.

Guest Passes

Player	Week 16 PER	Week 15 PER	Difference	Comment
JaVale McGee	17.3	17.1	0.2	I really wanted to give him a Key this week, I did. The numbers against the Spurs don't look bad, but that game was not a good performance. That said, he was going against Tim freaking Duncan, so not sure how much we can fault JaVale. The Bucks game was good, and tonight was okay, although I am pretty sure he had at least as many goaltends as blocked shots. The best news of the week is that he had much better success scoring on shots that he initiated, which is huuuge for the future.
Andray Blatche	14.6	14.6	0	The numbers were solid this week, but he's another guy who's stats against the Spurs don't tell the whole story. I think this week as much better though than those past. He did not force as many awful shots, and I can't recall egregious defense. Then again, it his sometimes indifferent attitude that can cause a team to play like we did against San Antonio.
Kirk Hinrich	13.4	13.6	-0.2	The most interesting part of his week for me was the 31 minutes against the Spurs. When that game was out of reach early, the Wiz completed limited the minutes of every starter and key reserve except Hinrich. Mustafa could have played in his stead, so I am thinking that the Wiz are rally trying to showcase Hinrich for a trade.
Yi Jianlian	11.4	11.2	0.2	An okay week for Yi, and Seraphin's recent play may not bode well for him. I did like the JaVale-Yi frontline against an undersized Cavs team. Seriously, the Cavs have like 1 true center on their roster.
Trevor Booker	12.9	13	-0.1	I almost want to lock him out for being an energy guy who failed to ignite the team against San Antonio, but that would have been a little too harsh. The bulk of his minutes were garbage against those Spurs, so hard to judge him much on that game. 8 rebounds in 17 minutes tonight though is big, even if the Cavs don't have a center.
Nick Young	14.9	15.2	-0.3	2 great games balance out with probably his worst performance of the season: 2-10 from the field, no free throws, 4 fouls (3 early), 3 turnovers, no assists, no rebounds, and 4 points. He was unconscious against the Bucks and Cavs though, and showed progress in his game by taking the ball to the rack (highlighted by the 2 huge dunks against the Bucks); the fact that I can even make that statement shows how much his game has transformed. Nick gets into trouble when he initiates his own offense by dribbling and then taking fadeaways, he needs to stick to catching and shooting and getting to the rim. He will never be a passer, so if he starts dribbling and can't get to the basket, he should just pass it back out to a teammate.
John Wall	15.1	15.1	0	He was great against the Cavs, particularly because he constantly looked to push ball to the basket and take advantage of his speed. The other 2 games were nothing remarkable. I know Flip highlighted the team's defense on Brandon Jennings, but that guy is a horrible shooter who's 9-24 outing against the Wiz was maybe his best shooting game in the past 2-3 weeks. An interesting week too, as his buddy Brandon Banks on the Redskins was stabbed outside of a DC nightclub; I can only hope he stays out of that kind of trouble.
Josh Howard	10.4	10.3	0.1	A long-awaited return after missing the past 19(!) games, but glad to have him back. He took a little time to get back into the flow tonight, and then seemed to get a bit over-excited, but it was a very good performance for someone who was rusty. I am curious to see how his presence affects Thornton, Rashard, and Booker's minutes.

Locked Out

Player	Week 16 PER	Week 15 PER	Difference	Comment
Rashard Lewis	14.2	14.4	-0.2	He only played 1 game and it wasn't a good one. It is also bad news to hear that his knee is not in great shape. With JoHo back, maybe it is his minutes that get cut, if not only to rest his knee.
Wizards Training Staff	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes, JoHo is back, and the details of how bad his knee was were cryptic, but 19 games is way too many for him to miss. Either the staff didn't do a good job of getting him back quickly this time, or rushed him over the summer. I am sure JoHo pushed to return quickly as he is on a 1-year deal, but it is the training staff's job to get him healthy to play as many games as possible. Looking back and knowing that Gilbert Arenas' knee was not handled well should make Rashard Lewis concerned about his ongoing knee issues.....

NOTE: Hilton Armstrong, Al Thornton, and Mustafa Shakur were left off this week's Keys to the Palace because they did not receive enough playing time for a fair evaluation.

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Comments

lol

again no keys for mcgee man you are on a serious mission against javale its a joke and give Seraphin the keys for a total nondescript performance. lol come on man Javale outplayed Bogut and was a key to the win and yet he gets no key. whats it all about man say I hate Mcgee already so we can move on from this ruse.

by jazzy1 on Feb 14, 2011 1:44 AM EST reply actions

Yeah, its getting a little rediculous indeed.

McGee was our best player this week without any doubt. He had a good rebounding week overall, 1 oustanding game (bucks), 1 good game (cavs) and 1 game below par (Spurs, as did the rest of the team ánd McGee has the excuse of being matched up with the best player on that team, who has been making people look silly for over a decade now).

I strongly disagree that Seraphin was a bright spot against the Spurs. He has some sort of back to the basket game but he is just to short to get a high percentage shot off. He is also to short to defend the post effectively and lacks the latteral quickness to defend more versitile PF’s. (i really think he gets eaten alive by a power player like Booker ánd a versitile one like Lewis in practice)

Furthermore i think Cartier and Nick should swap places because Cartiers influence this week wasn’t half as big as Nick’s was.

With the rest i pretty much agree, especially the medical staff.

"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 Feb 14, 2011 4:15 AM EST up reply actions

Bare in mind that this is all relative

The bar for JaVale is much higher than for Seraphin or Martin. Those other 2 earned playing time this week, which is as big of a deal as possible for either one. Nick spearheaded 2 victories this week, but we expect him to lead us in scoring each game.

Of course Cartier’s influence wasn’t as big as Nick’s, it never will be. If this wasn’t relative, these rankings would be virtually the same every week.

by Jon Kelman on Feb 14, 2011 8:32 AM EST up reply actions

Nick, Javale & Cartier keys, seraphin guest pass

fair enough, Cartier gets a key but to me Nick and McGee should get one too. Seraphin should not.

I understand the bar for McGee is higher than for Seraphin but again, he was our best player last week and had a major role in winning both the bucks and cavs game. He was subpar against the Spurs but considering that he was matched up with Duncan he actually was better than the rest of them, relatively.

"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 Feb 14, 2011 11:41 AM EST up reply actions

I thought Javale may have played better against Spurs than Cavs.

He scored in the post against Tim Duncan afterall.

by DCrez on Feb 14, 2011 12:06 PM EST up reply actions

I think JaVale had 1 great game, and 2 maybe okay ones

I actually think Nick would get my vote for player of the week despite the Spurs game, as the best 2 players for us in the Bucks game were him and JaVale, and the best 2 players in our other win were Nick and Jimmy. Nick was instrumental in 2 wins…..

I think JaVale would be my 2nd place player of the week though.

by Jon Kelman on Feb 14, 2011 1:38 PM EST up reply actions

McGee did nothing spectacular

One pretty good game, one ok game, and one horrible game and he is supposed to be a building block. I just don’t get peoples obsession with this kid. He may end up being a sort of shot blocking specialist on a team, but he is just not ready for prime time. Playing against the Cav’s who have no front court he had a so-so game. How is that worthy of some fake keys?

by seewhite on Feb 14, 2011 12:02 PM EST up reply actions

17 rebs (14 defensive), 3 blocks, and 16pts against Andrew Bogut in a big win for us.

If that’s just “pretty good”, the guy cant win.

by DCrez on Feb 14, 2011 12:09 PM EST up reply actions

It was one game

He’s had a handful of those games this season. That game was more than pretty good, but damn, if you keep staring at that tree you are never going to see the forest.

by seewhite on Feb 15, 2011 11:23 AM EST up reply actions

and agreed about the Cavs game, he needs to be better

by DCrez on Feb 14, 2011 12:10 PM EST up reply actions

He played GREAT against the Bucks.

Wish he brought that game all the time. Unfortunately he also tries to dribble the length of the court through traffic, attempts behind-the-back passes, and a few shots a game that are unwise.

His job now is to make what we consider exceptional effort on his part happen every game. Blatche too.

by MR on Feb 14, 2011 12:13 PM EST up reply actions

i didn't think he was special in that game

It was more the Bucks abandoning the basket whenever they missed shots to get in transition. Maybe they were afraid of Wall. Any Wizards could have had 17 boards in that game. There usually 4 of them there to grab the rebound. I waited to see how many McGee managed against SA and he got 3. That was the real test. At this point, McGee is a bench player.

by hambonejackson on Feb 14, 2011 12:17 PM EST up reply actions

I don't really care about his rebound totals

I thought he played very good basic D against a good center. Fundamental even.

by MR on Feb 14, 2011 12:24 PM EST up reply actions

I do care about his rebounding total

He calls for the boards against the Bucks. He does not call for a single board against SA. He was padding his stats.He brings the ball up at the end of the Bucks game. Wall has to call for the ball. Its a matter of respect for your team mates and he is a selfish player. You want be the big man, Lets what you do in SA. 3 boards. And Duncan took that game off. He was not even needed. People whine about Blatche, but he is a team guy. He makes plays for other players and he always tries to do something for the team. McGee simply plays like he has own agenda and he really does not play all that great. I wonder how serious a basketball player he is. Or, if he is simply mentally incapable of playing the game. So I always give something of a pass to Blatche. With him, its not whether can play the game, its how well. With McGee, can he play basketball? I am not sure about that.

by hambonejackson on Feb 14, 2011 1:03 PM EST up reply actions

If the real test was SA, we should waive the entire team including Wall.

by DCrez on Feb 14, 2011 1:05 PM EST up reply actions

You kind of miss my point

SA simply exposed problems this team has and that is simply a lack of players. My point was really, that McGee will suck rebounds from his own players, but lets see him suck rebounds from the other teams players. That is what he should be doing.IN other words, he is a pussy player. He won’t fight for boards. He never fights for anything. He sucks off the team, even on offense. Send him to another team and see how he plays. He wont play because they won’t let him. Everything McGee does is at the expense of his own team. He is supposed to be helping the team. Which team is he playing for? He should be executed for being a saboteur.

by hambonejackson on Feb 14, 2011 1:20 PM EST up reply actions

Duncan had 3 boards that night.

Granted he played less mins, but he had 3 boards.

I think the entire team plays selfish in sense, including last night, everybody is out their looking for their jumpshot except Wall….but he may too once he has more confidence. On offense this is a team of individuals.

And I dont care who grabs what rebounds nor do I think anybody is stealing them from anybody else…as long as the team is getting them it’s fine by me.

by DCrez on Feb 14, 2011 1:29 PM EST up reply actions

you cannot justify McGee by saying he is on a team of selfish players

I don’t think this is a selfish team. they may not fit with each other as players, but that is a matter of style, a lack of communication, and because of the way this team was organized. McGee does not fit in at all. He calls for boards because he is the rebounder. He then walks the ball up himself. That is disrespectful to the point guard. The next game, the teams rebounder gets 3 boards because he is now playing a team that will fight for those boards. So he seems rather obvious as a player. He is about himself and that is what I continue to see about him. I f Young is playing like he is in his contract year, what will McGee be like next season?

by hambonejackson on Feb 14, 2011 1:55 PM EST up reply actions

I think you are letting personal prejudice cloud your judgment.

IMHO McG played very hard vs. Mil. I’m not sure anyone on the team reads ‘disrespect’ into his actions.

by MR on Feb 14, 2011 2:00 PM EST up reply actions

I thnk it is if you call for boards because you claim you are the rebounder

and the you walk the ball up your self and you do not show any consideration for your point guards role. In fact, Saunders said that himself in the post game interview. No one on this team will give McGee the ball. He is telling McGee the team will ice him out.

by hambonejackson on Feb 14, 2011 2:06 PM EST up reply actions

but they fed him in the post consistently against the spurs

one could imagine as a reward for playing so well against the Bucks

by DCrez on Feb 14, 2011 2:08 PM EST up reply actions

He took 10 shots in thst game

by hambonejackson on Feb 14, 2011 2:12 PM EST up reply actions

I should add it was a threat to ice him out if he doesn't start getting with the program

I still think McGee is gone from this team. I believe he will be. I think his next season will be his last season with the Wiz. I don’t think he is good enough to stick around. It is my opinion, but Saunders did threaten McGee and he has been threatening him all season. He has said he is a 2nd tier center. he has threatened to bench McGee. Now he has said the team won’t give him the ball. As a coach, you spend your whole season trying to teach a player when you should not be. I think McGee will be gone.

by hambonejackson on Feb 14, 2011 2:22 PM EST up reply actions

disrespectful???

we’re on different wavelengths, you sound like you take Mcgee’s poor play personally so I have a tough time relating to what you are saying.

As for his contract, I’d like to see 82 games like the one against the Bucks. If he plays exactly like that, we have our starting Center.

by DCrez on Feb 14, 2011 2:06 PM EST up reply actions

We had 31 assists - can't have been too selfish last night

It’s a jump shooting team – and I’m not sure how looking for a jump shot can be any more selfish than looking to drive. Not as efficient, certainly, but a good jump shot isn’t selfish. Heck, when guys drive people complain that they’re being selfish by stealing assists from John.

I thought the team shared quite well last night – not perfect, but far above normal, and even when the game got a little tight.

by wjb1492 on Feb 14, 2011 4:07 PM EST up reply actions

yet no other wizard even had 9 boards in that game, or 5 def boards.

whereas the Bucks did have 12 offensive boards (same as us). Bogut had 4 off boards, that’s what DHoward averages. “abandoning the basket” is probably a little strong

by DCrez on Feb 14, 2011 12:25 PM EST up reply actions

The wiards need to look at 2 things

The 1st is Grunfeld and Saunders who routinely turn teams in to playoff teams. The 2nd is the time frame that they are looking at; 2 years according to Saunders. This means that next season this team needs to be significantly better. I think San Antonio is the type of team the Wiz need to emulate. The Wiz do not have Tim Duncan because neither Blatche or McGee want to play with intelligence. Maybe they are jocks and that is that. Well, that is not enough for this team and it should not be enough. Intelligent players do matter. Its not all about athleticism, as fascinating and compelling as that may be This team does have Wall to deliver the ball and its a waste not to use his ability to spread the ball around. He needs the players who can play. Players who know what to do with the ball when they receive it. Players who can hit shots if they are open. Players who can play defense. Athleticism should not be confused with skill. Intelligence and skill will always defeat the dumb athlete and that is why SA can destroy the Wizards.

by hambonejackson on Feb 14, 2011 4:37 AM EST reply actions

The training staff

The coach needs to add some common sense to whatever the training staff and players are telling him about injuries. Less minutes means more minutes, and other players get to develop – or maybe not, but at least you find out.

by Izman on Feb 14, 2011 8:26 AM EST reply actions

Too many guest passes

it’s allowing you to not have to make a decisive decision. Guest passes should be for one or two guys who are on the fence, not most of the team.

And I’m getting a little tired of everyone blaming everything on the training staff. You have essentially said “They brought JH back too slow or too fast. Not sure which but I’m sure it was their fault.” It’s not just you, I hear a lot of “why is player x out so long” coupled with “why is player y rushing back so fast”. Like the big man coach, it is something that we fans really don’t have any real info on so we choose to just throw blame that direction. There may or may not be some truth to it, but it is almost certainly blown way out of proportion.

by MR on Feb 14, 2011 10:15 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

Agree

re: “too many guest passes.” I propose a limited number of keys (1-4) and guest passes (1-3). If passes to the freaking palace get handed out like candy, the players will surely stop working as hard for them.

Getting buckets since 2003.

by Icantfeelmyface on Feb 14, 2011 10:18 AM EST up reply actions

I've approached it as Guest Passes are the normal/mediocre

I’m trying to have 1-3 keys and 1-3 locked out each week. If we lost last night, I would have locked everyone out. If I did 2 Keys, and 2 guest passes then I’d be locking out 7 guys this week, which is too much.

I guess the term ‘Guest Pass’ is misleading, as this ranking system sounds like: Very good, good, or bad – there is no mediocre. I am viewing Guest Pass as a mediocre. In the arrow system, a Key is ‘arrow up’, Guest Pass is ‘no change’, and Locked Out is ‘arrow down’. I hope that makes sense.

by Jon Kelman on Feb 14, 2011 11:16 AM EST up reply actions

I don't think you need an arbitrary number in each category

I just know that when I have a guest pass and go to a gym or something I get to use all the facilities, enjoy all the amenities, chillax in the sauna just like a member. So what is the diff if these guys all get guest passes every week for mediocre play? If they play well, give em a membership. If they don’t, make em stand out on the cold sidewalk looking through the window.

by MR on Feb 14, 2011 12:02 PM EST up reply actions

Agreed about the training staff

There are other teams who deal with injuries, a lot of injuries, and have key players out for long stretches, and I don’t see anyone calling their training staff incompetent. The Blazers are just one example. Every team deals with injury. Part of the reason the Wizards are always dealing with it is because we tend to stick with players who have history of injury or who are coming off of injuries.

by seewhite on Feb 14, 2011 12:06 PM EST up reply actions

Off the last three games...

I would say throw the Spurs fiasco out the window and ask who made the difference in the wins vs Milwaukee and Cleveland:

Wall, Young, Hinrich should get keys
Josh gets a key off Cleveland alone
McGee, Blatche, Martin, Booker, Seraphin ok guest passes
The rest uh uh

by khrabb on Feb 14, 2011 3:14 PM EST reply actions

Such a weird week. If I could throw out the Spurs game this list would look very different

Not that it works like that, but taking that out that game would bump Nick and JaVale up to Keys, and I think Martin and Seraphin down to Guest Pass. I may have also been in the giving mood and given JoHo the nod as well, maybe even Dray for taking a step forward.

by Jon Kelman on Feb 14, 2011 3:30 PM EST up reply actions