Can you believe it? We’re less than a couple weeks away from Christmas, and three weeks away from 2017! The holiday spirit is definitely catching up with a lot of us as we get ready to say goodbye to the year that almost was.
The Wizards have also begun to play a little better. They have won five of their last ten games to get a 10-14 record. That’s still 11th in the Eastern Conference. But there’s reason to believe that the records will even out if they can win a bit more than half of their regular season games going forward.
The Wizards split their games so far this week
- On Monday, the Wizards lost 112-101 to the Miami Heat.
- On Wednesday, they squeaked by the Hornets, 109-106.
The Wizards have a couple big games ahead of them this weekend. Tonight, they host the Detroit Pistons and on Sunday afternoon, they’ll host the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ted Leonsis gives a fan a cookie for his “Fire Ernie” sign
Okay, not quite. But during the Wizards’ 109-106 win over the Hornets last Thursday, die-hard fan Eric Shapiro showed a creative “Fire Ernie [Grunfeld]” sign. Ted Leonsis spoke to Shapiro at halftime, telling him to act his age. When the second half began, Leonsis gave a cookie to Shapiro for his effort to create the sign. Shapiro wrote about the exchange in a guest post on the D.C. Sports Bog.
Though Leonsis confirmed that the conversation happened, he claimed that he was not angry and had a “fun exchange” with Shapiro. On the other hand, Shapiro claims that Leonsis was sarcastic.
Wizards analysis on the NBA’s new CBA
- The NBA and NBPA tentatively agreed to a new CBA on Wednesday night. According to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post, John Wall will certainly be in line for a bigger payday, but it’s possible that he may still feel undervalued after he signs his next deal.
- Jason Smith is the Wizards’ rep in the NBPA. He likes the deal overall, and was also complimentary of union director Michele Roberts.
Team Analysis
- It’s a shame to see that John Wall is now in the prime of his career, only to be rewarded with this kind of a roster around him. Alan wrote that Wall has earned a right to demand change here.
- Jake updated us on how “fine” things are in D.C. He also wrote about the Wizards’ recent use of a small-ball lineup. It’s working in various situations, but it shouldn’t be overused.
- Here’s a hypothetical trade scenario for you guys to consider.
- Jen Smith of Wiz of Awes laments the days when the Wizards were playing strong defense when Randy Wittman was coaching. This season, the defense just hasn’t hit that standard.
And more stuff
- Scott Allen of The Washington Post wrote about Richard Hamilton, the NBA All-Star who once played for the Wizards when Michael Jordan was playing. He claimed that Jordan told the players they weren’t good enough to wear the Jumpman shoes. Today, Otto Porter is a Jordan Brand athlete, and former Wizard Nene was as well.
- Porter, Ian Mahinmi, and Kelly Oubre took part in Becky’s Walk on December 9. Becky’s Walk is a fundraiser aimed to ending domestic violence. ESPN’s Jill Hudson has more in The Undefeated.
- Finally, it was our 10th Birthday last Sunday. Thank you once again to BF Founder and SB Nation NBA editor Mike Prada, SB Nation NBA manager, Seth Pollack, our fellow bloggers in the SB Nation NBA universe, our past and present writers, and especially our readers for helping us reach this milestone together!
That’s it for me in what has been a pretty hectic week. See y’all for the game tonight.