More photos » Bill Kostroun - AP

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I've been watching the Wizards team for the last 7 games, wondering what it is I see that is so different from the team before the trades. Yes, I see more "energy" - whatever that means.... That term (energy) is hard to put into words, but I can sure see it on the court.

The players seem to be setting better screens, making crisper cuts, and running fewer isolations; In other words, they're trusting the Offense. There's less dribbling, looking for a one-on-one opportunities and more passing and cutting. It seems like there are more (and better) shots taken deep in the shot clock than before the trades.

But there's something else that I couldn't put my finger on until Mike wrote about how Andray Blatche is hitting his shots. But it's not just about Blatche hitting shots, but WHERE he's taking those shots; and the incredible rate he's making them.

Andray is one player from the old roster that has really accepted the opportunity and stepped up to the challenge.

More after the jump.

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More photos » Bill Kostroun - AP

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From the very first day of the season (media day, specifically), Andray Blatche has talked about how he's a more serious player this year.  It's an often-repeated storyline that he's been putting out there whenever he could.  However, if you ever asked him to reveal what specific part of the game took up most of his time, he would say that it was his jump shot. 

The inner skeptic in me always wondered whether Blatche would have been better suited to focusing on another area.  Blatche only managed to post a 35.6% eFG% on his jumpers last year, among the worst marks in the league.  As bwoodsxyz argued over the summer, Blatche's jump shot was so horrifically bad last year that it made sense for Blatche to forget working on his shot and instead work on maximizing his strengths.  Instead, Blatche spent all summer working on his shot, which made me concerned that Blatche would think he was actually a good jumpshooter and keep hoisting them up instead of focusing on his other strengths. 

As it turns out, Blatche's summer work has made a huge difference.  Check out these shooting numbers for Blatche from different shot locations (via HoopData)

 

The biggest improvement in Blatche's game hasn't come from a newfound ability to finish inside.  It also hasn't really come exclusively with more proficiency on stuff like hook shots (though obviously there's a decent improvement in Blatche's percentage on shots from inside of 10 feet).  No, the biggest improvement has come in his jump shooting.  He's made a massive improvement from 10-15 feet, a distance that tends to be turnarounds and fadeaways, and he's made a very solid improvement on shots from 16-23 feet, which tends to be standstill jumpers. 

In other words, through hard work in the gym, Blatche has turned a massive weakness into a relative strength.  That has an effect on the rest of his game too, one that we've started to see in the last few games.  Before, NBA teams were thrilled when Blatche launched away from the perimeter.  Now, they're a bit scared.  You could see it in tonight's game against the Nets.  Whoever was guarding Blatche -- whether it was Yi Jianlian, Kris Humphries or Brook Lopez - had to play Blatche closer than they would have in the past because Blatche was a legitimate threat to just rise up and shoot the jumper over them.  They bit on pump-fakes, allowing Blatche to drive around them.  They had less space to slide their feet when Blatche decided to face them up. No matter what, Blatche was beating them with a steady diet of jumpers and drives to the hoop.

When you add Blatche's jump-shooting proficiency to his also-improving inside repertoire of hook shots and turnaround (the 10-15 foot range), you have a guy who is officially a foundational piece for the future.  All it took was some hard work in the gym. 

I guess I was wrong, Dray.  Keep working on your jump shot.

More photos » Charles Krupa - AP

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I'm heading to Ernie Grunfeld's press conference in about an hour.  WashingtonWizards.com will have live video and I'll try to post a link to it if I can.

In the meantime, I traded some e-mails this morning with Steve Perrin of Clips Nation, SB Nation's Clippers blog, about Al Thornton.  His thoughts are below the jump.

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More photos » Susan Walsh - AP

about 1 month ago: Washington Wizards guard Earl Boykins, center, goes up for a shot under pressure from Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers (6) and center Joel Anthony (50) during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game at the Verizon Center in Washington, Friday, Jan. 22, 2010. The Heat defeated the Wizards 112-88. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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Last week's Keys to the Palace discussion led me to the conclusion that only having a key and lock isn't fair to everyone on the team.  There are so many shades of gray in player evaluation to deem a player's week a complete failure or complete success.  So as we head into this week's evaluations, consider some ideas for a medium grade for each week's evaluations.  Share your best ideas in the comments.

Andray Blatche

Andray brought a little bit of everything to the table this week.  He had a decent showing against the Mavericks, chipping in eight points and 4 rebounds as he began to break out of his funk.  He showed flashed of the skill he brought earlier in the season against the Heat where he had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists, albeit in a blowout loss.  To close out the week Andray reminded us how often he struggles to stay consistent, scoring no points in 11 minutes against the Clippers.

Earl Boykins

Guards always seem to start off hot in Washington before regressing to the mean, and Earl Boykins is no exception.  After carrying the team early in the season, Earl has begun to return to earth, putting up modest numbers in modest minutes, with the exception of Sunday against the Clippers, where he played less than four minutes, his shortest playing time of the season.

Caron Butler

On one hand, you have to respect that Tough Juice was willing to step and take responsibility for whether the team won or lost against the Mavericks, by breaking the play and trying to win the game.  But he has to remember that even though he is the only one who can be held responsible for not scoring on that final possession, he's not the only one who has to deal with the consequences of his actions.  Just because he pulled it off one time doesn't mean he will be able to pull it off every time, nor should he.

There's nothing wrong with carrying a team on your back from time to time, but there's nothing wrong with letting your teammates help you carry the load.  That's what they are there to do.

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More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

4 months ago: Washington Wizards' Mike James, left, celebrates with teammate Nick Young after James was fouled in the final seconds of an NBA preseason basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, in Philadelphia. Washington won 90-89. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Game thread coming later, but no big one because of this. -Mike

WASHINGTON -- It was one of the early days of training camp, and Mike James looked great. He had shed 25 pounds and was running around the Virginia Commonwealth gym like he was a new player.  Flip Saunders proclaimed him one of the surprises of training camp, joking that James was allowed to keep his shirt off because he reported to camp in excellent shape.

Now, halfway through the regular season, James sits in his locker, shoulders slumped to the ground.  He's appeared in one game all season, and that was against the Indiana Pacers in a blowout loss in early November.  The team's starting point guard and third-string point guard have been suspended, and a journeyman formerly of the Italian League is the team's backup point guard.  The frustration was palpable on James' face.

"This is the toughest situation of my career," James says.  "I've never been treated like this."

James is upset that he hasn't even received a chance to play.  He figured that he would get his chance after an impressive training camp, but that chance hasn't come.  Now, he's frustrated and he says he hasn't been given an explanation.

"I was one of the best guards in training camp," James says, later adding that "[the Wizards] haven't given me a reason why I don't play."

James is trying to stay positive, saying several times that he's still working hard (first to the gym, last to leave) and that adversity only makes him stronger.  He's used to this kind of treatment, so he'll keep pushing on until he gets his chance.  But he also admitted he's thought of what it would be like if he was elsewhere.

"At the end of the day, I've been mocked a lot in my career. This ain't the first time I've been mocked. But, everyone that's mocked me, at some point, they've respected me."

More photos » Mark Duncan - AP

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So much negativity.  So much justified negativity.  Let's talk about something positive!

Let's talk about Mike Miller.  We've talked about Mike Miller all season as if he has some magic intangible effect that uplifts the team.  He moves mountains!  He makes girls swoon with his southern country twang! He's so awesome that his little kids are taller than most 10-year olds (they actually are - he brought his kids into the locker room the other day, and I was shocked to find out they were just six and four respectively). 

Okay, I'm getting a little carried away, but if you've read this site for a while, you know I'm naturally skeptical of those "intangible" guys.  I hated Michael Ruffin, for example, even though many people loved the little things he did.  Same with Etan Thomas and his "toughness."  It took me a while to come around to Darius Songaila, and I'm still not sure I ever came around.  Why?  Because often times, when we talk about intangibles, we do so because there's absolutely nothing good about the players' game.  They don't bring anything that we can define to the table, so we use vague terms to try to describe how they help the team.  More often than not, they don't actually do anything to help the team, and we're left to try to understand why coaches play them.

But Mike Miller is different.  Why?  Well, for players whose major skill is intangible, it's very important that we are able to quantifiably define how they help the team.  I defended Brendan Haywood for several years because, even while he wasn't playing much, his presence alone made the Wizards a much better defensive and rebounding team statistically. (Don't believe me? Go to the 82games.com archives).  In my mind, your intangible quality has to help the team in some tangible way for me to bestow that status on you.

So with that, does Mike Miller pass the smell test?  Yes, in a big way.  Check out the different ways in which he helps the offense statistically. (Via 82Games, of course). 

• Offensive efficiency with Miller in the game: 118.6 
• Offensive Efficiency with Miller out of the game: 103.5

More photos » Nam Y. Huh - AP

This was one of the 63 rebounds Brendan Haywood snagged this week. That will earn you a key to the palace.

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Before we analyze the the players who did and did not get keys to the palace this week, let's quickly review the weeks of those who didn't receive any playing time this week due to injury or practical joke gone terribly, terribly wrong.

Gilbert Arenas: Other than pleading guilty to a felony charge, getting dropped as an endorser by Adidas, more or less being abandoned by his franchise, being denied the chance to play the sport he loves and potentially losing a hefty sum of money, it's been a pretty normal week for Gilbert.

Javaris Crittenton: Can anyone else think of another player in another sport whose entire career will be entirely remembered by one off-the-court event like Javaris Crittenton?

Mike James: Who would have thought in the Mike James and Javaris Crittenton for Antonio Daniels swap that Mike James would be the only player to log time in the NBA this season?  I'm not sure anyone won that trade.

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More photos » Mark Duncan - AP

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If there's one thing I learned about Randy Foye from talking to him this year, it's that he stays professional.  He won't even come close to badmouthing a teammate, a coach or even his situation.  It's a nice quality on a team that tends to speak out it's frustrations publicly.  

So when he says stuff like this, stuff that even hints of dissension, it's significant.  

"It definitely was a difficult situation, because that never happened to me before, coming in for four minutes and being taken out -- even if you make a shot. It was tough for me,"

He's right -- he's never been through this before.  In Minnesota, they desperately pumped his psyche up and started him all the time, hoping that he would be a cornerstone like the guy they traded him for, Brandon Roy.  They tried him at point guard and shooting guard, but they always gave him his guaranteed 35 minutes.  They even gave him the ball with the game on the line, asking him to make the winning plays.  In short, he was treated like a much bigger star than he was.

Now, he comes to Washington, and he learns the ballad all reserve players learn.  Life isn't fair.  You don't get the same opportunities stars get.  If you play like crap, you don't get several minutes to "get into a rhythm."  And Foye has not played well this year -- his on/off numbers are scary-bad, he's jacked terrible shots, can't defend two-guards well and isn't passing nearly as well as he did in Minnesota.  In short, Foye is learning the lesson Nick Young has learned for three years now (and is apparently continuing to learn, as he's now been relegated by his own coach to being a reserve player despite displaying the best perimeter defense on the team).  

The question now becomes whether Foye fades away or adjusts.  I mean, sure, he's starting now, but as soon as Mike Miller gets back, Foye's minutes likely drop.  Flip Saunders has essentially said he's starting because he doesn't want to fiddle with Young's role.  It's causing a lot of raised eyebrows to those who wonder why Saunders is stunting Young's role, but at least Young has a role.  Foye's gone from doghouse to starting, all so Saunders can help facilitate a smoother transition once Mike Miller comes back.  It's pretty similar to Saunders' decision to start Fabricio Oberto over Andray Blatche early in the season with Antawn Jamison out.  Oberto went from starting to never playing, while Blatche's role didn't change much.  Longwinded explanation aside, the point is that Foye's spot in this rotation isn't guaranteed.

The key, then, for Foye is to get to the point where he plays the same way with 35 minutes as he does with five.  Let's set aside the obvious coaching answer to this rotation problem for a second (putting Foye at point guard, where he's played much better this year, and benching Earl Boykins), and the truth that Saunders hasn't helped Foye by making his role confusing.  From Foye's perspective, he has to understand that coaches want their sixth-ninth men to display stability of some sort.  Boykins may not be better than Foye, but as a coach, you know that, when Boykins comes in, he will push the ball down the court, run offensive sets (incorrectly, but he'll run them) and create some sort of shot when things go wrong.  Boykins will do that in 30 minutes or five minutes, it doesn't matter.  Foye hasn't reached that point.  He admitted he's still in "I need to get into a rhythm" mode, and for coaches, that's code for "I can't trust you as a reserve."

Who knows, maybe this "doghouse" stint is what Foye needed.  It's easy to say "I will sacrifice for the good of the team," but it's much harder to do it.  So Randy, now that you have your slight chance to show your skills until your playing time gets lost again, here's some advice.  Play to your strengths.  Shoot spot-up threes instead of off-the-dribble long twos, understand you aren't a good driver unless you drive to pass, do less dribbling and blend in.  Realize you aren't being asked to be a star.  You'll get more minutes that way because you'll play like a guy who can do his thing no matter how much playing time he gets.