Editor's Note: Here's Part III of the roundtable.  Apologies for the site being down earlier this morning.  SB Nation was having technical difficulties, but we should be okay from this point forward. -PM

A while back, I polled several prominent Wizards bloggers/internet personalities, asking them to answer some key questions facing the Wizards this offseason.  Eventually, many of them got back to me, and now, their answers to each question will be posted here over the next few days.

Your participants:

• Kevin Broom, Real GM
• Jamie Mottram, Yahoo! Sports and Mister Irrelevant
• Jake Whitacre, Bullets Forever and Gilbertology
• I Watch the NBA, My Swog is Phenomenal
• Bobtimist Prime, DC Optimist
• Truthaboutit, Truthaboutit and Bullets Forever
• Kingly-1, Les Bullez
• Me, Bullets Forever

Part 1 is here, and Part 2 is here.   Here's the third question, and I imagine discussion will be heated:

This was certainly a strange season for Gilbert Arenas.  Has your opinion of him changed at all?  How do you feel about the notion that "the Wizards are better without him?"  If he does indeed opt-out of his contract, would you hold onto him, and for how much?

Answers below the jump...

Continue reading this post »

A while back, I polled several prominent Wizards bloggers/internet personalities, asking them to answer some key questions facing the Wizards this offseason.  Eventually, many of them got back to me, and now, their answers to each question will be posted here over the next few days.

Your participants:

• Kevin Broom, Real GM
• Jamie Mottram, Yahoo! Sports and Mister Irrelevant
• Jake Whitacre, Bullets Forever and Gilbertology
• I Watch the NBA, My Swog is Phenomenal
• Bobtimist Prime, DC Optimist
• Truthaboutit, Truthaboutit and Bullets Forever
• Kingly-1, Les Bullez
• Me, Bullets Forever

Part 1 is here.   Here's the second question:

What do you think are this team's biggest weaknesses?  How would you propose fixing them?  What changes should be made to the roster?

Answers below the jump...

Continue reading this post »

A while back, I polled several prominent Wizards bloggers/internet personalities, asking them to answer some key questions facing the Wizards this offseason.  Eventually, many of them got back to me, and now, their answers to each question will be posted here over the next few days.

Your participants:

• Kevin Broom, Real GM
• Jamie Mottram, Yahoo! Sports and Mister Irrelevant
• Jake Whitacre, Bullets Forever and Gilbertology
• I Watch the NBA, My Swog is Phenomenal
• Bobtimist Prime, DC Optimist
• Truthaboutit, Truthaboutit and Bullets Forever
• Kingly-1, Les Bullez
• Me, Bullets Forever

First question:

This was supposed to be the year the Wizards would rid themselves of the Cleveland curse.  The Cavs were just two games better than the Wizards and had made a panic trade in the middle of the season.  Meanwhile, the Wizards had persevered even with all the injuries and were as healthy as they had been all season.  What went wrong?  How did Cleveland win this series?

Answers are after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Some assorted thoughts on this year's playoffs:

• The Wright Pick: Whenever I watch New Orleans play, I can't help but be intrigued by the play of Julian Wright.  Coming into the playoffs, the biggest knock on New Orleans was its lack of a bench, and while they acquired Bonzi Wells, they still were very thin, particularly up front.  Wright's only played about 11 minutes a game, but he's made a huge difference defensively and offensively.  He's probably the only player who has actually realized that Manu Ginobili is, in fact, left-handed, and should be forced to his right.  Better yet, he's actually hitting the outside jumper, which was supposed to be the knock against him.  I remember championing him as a very underrated prospect last year, and hoped against hope that he'd fall to the Wizards.  Unfortunately, he didn't.  Just imagine how much of an asset he would be on this team, who desperately needs a backup behind Caron.
• Want some cheese with that whine, Gregg: I've always respected the Spurs game, and always felt they got a bad reputation as a boring team.  With guys like Parker and Ginobili, I don't see how you can be boring.  I think the disdain for them comes from them being so good for so long.  Still, I've grown very tired of Gregg Popovich in this playoffs.  Whether it's the complaining over the fire incident in Game 1, or the general "Fuck you" attitude towards reporters, he's just come across as a creaky old man.  But what pissed me off even more is that he said the Hornets ran a "organized playground" system.  Really?  First of all, Byron Scott is the Coach of the Year for a reason, and it's not because he just lets his players play.  Second of all, the Hornets primarily run pick and rolls and isolations for Paul or David West.  The Spurs?  They mostly run pick and rolls and isolations for Ginobili or Duncan.  I suppose the difference is that Duncan operates in the low post, while West is in the high post, but how is that any less of an "organized playground" system.  Truthfully, both teams run intricate offenses, and neither runs an "organized playground."
• Role guys: As I see Cleveland push the Celtics to 2-2, I can't help but be shocked at how all their role players are playing over their heads.  LeBron hasn't done much, yet all their other guys have played incredibly.  It makes me wonder how they can be incorporated so seamlessly, while our rhythm gets messed up when our stars return.  Also, I'm tired of people calling Mike Brown a bad coach.  Does he struggle to run a system around LeBron?  Definitely.  But the Cavs defend like crazy, and it's not really Brown's fault that LeBron, despite being nearly 260 pounds, can't post me up.
• Capped-out Magic: Orlando's departure means the Southeast Division won't be represented in the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season.  It also gives me hope, because unless Otis Smith pulls a rabbit out of his hat, this might be the best Orlando has to offer in the future.  About the only person from which we can expect internal development is Dwight Howard.  Hedo Turkoglu isn't going to be any better than he was this season, and one could legitimately argue he was the only reason Orlando improved this season.  What you see is what you're going to get with Rashard Lewis, and he's not going anywhere anytime soon.  Meanwhile, Orlando still needs a power forward, a backup point guard, and another big, and their salary situation isn't getting better anytime soon.
• Home court: I'm honestly tired of hearing about the significance of home court in these playoffs.  You know why it's making such a difference?  Because these teams are very equal.  You have a 57-win Lakers team playing a 54-win Jazz team with a high point differential in one semifinal.  In another, you have two 56-win teams battling each other.  The Celtics' road woes are confusing, but Cleveland is playing far better than a 45-win team right now, and the Celtics are playing far worse.  When two teams are that equal in quality, something like the home court advantage is going to make a big difference.  It doesn't mean that home court advantage, in and of itself, is suddenly becoming more significant.
• Note to Reggie Miller: The Hornets are not an up-and-down team . 

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.

Press Conference References:
Washington Post
Wizards Insider
USA Today

Like most postseason press conferences, there weren't any bombshells, but there was some interesting tidbits from Ernie's little chat Thursday afternoon.  Let's start with the big stuff and work are way down.

The core is staying put: Ernie Grunfeld more or less squashed any doubt that he's thinking about a shakeup.  He said he has no plans on making a coaching change, and it looks like he wants to keep the Big 3 together as well:

Our intent all along has been to have both of those players back and to keep our core together. And at the appropriate time, we'll sit down with both of those parties and see what we can work out. We're going to be fair with our players. These players have done a lot for our franchise and we hope to have them here for a very long time.

Granted, Antawn could still end up deciding that he's got a better shot at winning a title somewhere else and Gilbert is liable to do just about anything, so it's definitely not written in stone that they'll both be back at this point, but it seems very likely.

Roger on the other hand...: If you were hoping that you'd see Roger Mason back with the Wizards next season, don't get your hopes up.  Here's what he had to say about the Potomac Rainmaker:

We'd love to have Roger back. I don't know yet. We'll have to wait and see how everything develops from a financial standpoint. ... But we are pretty loaded at that 2-guard position.

Translation: We like Roger, but Nick Young isn't going to get a chance to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest if Roger is eating up all of his minutes.

If you were planning on buying that Brook Robin Lopez jersey, you're probably going to end up disappointed: All 3 reports mention that Grunfeld is open to trading the #18 pick, if the right offer comes along.  In other words, he's saying, "No more locker room re-arrangments, please."  With Young, McGuire, Pecherov, and the still youthful Blatche on the squad, the lack of young legs isn't going to be a concern next season.  Look for Ernie to either swap the pick for some veteran help, or for future draft considerations.  I'm not sure which of the two he's looking for, but I'm pretty sure he'll find it, based on this quote from Ivan:

Grunfeld is one of the most aggressive GM's in the business. When he wants something, he will keep calling you and calling you until he gets what he wants.

I'd hate to be Ernie's pizza guy.

Is that really what this team should do?  Bring everyone back yet again? 

That's the question I have for Mike Wise after he penned this column in today's edition of the Post.  His central thesis is that "continuity wins in the NBA," and because of that, the Wizards should basically bring back the same team as they had this year. 

I'm a big fan of Wise's writing.  His preseason column was eerily foreshadowing, and I remember soaking it up and agreeing with practically all of it.  That said, he stretched a narrow point (don't break up the BIg 3) way too far here.

I used to be a back-up-the-truck guy who believed blowing up a roster was the best way to improve an NBA franchise. Not only did the Mavericks and Suns prove me wrong, taken out in one round after making blockbuster midseason trades this past season, but the Wizards have made me reconsider that thinking altogether.    

Already, we have a problem here.  First of all, the Mavericks and the Suns won 50 games in the Western Conference, and just so happened to lose to better teams.  Secondly, that makes them no different than the Wizards, who lost in the first round to an inferior club in Cleveland.  Finally, you know who's leading both conferences?  Boston and the Lakers.  The same Celtics who made two blockbuster trades in the offseason.  The same Lakers who made the huge midseason trade for Pau Gasol.  It's funny how we forget about how they've built their teams.

The thinking is the Wizards' all-stars will be healthier, their youngsters will add muscle and maturity and Grunfeld will find a key acquisition to help Eddie Jordan's cause.

It's not a sexy strategy. It's certainly not going to shake up the league. But in the NBA today, where continuity has helped keep San Antonio, Detroit and Utah alive, it works.

First of all, Utah is an odd example.  They completely remodeled their team a few years ago, signing Okur, trading for Boozer, and drafting Williams.  That core has only been together for three seasons, and they made the playoffs only twice in that span.

More importantly, did continuity allow San Antonio and Detroit to win, or did winning allow Detroit and San Antonio to maintain continuity?  Since 2005, when the two teams played in the Finals, yeah, they've maintained "continuity."  San Antonio's top four in 05 was Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, and Duncan, as it arguably is today.  Detroit's top four in 05 was Billups, Rip and the two Wallaces, and while Ben is gone, a holdover, Prince, has stepped in.  But what about in the years immediately preceeding their championships?

Detroit won 50 games in 2002, but they flamed out to the Celtics in the second round.  Two years later, they won the championship, with only two holdovers from their 2002 Top 8 still in the 2004 Top 8 (Ben Wallace and Williamson).  Four of the starters in 2004 weren't even on the team in 2002.  Billups was signed as a free agent after the season, Hamilton and Stackhouse were traded for each other, Prince was drafted, and Wallace was acquired in a mdiseason trade in 2004.  It was only after they won that they maintained "continuity," and even so, they've replaced Ben Wallace and completely remodeled their bench.

How about San Antonio?  Their situation is more unique, because they actually won in 2003 and 2005, but let's use 2005 as our example.

Here, you see a little more semblance of continuity.  Tim Duncan has always been the starting power forward, Bruce Bowen has always been the starting small forward, and Tony Parker has always been the starting point guard.  Similarly, Manu Ginobili has always been around.  At the same time, though, you see different veterans plugged in around the core guys.  What was Stephen Jackson, Malik Rose, David Robinson, and Speedy Claxton in 03 turned into Nazr Mohammad, Rasho Nesterovic, Robert Horry and Brent Barry in 05.  In 08, Barry and Horry remain, but they've been buried on the bench, and the new surrounding cast is Oberto, Thomas, Udoka and Finley.  So really, there's continuity, but only at the top, and only after titles were won.

Wise seems to advocate the San Antonio model over the Detroit one.  Fine.  I'm in favor of keeping our Big 3 together, and I can see the argument for keeping Eddie Jordan (I'm on the fence there).  But then, he takes his argument a step too far. 

A year ago I wrote it would be hard to win a summer-league run, let alone an NBA playoff game, with Brendan Haywood, Antonio Daniels, Roger Mason Jr., Darius Songaila and then-Wizard Michael Ruffin on the court at the same time, which they were in Game 2 against Cleveland in 2007.

A year later, I owe those players an apology -- especially Mason, who I also stupidly mentioned as a player the organization should part ways with.

Not only was he a consummate professional in the locker room, he worked on his game until he became an indispensable role player -- Vinny Johnson in training. Now he's a free agent and there is concern about whether the Wizards are too guard-heavy (Nick Young needs more minutes) and will have enough salary-cap room to re-sign Mason. The Wizards don't need to get any younger; they need veterans off the bench who can fill it up like that.

First of all, to all sportswriters, can we please stop comparing any bench guard that can score to Vinnie Johnson?  It's just lazy.  Johnson's was all about the midrange game; Mason was all about the three-pointers.  Big difference.

But seriously, what's the point of keeping role players when your team is stuck in neutral?  That's not how Detroit operated, and that's certainly not how San Antonio operated.  It clogs your cap space and prevents you from having the assets necessary to maneuver for role player upgrades.  San Antonio would never have been able to trade for Kurt Thomas, Nazr Mohammad, or others if they signed re-signed role players like Mason.  Similarly, Detroit's trade for Rasheed in 04, which put them over the top, would never have been possible if they had guys like Williamson and Barry on long-term deals. 

Mason had a nice season, but is completely redundant on a healthy roster.  We don't need a fifth guard, not when Nick Young needs playing time and Antonio Daniels continues to be effective (and on a long term contract to boot).  I don't care about professionalism (AD is plenty professional, as is Jamison), and frankly, Mason isn't really much of a veteran.  His big season is going to mean someone will pay him up to 3-4 million dollars a year.  Do we really want that for our fifth guard?  The luxury tax and salary cap mean this is a zero-sum game, so re-signing Mason takes away money for another free agent that could help us in another area.  For example, if we re-signed Mason, we wouldn't have money for another wing defender or a big rebounding machine in the lane.

In closing ...

But who might well meet up in the NBA Finals again in a month?

That's right, the geezers who stayed together in Motown and San Antonio. Months after Jason Kidd flamed out in Dallas, and Phoenix lasted a mere five games against the Spurs, continuity is again proving to be king in the NBA.

... Unless the Lakers or Celtics win, in which case, the theory is shot. 

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.

If there's one stereotype about DC fans, it's that we blame ourselves and don't give credit to the teams that beat us.  Oh sure, all fans do that, but I think we do it a lot more than most. 

At least that's what non-DC fans tell me all the time.

But true or not, perhaps it's time to give some credit to what Cleveland is doing in this series, if only because this post can serve as a jumping-off point to ideas about how we can shock the world.

Perimeter defense

When the series began, I knew that we would have a lot of trouble winning the inside game.  Cleveland's bigs don't score, but they rebound and are very physical inside.  Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood were certainly behind the 8-ball here.

Still, I was confident because I didn't think Cleveland's perimeter defense was good enough to stop us.  I didn't think they had played with the same intensity on the perimeter as they did last season, and that would bode well for Gilbert, Caron, DeShawn, AD, and Roger.  I felt we would be able to get into our Princeton offense pretty easily, and once that happened, I didn't think they would be able to cut off both our drives to the basket and our perimeter shots.  I figured they'd have to pick their poison, because, like in 2006, they wouldn't be quick enough to guard us off the dribble. 

Instead, Cleveland's perimeter defense has been outstanding.  Look at the shooting percentages.   Gilbert's at 39 percent.  Antawn has hit only 4 of 17 threes, while Caron is just 1 for 9 from three.  AD's at 41 percent.  Take away Game 3, and DeShawn is just 5 of 17 from three-point range.  Gilbert might be banged up, but Cleveland deserves a ton of credit for those numbers.  They've taken away the Wizards' improved perimeter shooting game, and that's been absolutely huge.

That leads to the second point ...

Forcing us into a one-on-one game

With our perimeter game taken away, our best chance at scoring is getting to the basket and drawing fouls.  In 2006, we were able to do that, because we had three healthy stars that all had an individual advantage over whoever was guarding them.  Additionally, one could argue we had been playing that style all season, so we were used to it.

This time?  Gilbert's been out all season, and Caron's missed 24 games.  Both are clearly out of sorts, and both have struggled driving on West and LeBron James (though a lot of that is the Cavs defense).  That has made our offense way too one-dimensional.  The Princeton works against good defense teams (see Boston), so we need to be more patient staying within it.

As mentioned above, Cleveland has done a great job in forcing us to begin our motion too far away from the basket.  When that happens, it's easier for Cleveland to stay with us on off-ball screens.  At that point, instead of quickly running a pick-and-roll or making a quick pass, our guards are waiting indecisively, bogging down our flow.  They're then forced to make a play, and Cleveland has done a great job cutting off our penetration. 

Worse yet, after a while, we become frustrated and take the first good shot offered instead of remaining patient.  If we run the offense long enough, we have had success.  Our guys need to remember that instead of jacking threes early in the shot clock.

Still, Cleveland's defense deserves a ton of credit.  They may have found the blueprint to stopping our Princeton offense.

They're making perimeter shots

I think we've done a great job defensively, to be honest.  The gameplan should have been to pack the middle to cut off LeBron's penetration, and we've done just that.  LeBron's counting numbers were good in Game 4, but I'll live with him taking eight threes.  Our best chance was to hope Cleveland, like they had all season, struggled with their perimeter shooting. 

It hasn't happened.  Two guys are killing us this series: Delonte West and Daniel Gibson.  They're shooting a combined 16 of 31 from three-point range this series, including 9 of 15 in Game 4. Gibson has the ability to do this, but West has really been the one who has stepped up.  I worried that he was too much of a ball-dominator to play with LeBron James, but this series has proved the opposite.

To a certain extent, there's little we can do about this.  If the alternative to LeBron dunking on us is for Cleveland to launch threes, so be it.  Make the other guys beat you.  But we can do this while still watching those two carefully.  While those guys are tearing us up, LeBron is 5 for 20 from three, Wally is 3 of 13, and Devin Brown is 4 for 12.  Make those guys beat us from three.  When West and Gibson are teeing up, close out on them vehemently and force them to put the ball on the floor.  San Antonio did that to Gibson in the finals last year, which limited his effectiveness.

But still, the motto defensively has correctly been "Let anyone but LeBron beat us."  They have so far. 

Solutions

You guys brainstorm on these, but just a couple ideas.

1. Offensively, be patient.  Keep the pace down, and don't jack quick threes.  If we keep the pace down, it'll mitigate our poor transition defense, and there is ample evidence that suggests we can break Cleveland's defense down if we're patient, even though they've been so effective.
2. When we are forced into isolation, move quickly.  Don't spend so much time surveying the floor.
3. Defensively, don't let them swing the ball to West and Gibson.  If Devin Brown is open for three, let him shoot it.  If West or Gibson does get a chance from three, rush out on them very quickly, forcing them to put the ball on the floor.  It doesn't matter if we look silly jumping into the first row on a pump fake.
4. Keep them off the defensive boards.  We were doing fine until Game 4.  If we force them into jumpers that don't come off penetration, that'll make things easier.  Perhaps occasionally playing the high pick and roll straight up, instead of trapping, will help this.
5. Keep mixing between zone and man.  That has worked in this series.
6. Turn LeBron into a jump shooter.  Eight threes again would be nice.

I have my requisite one-hour internet access now, but there's just nothing I can say that already hasn't been said.  What everyone is saying is true.  We're too close in talent to the Cavaliers to resort to the hard fouls and the LeBron Rules defense.  Offensively, we need to calm down and run our sets.  The fact that neither happened in a game that we really needed demonstrates that perhaps this isn't the team we thought they were.

I really thought this was the year we'd beat the Cavs, but frankly, I wouldn't be shocked if we were swept.  That loss was a backbreaker.  Hindsight is going to say that it was because of the pre-series trash talking, and I don't think that would be totally incorrect, but what this is really about is a team that forged a new identity, maintained it even as Gilbert Arenas came back, only to completely forget about it once it mattered.

I'm not pointing any fingers, and neither should anyone.  They all deserve the blame;  Arenas for trying to do too much, Caron for not doing enough, Haywood for his abhorrent flagrant foul, Stevenson for his tight play, and everyone else for their matador defense.  Singling anyone out misses the point.