Yesterday the All-Rookie teams were announced and (again) Dominic McGuire was blackballed out of any votes.  That's the bad news, the good is that Nick Young was much closer to make the All-Rookie team than anyone on the team was to making the All-Defensive team.  Had he made it, he would've been the first Wizards to make it since Jarvis Hayes back in 2004.  Bonus points to whoever knows who was the last Wizard to make the team before Jarvis.  No cheating!

Nick didn't end up making either team, but he's still looking like a good pick from Ernie Grunfeld.  Just going on simple fact that the player taken 16th in the draft ended up 13th in the rookie voting speaks to the value of the pick.  It gets better when you realize that three of the rookies that got more votes (Jamario Moon, Luis Scola, and JC Navarro) weren't even taken in this year's draft, so you could say that the Wizards wound up with the 10th best rookie from the '07 class, based on the voting. However, I would be quick to mention that Greg Oden was out all season, so 11th would probably be a little more fair.

It'll still take a few more years before we can really evaluate whether taking Young was the best move, but the early returns are looking pretty good for the high-flyer.  Now if only we could get him in the dunk contest...

This year's All-Defensive teams were announced today, and sadly, the coaches blackballed Taser from getting any votes.  On the bright side, a Wizards player did receive a vote this year.  See if you can find him in all the riff-raff:

FIRST TEAM -- Kevin Garnett, forward, Boston, 52 (24); Kobe Bryant, guard, L.A. Lakers, 52 (24); Marcus Camby, center, Denver, 37 (14); Bruce Bowen, guard-forward, San Antonio, 36 (13); Tim Duncan, forward, San Antonio, 33 (12).

SECOND TEAM -- Shane Battier, forward, Houston, 29 (9); Chris Paul, guard, New Orleans, 26 (10); Dwight Howard, center, Orlando, 25 (8); Tayshaun Prince, forward, Detroit, 20 (3); Raja Bell, guard, Phoenix, 18 (4).

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES -- Chauncey Billups, Detroit, 14 (5); Jason Kidd, Dallas, 13 (4); Rasheed Wallace, Detroit, 13 (3); Rajon Rondo, Boston, 11 (3); Deron Williams, Utah, 8, (3); Josh Smith, Atlanta, 8, (3); Ron Artest, Sacramento, 8 (2); Tyson Chandler, New Orleans, 8 (1); Andrei Kirilenko, Utah, 6; Derek Fisher, Los Angeles Lakers, 4 (1); LeBron James, Cleveland, 4 (1); Manu Ginobili, San Antonio, 4 (1); Kirk Hinrich, Chicago, 3 (1); Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia, 3 (1); Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia, 1 (2); Brandon Roy, Portland, 2; Paul Pierce, Boston, 2; Andre Miller, Philadelphia, 1; Andres Nocioni, Chicago, 1; Baron Davis, Golden State, 1; Caron Butler, Washington, 1; Chris Bosh, Toronto, 1; Dikembe Mutombo, Houston, 1; Josh Howard, Dallas, 1; Richard Hamilton, Detroit, 1; Ronnie Brewer, Utah, 1.

The voting is done by the coaches, so I'll leave it to you to guess which one voted for Caron.  Possibly this man?  Scratch that, coaches can't vote for their players.

The sad thing is, the Wizards actually had more All-Defensive team votes last year when Caron got two votes and Gilbert (?!?!?) got one.

Like Prada said, it's been a great season.   It might not have the best ending, but I still don't think this team has anything to be ashamed of.  Before we start delving into all the off-season stuff, let's give some thanks for the season that was.

Thanks to Ernie Grunfeld for putting together a team that's been able make the playoffs for 4 straight years, something that hasn't happened in the district in 20 years.

Thanks to Eddie Jordan for never giving up.  There were several points in the season where you could've thrown up the white flag and gone into tank mode when different players went down, but you never gave up on this team.

Thanks to Antawn Jamison for being the epitome of consistency and professionalism all season long.  Your 20-10 season won't soon be forgotten.

Thanks to Caron Butler for the big shots, the posters, and everything in-between.

Thanks to Brendan Haywood for finally putting an end to the instability at center this year with career highs all across the board.

Thanks to Antonio Daniels for holding down the fort at point guard while Gilbert was injured most of the season.  Your on-court leadership was a big part of why the Wizards were as successful as they were this season.

Thanks to DeShawn Stevenson for being the Wizards' Iron Man.

Thanks to Roger Mason Jr. for being such a pleasant surprise this season.  You showed this season that you don't have to be a brick layer to have an appreciation for architecture.

Thanks to Darius Songaila for providing some much needed front court consistency off the bench.  Best of luck competing with Lithuania in Beijing this summer.  Hopefully everyone there appreciates your Borat impressions.

Thanks to Andray Blatche for his continued improvement.  You'll only get better as you get more experience under your belt.

Thanks to Gilbert Arenas for trying his best to get back on the court and help the team.  it didn't work out the way we all would've liked, but the intent was clearly there.  Let's hope this off-season finally gets you back to form we all know and love.

Thanks to Nick Young for the dunks.  Here's to many more highlights and dunk contest invite next season.

Thanks to Oleksiy Pecherov for all the humor this season.  Don't get me wrong, your play was solid this year, but the comparisons to Stewie will never stop being awesome.

Thanks to Etan Thomas for showing what true strength is all about.

Thanks to Ivan Carter and Mike Jones (who!) for all the great reporting on the beat this season.  Great work as always.

Thanks to all the great Wizards and non-Wizards blogs for their .

Thanks to WaitingForNextYear and And One for coming over and sparking some good discussion and providing analysis from the other side during the playoff series.  You're welcome here anytime.

Thanks to everyone that's come here and left comments and FanPosts and everything else this season.  Win or lose, you're what makes this fun.

Finally, thanks to Dominic McGuire.  You're what makes the future (and the present) bright.

Quarter One

Wizards finally win a tip...after not winning one of five in game one. The refs are choking on their whistles already as DeShawn was hammered by LeBron in making the opening bucket.

A little bit of a lid on the basket early for Butler after making a nice aggressive move...and for Jamison too on the rebound.

LeBron's first shot isn't much....Butler tries a mid-range and misses too. I'd like to see him drive drive drive on Wally.

LeBron to the hoop, good foul on Haywood. 1 FT.

Delonte pull up..nope we'll take it.

Stevenson with LBJ on him decided to wisely give the rock to BTH for the baby runner. 6-1 Wizards.

They run AJ at LBJ to help Caron....but Benny Wallace is too close to the basket not to convert. 6-3 Wizards.

Butler drives this time...good hard foul by Wallace. Caron goes down. No expression. Not shaking his head. He just gets up and knocks down FTs. 8-3 Wizards.

LBJ gets a skip pass and drives....Caron has a hard time recovering....and ....Wallace is open for points again. 8-5 Wizards.

By my count, the Wiz have played man on every possession so far.

Jamison gets switched on Z and that's an easy call for LBJ to make the pass to him for the bucket. 10-7 Wizards.

AJ buries his first three....Ben Wallace can't play that far out. 13-7 Wizards.

A foul called on Haywood was questionable...didn't see the below the waist action, but Big Z actually looked like he went over the back.

DeShawn is matched up against Wally World. I guess since you gotta make the other Cavs beat you....then you should put your best defender on them...huh?

Butler had the ball on the baseline..I'd like to see him back down Wally and make someone double, but a cutting AJ made himself available for the nice pass.from Caron.

15-9 Wizards at first timeout. 1-2 on threes. Two wing misses just inside 3 from the right side (Caron and AJ) and everything else has been in the paint. LeBron has only attempted one shot. Trying to do the whole 'teammates involved' thing.

TNT is doing a story about how there's a lot of talk in the DC media...and among the fans....that we all want Gil to start...I haven't heard such a thing.

Gil is now in...and is covering LeBron when the Cavs next get the ball. LBJ easily comes off the screen towards the basket. One. Two. Three. Yep, three steps. Travel right? Nope.. foul on Wizards. 15-11 Wizards.

Arenas misses his first shot...and it did not look good. He had no follow through with his wrist.

Wally World, the Cro-magnon is trying to get physical with Gil. Gil gives a little shove, a good foul call. Unfortunately, Gil gives an extra push after the whistle and they call a tech.

Blatche fouls Z by coming across his arm. Meanwhile...didn't see how it happened, but Philly has a goal with 11:20 left in 1st.

Jamison drive on Andy and scoop is no good, but Blatche knows what to do with cleanup. 17-13 Wizards.

Blatche is running the court, gets the ball from Butler...and a bullshit move by Andy Varejao. He wasn't going for the ball at all and just swiped his arm right across Blatche's face. A little payback...no worries.

But Andray misses both FTs - you just can't afford to do that. A flagrant 1 was called so the Wiz have the ball.

Gil back-cuts LBJ but takes it with weak right wrist on left side...easy block by Joe Smith. LeBron goes down and throws down an amazing dunk.

Blatche can't finish a lob from Daniels....that's about 5 absolute gimmes that the Wizards have missed (not counting Smith's block on Gil).

Wally tries to get rough with Arenas again....this time Gil gets the charge call....but it wasn't a flop. Scissor-Back had arm action that led to the whistle. Timeout. 19-18 Wizards.

Getting to the FT line as much as the Cavs is one thing, but you can't afford misses. Andray missed both earlier and AJ just missed two. Wiz are 2-6, 5-9 Cavs from the FT line.

Very stupid foul on Gil...LBJ had the ball in the open court, Arenas was way behind and tries to reach around to get the ball. What was he thinking? There was no chance that he would have been able to get to the ball. It's like trying to reach around to unplug the refrigerator standing straight up in front of it. LeBron bucket and FT - 22-19 Cavs.

Arenas has evidently taken the wrap off his wrist.....but goes out....with two fouls just like Haywood.

AJ, D- Song, D-Mac, Mason and Stevenson in the game. This lineup scares me.

LeBron is getting ridiculous. Mason is dribbling, LeBron comes to double...takes a wild swat at Mason..and they run into each other....LeBron bounces back like he just ran into a vertical trampoline and comes up checking his mouth, looking at the jumbo-screen. Cavs fans go nuts. The foul is called on LBJ....Mason goes 1-2 from the line.

20-7 run to end the first for the Cavs. LeBron is smart...he does realize that the Wizards are almost over-focused on him. He found teammates to the tune of 4 assists in the first. After FT misses (5 of them in 10 attempts), the Wizards cannot afford to lose other Cavalier players around the basket. 27-22 Cavs after 1.

Quarter Two

Haywood and Z are both back in the game, LBJ goes to the pine.

Caron sighting? 0-3 in the first ...two misses came within the first 100 seconds, the third came with 3 minutes left in the 1st.

Mason Junior hits.....wasn't a net ripper, rather a rattler, but any type of make can get confidence going. 27-24 Cavs.

Is it just me, or are they not calling Ilgauskas for over the back?

Reggie Miller commends BTH's hands who gets the dunk and 1 on Big Z... Brendan better be careful with hanging on the rim.

D-Song hits a midrange off a pick and pop...great ball movement. 29-27 Wizards.

No such thing as an over-the-back call tonight. Joe Smith goes over Songaila for the o-board and D-Song is forced to foul, not allowing Smith to get a shot off.

Roger Mason looks nervous at the line. He got fouled hard by Devin Brown on a transition layup. Yup, he misses first, makes 2nd. 30-27 Wiz. 8-0 run.

LeBron comes back and it's a little more zone D look from Washington...and that's why Big Z easily got an o-board and put-back off the LBJ missed J. 30-29 Wiz.

It seems like the Wizards have been a little rushed on offense. I hope they settle down a little bit coming out of this timeout. Take a breath. Depend on your muscle memory when shooting FTs and jumpers....you'll be alright.

Daniels gets rejected by Bron coming from the other side of the hope. I would have liked to see him drop it to a wide open D-song.

AJ takes a confident shot over the Brazilian Spazz. 32-31 Wiz.

Caron gets a tough lay-up....I'm begging him to do more of that. 34 Tie.

AJ...I like, he had a small opening for a 3 look, but drove it after he got Andy coming at him off balance....layup. 36 Tie.

Boobie fakes DeShawn out of his jock on the 3 point line...who almost jumps over him. DeShawn passes...he side steps and nails a 3. That's DeShawn...going for the glory of the block. TNT plays Soulja Boy heading into the timeout. 41-36 Cavs.

Gilbert has changed his shoes. Black and Wizards blue accents...not sure what he was wearing at first.

Still in the zoneish D. Wally Z hits a fading J over Daniels, he's got 8. 43-36 Cavs.

Daniels 3 miss....Wiz keep it alive...Butler grabs a semi loose ball....the Wizards turnover the ball. They still look nervous in the service.

LeBron mises a J....has he hit an outside shot yet?

Gil hits a 2 in transition....making a fist with that hand/wrist coming down the court. He doesn't look comfortable. 43-38 Cavs.

The Wizards are noting but sporadic....the ball is bobbled all over (after a Caron steal) Gil ends up shooting an airball trey against LBeron. Wiz get the board, but its a shot clock violation. Another timeout....it's time to coach Eddie, please get your team to get their composure. Is this where I pull out the "they haven't played enough together" card?

Crap...Philly is up 2 nil with 18 minutes left in the 2nd...while Jamison is fouling Daniel Gibson 3-point attempts. 3 FTs - 46-38 Cavs.

Looks like the Wiz are trying to run the Princeton, but it's slow and mechanical, the opposite of smooth. Jamison misses a hook shot.

Sequence Time! Down the court...Z blatantly travels. No call of course. Wizards turnover. James inside bucket....Wiz falling apart. Caron outside attempt. Nope. Wally World running baseline layup. Caron tries to dribble in a crowd. The Cavs bail him out with a foul. 52-38 Cleveland.

Arenas tries to go one on one against Delonte West....no good layup.

Things get rough...Caron gets the board. Goes to the rim haphazardly..and gets fouled. The Wizards are trying to be too physical.

Nick Young checks in....and that's an open invitation for LBJ to get to the basket and get fouled. He makes 1, 53-40 Cavs.

The Wiz have the ball with 8 seconds left....Gil dribbles around upon getting doubled...senseless wasting clock time.. the half ends with a bad 3 point look from Caron Butler.

The worst part...LeBron is 3-7 from the field, all his makes came off layups and all the misses came from outside. He's 6-9 from the FT line - 12 points and not exactly a good offensive effort from him.

Cleveland up 13, 53-40.

In not so many words, the TNT halftime crew is saying that Gil's ball dominance is a hindrance to the Wizards offense. And as they show the replays, and Kenny's pictures, I tend to agree. Gil is definitely not playing the part of the distributor (1-7 with 0 assists) and more the part of..."I'm Gilbert Arenas and I'm so awesome I can shoot threes and take LeBron in the post." I'm not even sure if I want him doing that without the bum wrist and ankle.

Stats:

1. Rebounds are tied at 21 with the Wiz pulling down 9 offensive to 5 for the Cavs.
2. We know LeBron's story, Big Z follows with 12, then Wally with 10. Those two are a combined 9-14.
   
3. Jamison is 4-11 with 9 points and 7 boards.
4. Caron is still 1-8 and MIA. My piece about him on BF before game 1 was initially going to be concern about his offensive rhythm with Gil back in the lineup...but then I didn't want to go negative.....but now, it's come back to my mind as a very large concern.
5. Seems like the Wizards are trying to attack the basket, just not in an effective way. They are 15-41 on FGs, 1-6 from deep.
   
6. Aside from the 3s and judging by the shot chart, 13 of the Wizards other attempts have come outside of the paint area, and they've made 5 of those. So, the Wiz are roughly, 9-22 inside the paint.
   

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So here we go, the final regular season game of the 2007-2008 season.

via farm2.static.flickr.com

Quarter One

I'm a little surprised that Dominic McGuire is getting the start instead of Andray Blatche. But when you think about it, the move makes sense. Andray needs to stay used to coming off the bench and providing a 2nd unit spark. Songaila, Stevenson, Daniels and Haywood join The Cleaner on the floor for the opening tip.

11:24: DeShawn looks slightly ginger from the get-go and turns the ball overs on the frist Wizards possession. He should play no more than 10 minutes.

10:07: D-Mac loses a baseline Turkoglu, 4-0 Magic. I guess awareness will only come with experience.

8:47: Haywood doesn't do the best job of blocking Dwight Howard out as Super Buddy Jesus gets an offensive rebound and bucket while four Wizards watch. Nothing doing on offense for the Wiz kids so far, Eddie Jordan elects to call a timeout. 6-2 Magic. O-Pech and The City come in for Stevenson and Songaila.

7:17: The four Wizards points so far have come off two Brendan Haywood mid-range jumpers.....you think Howard is going to guard him out there in the last regular season game? 8-4 Magic.

6:36: Blatche and Mason come in for Haywood and Daniels.

5:52: Andray is too passive going for a board.....you gotta get aggressive kid! Luckily, the ball winds up in Mason's hands for a jumper. 8-8 tie game.

All Blatche wants to do is get "look what I found" offensive rebounds and pass the ball out. It's not like the young Wizards are playing particularly bad, it just seems like they are concentrating on running the offense too much. Nothing is coming natural and there is no aggressive presence on the court...maybe some gunners though (Pech and Young).

2:33: That jump shot Blatche just hit looked pretty confident. 17-12 Magic.

Would one of those "Soul Glo" jerry-curls look better on Nick Young? Seems like the style would fit him well. In fact, I imagine him to be just like Darryl Jenks.

0:08: This time AB gets the o-board and attacks the basket (misses the shot, but gets fouled). Hopefully, Eddie put the idea of mental toughness in his head.

The first ends and the Magic have the 24-19 lead.

No surprise that Rashard Lewis dropped 12 in the 1st, considering who was guarding him. And my 'huh?' moment comes when I see that McGuire is 0-3 from beyond the arc. As I've said before, Dom needs to make Dave Hopla his best friend this summer. Andray leads the Wiz with 7 points, but his 4 offensive boards are deceiving since the ball found him a couple times.

Quarter Two

Givin' up the trey ball on the season....yea, the Wizards set a franchise record with 571 makes, but they gave up about a hundo more than that to opponents.

9:07: D-Song gives up a dunk to Hedo coming off the ball screen. He turns and says something to his defensive comrade, Nick Young (whose man set the screen). Now, I'm betting that, even though Songaila went to high school and college in the U.S., Nick Young nether understands nor cares about what Darius just said to him. 30-25 Magic.

Eddie Jordan: "Good players make good coaches and bad players get you fired."

7:45: Nick Young is starting to find his spot in the offense. He hit a nice jumper from the corner earlier, then makes a strong driving layup, and then, as I'm typing, gets a transition dunk as the Magic lose track of him and open up the lane (D-Song also had a helluva block out to clear space for Nick). He has the last 6 Wizards points. 32-29 Magic.

6:46: Aww...how cute. Turkoglu burns Nick Young with a pump fake and bucket....they both smile coming up the court. Nick proceeds to miss a "get-back" jumper.

5:09: JJ Redick checks in and Steve Buck points out that Amway is just about the only NBA arena in the country where he doesn't get booed. Not sure what they do in Toronto.

About 40 seconds left in the 2nd and the teams have been stuck on 44-37 Magic since the three minute mark.

0:29: Execution gets Blatche an open baseline jumper.

0:03: Antonio Daniels goes behind the back, spins in traffic and gets the rock to a cutting Blatche for a layup. And that rounds out the 1st half. It's a little hard to feel any type of emotion for this game...but I'm glad the Wizards aren't getting blown out. 47-41 Orlando Magic.

Half Stats: After I initially got on him for lack of aggression, Andray looks good with 13 points, 7 boards and 2 assists. The Wiz are shooting better than Orlando, 46.5% to 43.9% and have a +2 in both the assist and rebound categories, but they are 0-7 from three point land and have only gotten to the FT line twice.

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