The Sports Guy came out with his annual trade value column. For those of you who have never read Bill Simmons' articles (or if you boycotted them) he's simply ranking their value in a trade, not necessarily whether or not one player is better than another so don't panic when you see that David West ahead of Shawn Marion. If you're unfamiliar with how the trade value rankings work, just check out the sidebar near the top to see how it works.

Now as for the actual subject matter, here's what Simmons had to say regarding the Wizards, starting with Caron Butler:

Caron finds himself in an interesting stretch in the rankings that's full of wings from 34 down to 27. He's ranked higher than Joe Johnsosn, Shawn Marion, Luol Deng, Josh Howard and just behind Tracy McGrady (and David West, but he's not a wing). All in all, I'd say that's pretty fair. You could argue Caron is more appealing than McGrady because he's younger, has a better contract, and is a little better shooter than T-Mac but I can hear the other side as well.

Just three spots higher than Caron is Gilbert Arenas, who Simmons likes...in Detroit?!?

There's so many ways I could go with why that trade wouldn't work for either team, but I think I'll just stick with him suggesting that Detroit needs a gate attraction.

A couple of other Wizard-related notes from the column:

• Caron Butler has the 13th best contract.
  
• Before you get upset that Etan Thomas has the 15th worst contract, just remember we don't have Jared Jeffries (11th) and Larry Hughes (2nd).

I guess all of this talk about trade value leads to the inevitable discussion about the value of Arenas & Butler (not that the Wizards would trade either of them) but how do you feel about the rankings?  Too high?  Too low?  Would you trade Arenas for Billups?  Would you trade Butler for any of the wings in the group that I talked about?  Most importantly, will anyone vote for BF in the Sports Blog of the Year Tournament?

Remember when Hollinger said the Wizards would only get 33 wins this year?  Based on his new Playoff Odds tracker, it looks like he's changed his mind.  According to the predictor, it looks like the Wizards now have a 98.6% chance of making the playoffs this year, with a projected record of 44-38.

I have a long Abe Pollin post due up later tonight, but for now, a few links.

• 
  
• The fact that December has fewer back-to-backs will help Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison.  Also in that article is the news that Abe is not letting Ernie go over the tax under any circumstances.  Too bad.
  
• Look who's 16th on the PER rankings.
  
• Brew Hoop is running weekly bloggers MVP/Rookie of the Year standings, and I participated (though I only really thought about it for five minutes).  If you're wondering where the Caron Butler MVP and Nick Young Rookie of the Year votes came from, you now know.
  
• In what should hardly be a surprise, the shooting coach crushed the rookie in a shooting contest.  (Sidenote: Dave Hopla came to speak to my basketball camp when I was in elementary school, and throughout the speech, he was calmly draining half court shots without even trying.  It was funny how we had to clear away the entire court just so he could do his thing.)
  
• I think I was wrong about the Magic.
  
• Another Michael Jordan GM blunder.  Danny Ferry should send MJ a fruit basket.
  
• Billy King is out as Sixers GM.  Two years too late, methinks.
  
• Here's a somewhat strange article by SI's Steve Aschburner about the popularization of new types of stats in the NBA.  I say strange because I honestly can't follow it, though that's probably because I'm sitting in class right now.
  

Per usual, drop any more relevant links in the comments.

BONUS: Did you know that Caron Butler is on pace to have the highest single season three-point shooting percentage ever? No word on if it is in anyway related to the Mountain Dew ban.

DOUBLE BONUS: Antonio Daniels is THE MAN! Andohbytheway, the Nick Young for the Slam Dunk Contest campaign has made it all the way to regional cable.

I have a paper to write, so you only get links from me today.  If anyone wants to post the next community projection, I'll promote it. -MP

---------------------------------------------

RealGM posted an interview between Dave Zirin and our very own Etan Thomas today.  Apparently, Etan has always has a leaky heart valve, and had been monitoring ever since he started playing.  It was only when his numbers changed considerably that he decided to get the surgery.  He also talked about how Kwame Brown put him in touch with Ronny Turiaf, who had a similar heart procedure, and how he's been talking to Turiaf ever since.  Mostly good news there.

Of course, no Etan piece could be complete without some sort of anti-establishment rant.  This time, he took jabs at both the Washington Post and Washington Times for their coverage of his surgery.  

I'm going to chalk this up to an emotional reaction, because it really doesn't make any sense, and it demonstrates a lack of understanding of the practical realities of print media.  Steinz had a nice response to Etan's words.

Here's the thing.  When Ivan Carter mentions people like Jason Collier in his article, he's only doing so as a point of comparison.  It's the readers who make the jump in concluding that the article is demonstrating that Etan will turn out like Collier.  

Also, Etan's point that the print media looked for the worst possible scenarios is, simply, ridiculous.  I did a search for every single story written by either Ivan Carter or John Mitchell, and none of them even mentioned Len Bias or Hank Gathers.  Collier was mentioned only because it was after his death that teams started to institute the mandatory heart checks, which caught Etan's ailment.  Ivan continually mentioned guys that actually recovered from heart troubles, such as Turiaf, Eddy Curry, San Francisco 49ers lineman Jesse Sapolu.  So basically, Etan's completely off-base there.

Obviously, Etan is back to his snarly self.  That can only mean good news for his recovery.

---------------------------------------

As for everything else...

• 
  
• Does anyone else find it a bit weird that the team is so overjoyed about Gilbert's progress after a 7-18 night from the field?  Shows you how bad he's been with his shot this preseason.
  
• The other issue addressed in that article is why the team isn't using the 3.7 million salary-cap exemption they could get if they declare Etan to be medically unfit to play.  Basically, the Wizards don't want to go over the luxury tax, because while the 3.7 million is a salary cap exemption, it still counts for tax implications.  Of course, this set off a firestorm in the Wizards Insider comments section complaining about having no other big men in case someone gets hurt, but that's silly.  We can pick someone up then when it happens, there will be a bigger pool to choose from because of other team's training camp cuts, and it'll cost less because we can sign them to a 10-day contract.  
  
• Creaky old (yet mostly insightful) Charley Rosen previews the Southeast, and sees the Wizards as a .500 team.  No surprises there.
  
• Les Bullez, in-between needless sips of Brendan Haywood haterade:
  
  We are going to have to live with some mistakes from these guys during this season, but as long as they improve and get more and more comfortable with the system and their teammates, by the end of the season I think they have a great chance to contribute in the playoffs and give the team the depth it's wished it had since the 2005 playoffs.  (Remember Juan Dixon and Steve Blake).

  It's like what sierradave said; there are no real stiffs anymore.  At least not yet.
  

• "Jamison, Antawn: Will be voted World's Greatest Neighbor, given the coveted Applebee's Black Card."
  
• Our jobs are done here, because now Agent Zero is previewing the NBA himself.
  
• Wizznutzz exposes the best scandals.
  
• Gotcha!
  
• I can't believe this is actually happening in Beantown.  When you wonder why Doc Rivers is going to handicap this team, that piece of news is one of the reasons why.
  

By now, you all probably know about Etan Thomas' cardiac problems.  Obviously, I hope this isn't anything serious, and since we really don't know anything, we shouldn't speculate on why that could have happened, because anything we say sounds insensitive.  Needless to say, even though we're not the biggest Etan fans here, this team needs him to provide depth up front.

Onto the late links.

• 
  
• Stop me if you've heard this before.  The main focus in training camp will be defense.
  
  "That's one of those things where I'm not going to talk about it because like everyone else, I'm pretty much tired of just talking about it," [Antawn] Jamison said. "Everyone knows what our weaknesses are, so we just have to go out there and get it done. We have to be more consistent at that end of the court, especially late in games. It's something we have to take seriously."

  Like last year, I'm psyched that they're talking about it, but that didn't do any good last year, so I'm obviously dubious.  
  

  Still, this line from Caron Butler intuitively makes sense.
  

  "We don't have to go over the plays so much," Butler said. "Guys know what's going on, they know the system, and they know the style of play we want."

  To be continued...
  

• Someone alert John Mitchell that you can think of a better storyline for the first day of training camp than injuries.  Yes, it's important to have a clean bill of health, but that could apply to pretty much every team in the league.  
  
• I'll have more on Mike Wise's column later, because he hits on a theme that really deserves a closer look, but for now, you can read it here.
  
• SI's Chris Mannix penned another Gilbert Arenas post-injury story.  Apparently, Arenas has been working out like crazy.
  
  The end of the line for the Wizards, however, was just the beginning for Arenas, whose approach to rehab this summer was as maniacal as the way he prepares for a basketball season. Once he was allowed to resume physical activity in June, Arenas rehabbed his knee four hours per day, running the steps at the Verizon Center in Washington and strapping 10- and 15-pound weights to his left ankle and dangling his leg off a table to regain full extension. The rehabilitation had an added benefit: Arenas dropped 16 pounds since the end of last season and enters training camp this week at a svelte 209 pounds.

  I actually think this will make a major difference.  Arenas' explosiveness really wasn't there as much last year as before.  Quick, how many times did he dunk the ball last year?  You could probably count the number of times on one finger.
  

  More on Brendan Haywood, from the Examiner.
  

• SB Nation added it's lucky 13th NBA site yesterday.  Say hello to Orlando Magic site Third Quarter Collapse.
  
• Wages of Wins professor David Berri calls the Wizards "the anti-Nets.  The whole article, and premise, is really interesting.  Berri is basically saying that the Wizards' problem is that they have too much balance, and that Arenas isn't good enough as a "superstar."  Needless to say, I'm dubious.
  
• DC Sugar Gliderz, Unite!.
  
• Gilbert vs. AD.  Who wins?
  
• The Wizards are 15th in Marc Stein's first power rankings.  Yawn.
  
• The Sporting News has a feature on Tony Massenberg, who will play for a record 14th team if he makes the roster.  
  
• More of Dave Johnson's live-blog.
  

I'll be back later, but needless to say, I can't tell you how excited I am to have basketball again.  We'll start our daily countdown to the season opener tonight, so stay tuned.

Tom Knott of the Washington Times, has a column up about the Wizards today and he says this year is make or break for the Wizards.

Gilbert has already gone out and said that anything less than a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals would be a "failure."  Obviously, we all know that the Wizards have to improve on last year's record to keep Gilbert and to a lesser extent, the new fans that have come thanks to his popularity.  In the latest poll, only 12% of you thought that the Wizards could put up more than 50 wins this season, so the big question are:

1. Where would you draw the line between good season and a disappointing one?  
2. Will the Wizards have to make the ECF to ensure that they keep Gilbert?

Feel free to drop your two cents in the comments.

As mentioned yesterday, Brendan Haywood and Eddie Jordan apparently cleared things up at a meeting a few weeks ago.  Today, we get some more information about that meeting, courtesy Ivan Carter.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Brendan was willing to go so far as to not show up, but somehow, it doesn't make me feel that comfortable.  It's as if that one meeting was just a temporary fix.

These comments by Jordan don't exactly make me think he's changed either.

It's not that Eddie shouldn't think that way; obviously, he should.  And it's not like that quote is particularly surprising; coaches say stuff like that all the time.  But man, does he carry that analogy really, really far.  From my limited experience doing any sort of reporting, I've learned that if a coach leans on an analogy like that for so long, it means two things.  First, he is dead set on his position, and won't alter it for any reason.  Second, he still knows there are reasonable alternatives for handling the situation, so he has to expound on his position more to shoot them all down.  

Stubbornness on both sides is exactly why Brendan and Eddie got into a feud before.  These recent comments don't exactly reassure me.

---------------------------------------------

Another quick comment on that article.  I understand that only Gilbert Arenas and Eddie Jordan are available for comment, but man, did that story lack balance.  Where was Haywood's side of the story?  Not to pick on Ivan, who's one of the best reporters in the business, but he should at least have tried to contact Haywood.  If Haywood didn't pick up or said he didn't want to comment on the meeting, at least then Ivan could have dropped a line in the article saying Haywood either "declined to comment" or "was unavailable to comment" or something like that.  If Haywood can't be quoted, perhaps this story should have been put on hold until media day, where we could get every side of the story.

As it stands, this article basically reads as an Eddie Jordan piece of propaganda, and that really shouldn't happen.

-----------------------------------------

Ohbytheway, Gilbert Arenas spoke yesterday.  Here's a roundup of relevant Arenas links.

• 
  
• The Grueling Path on Road to Recovery.  Dan Steinberg/Washington Post.
  
• Arenas  shifting focus to elevating Wizards' status. ESPN/Associated Press.
  
• Gilbert Arenas SportsNation chat wrap. (Thursday).
  
• Gil trashes the Celtics and throws in his two cents on the Barry Bonds ball in his latest blog.
  
• Gilbert's interview with Deadspin.
  
• All of Steinz's blog updates from yesterday can be found here, here, and here
  

A couple links I forgot to mention:

• 
  
• Matt from Blogabull gets all nostalgic for the 50th edition of the Carnival of the NBA.  I keep forgetting to submit articles, but you should still check it out.
  
• Kevin Broom's funny tale of being chewed out by Hubie Brown.
  

• 
  
• Tom Ziller's Ballhype NBA preview spectacular moved to the Southeast, and it's obviously a great read, but he predicted the Wizards will only win 42 games.  If the Wizards only go 42-40 this year, it will be a major disappointment.  Here's how he justified it.
  
  I think if playing four guards and one stiff center was a viable strategy, someone would have mastered it by now. Until the Wizards have a legitimate option inside 10 feet, they'll be too susceptible to those nights when the jumpers don't fall.

  Obviously, there's more, but I don't think we should play the disrespect card.  I definitely don't agree with it, but TZ knows his stuff.  
  

  The Orlando pick, on the other hand...
  

• Our man IC is back, and is polling readers for pertinent questions to ask during training camp.  So imagine if the Wizards gave you a press pass.  What questions would you ask to whom?  List 'em in the comments.
  
• Gilbert talks more about his new shoes, and gives us a glimpse of his motivations.
  
  AllHipHop.com: Kanye "battled" 50 Cent, whose shoe do you want to battle?

  Gilbert Arenas: I called it out. I want to see who takes the challenge. If it's D Wade, LeBron or Carmelo. Or Kobe, hey. I have no problem challenging you guys.

  
  
• Don't you hate those players on other teams that just get geared up for us?
  
• A fascinating look at the differences in different newspaper reporter blogs, from We Rite Goode.
  
• The Wizards' TV schedule was released yesterday, and it includes seven ESPN games and two TNT ones.  Strangely enough, two of those ESPN games are against Denver.  I guess I missed the rivalry those two teams developed.
  
• Actually, I nearly forgot about the biggest news of the day...the view of the new high definition jumbotron at the Verizon Center.  Interesting that Abe Pollin gets such a reputation as a cheap owner, and yet he's still paying for a substantial upgrade here.  Is this really necessary?  I mean, it looks cool, but I'd rather see that money get pumped into the team.
  
• As we come up on training camp, a quick reminder of the Ten Commandments of the preseason.
  
• The Celtics signed Esteban Batista from the Hawks yesterday, which ordinarily wouldn't give me pause, but still does for some reason.  As much as I love Roger Mason the person, why couldn't we sign a guy who was a terror on the glass in FIBA play?  Another big man is easily more important than another guard.  Oh well.
  

Keep voting on the title.  In the meantime, since we probably won't use this title again, here are today's links.

• 
  
• Wow, Gilbert Arenas is taking the release of the new GilIIZeros very seriously.  Apparently, there are 20 separate versions of his new shoe (hence the IIZero, aka 20), and they each represent a different element of himself.  Check out the blog for the full details.
  
• My first reaction to that blog entry definitely was one of concern.  Sure, we normally say Gilbert is harmless, but it seems like yet another example of elaborately putting himself before anyone or anything else, and I'm not sure how healthy that is to the team.  By the same token, however, any relationship between a marketing campaign and on-court play is convoluted at best and tenuous at worst.  
  
• Shoals at Fanhouse also doesn't see this marketing campaign as a negative thing.  
  
  Some might see this as overkill, or Arenas trying a little too hard to market his eccentricity. But I think it's further proof that athletes can be themselves and still rake in paper. Arenas is popular exactly because he wants us to know all about him. If you buy Gilbert Arenas, you're buying into a complex human being. Maybe that's self-indulgent of him, but it allows his fans to feel that much more connected to his on-court exploits.

  To be fair, Shoals loves Agent Zero, but we all knew that.
  

• Speaking of Wizards off the court, here's yet another example of Etan Thomas being active in the community.
  
• As mentioned yesterday, Miami signed Charlie Bell to a 5 year, 18 million dollar offer sheet.   There's a little too much enthusiasm for this among Heat fans, probably because it's been such a terrible offseason for them.  Bell's not terrible, but last year's production screams "contract year."  I mean, look at his 40-minute productivity over the last two years; it was better in 05/06.  But hey, at least he's better than Smush Parker.
  
• Interestingly enough, Bell might disprove the whole idea that a player's efficiency increases with more minutes, but still, Knickerblogger offers a nice close to that discussion.
  

  Speaking of division rivals, BF whipping boy J.J. Redick broke his hand, but still should be ready for training camp.  If he isn't, who plays shooting guard again?  Yeah.
  

• 20-12, 2-0.  That is all.