Our Time [1-0] :: Bad news (?)

[hova-]

Still looking awesome. I wont bet since Ima bad gambler Looking forward to this one lasting.

[kibaxx7]

Thierry's Blog: Frustration on Twitter - why we need a trade
WashingtonWizards.com | October 17th, 2009

Welcome back Wizards fans, to the last installment of my blog here in Wizards.com. Thierry Tirieux reporting! After 5 preseason games, we stand at 3-2 with two L's in a row, we started like heaven but then it went to hell against the Pistons and Cavs. But don't forget, our guys Agent Zero and Caron were given a rest against Detroit and Cleveland, respectively, so, don't panic!

Today I have two topics to discuss. First one: I want to talk about a Wizard that expressed his frustation on Twitter. Truth is, the battle for a place in the starting lineup is fierce; shooting guard spot is crucial. The backup power forward spot almost just as much, especially with Antawn taking a rest (and doing yoga) for the next game against the Hawks and little to show in terms of front court depth (that's my second topic today). The backup point guard position, however, is a relatively unheralded story. The talented and rock-steady Randy Foye is thought by many to be the favorite to spell Gilbert, he is is also in the mix to play off the ball some. But, there’s already quite a crowd competing at shooting guard with Mike (Miller), Javaris (Crittenton), DeShawn (Stevenson), Nick (Young) and even Caron factoring in.

And then there’s Mike James. With four DNPs in five preseason games, is James being given a fair shake? I asked him today. “The only way you can really assess yourself is by playing, coach. I got four DNPs. All I can say is the opportunities I have, I gotta take advantage of them, weather they’re short or not.” That’s not the only problem in Mike’ eyes. “So far, I still don’t know my role. That’s the thing right now that’s the most curious to myself, where things are going to stand. Coming into training camp, I prepared myself as well as I possibly could. Coach basically said that there would be battles for things and nothing would be given to people... so we’ll see what will happen. Right now, it’s not encouraging, it’s a little discouraging, but you can’t complain about things. You understand that there’s two options you can take from this, you can continue to keep working hard, or you can throw in the towel. The second one is definitely not what I plan on doing: never throw in the towel. I’m going to continue to keep working hard and keep grinding. If things don’t change, we have to go from there.”


Then I asked Flip about Mike’ role and if he sensed any frustration out of him resulting from four DNPs. He deadpanned: “That’s exhibition games... some guys play and some guys don’t.” Still, Mike’ frustration has been noticeable from the bench at times, and seemed to come to a head with a tweet he made not long after we lost to the Cavaliers (above), a game in which he was handed 7 minutes and went scoreless; ‘December 4th’ on Jay-Z’s Black Album came to my mind. “That’s normally what happens in this game or in anything in life. Most people take you for granted. When you’re missed, when you leave, when you get traded, then they want to talk about how valuable you were to the team and how other things about you stood out. But when you’re here, they take advantage of you, so they never really care, they never really express it. So, it’s just a true statement. They really don’t miss you until you’re dead or you’re gone. I don’t plan on dying, so after this quote, I’m outta here.”

Potentially being missed or not, Mike’ 7 minutes have produced mixed results and leave a lot to be desired by fellow analysts, friends of mine. Some say he looked ‘okay’, dishing some nice passes, but some say he was out of sync, but you just can't praise or defenestrate someone with just 7 minutes. On assessing his play so far, Mike told me, “Sometimes you have to get into the feel of the game, you have to keep working and grinding. I made some good plays, but I didn’t play as well as I was capable of playing. You know, that’s just preseason. Coach is using preseason to figure out who are the players he can trust on the court. So, it’s basically take advantage of the opportunities when you’re given them.”

Mike seems to be a good guy whose lighthearted nature has formed a bond with teammates. But personality only gets you so far. What we do know is that Mike is one of Ernie (Grunfeld, GM)’s “assets”... possibly as a veteran point who can manage a team in brief spells, but more likely as an expiring $6.47 million contract who could be traded in any minute. Which direction his career homestretch will go, remains to be seen. Either way, Mike isn’t going out without a fight. Problem is, he might not have many fighting chances left: a couple of teams were reported to be interested in his services.

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2nd topic tonight. I think we, Wizards fans, all can probably agree that the squad had two big weaknesses: a below-average shooting guard group and a third big man who can play big, rebound and defend. Weakness one was addressed already with the trade for Mike and Randy. We can argue that perhaps there were better ways to go about solving that weakness, but the off guard position clearly looks like it's in better hands than before. However, weakness two remains there. Washington's last healthy season featured an inconsistent Andray Blatche and cerebral Darius Songaila (now in New Orleans) as the backup big men. This season: Andray and Fabricio Oberto. JaVale McGee is there too, but he still has a good deal of growth to do to become the type of reliable third big we need (No offense JaVale).

So we haven't really upgraded the frontcourt. I'm hoping that Andray and JaVale develop enough and Fabricio plays like the games he started at San Antonio, but hoping for player development isn't going to get us in the Boston/Cleveland/Orlando category. Andray is what he is at this point, and while that can be an effective player, it's not the type of solid oak we need. JaVale could be that shot-in-the-arm type, but he'd have to grow a lot to be reliable. Fabricio's 34, as an insurance big, he's great, but if he is playing third-big minutes, we aren't going anywhere.

Hope he doesn't fire me for what I'm going to say, but Ernie has taken the wait. He didn't draft DeJuan Blair, he didn't pony up the cash to sign players like Antonio McDyess or Zaza Pachulia and he basically announced we're done making moves until the season starts. I'm willing to accept Ernie waiting on this, if only because two contingency possibilities -- Andray or JaVale taking a step forward while we win; us not in contention for anything -- remain accounted for. But unless one of those things happen, we will need to make an in-season move in order to shore up this weakness and become a true contender. Standing pat isn't going to work if we really want to win.

And before you say the Wizards can beat teams like Cavs, Celtics, Magic by going small, every one of those teams (except maybe San Antonio) listed above can do that too, now that Cleveland has Jamario Moon, Orlando essentially starts a 3/4 hybrid, Lakers can play Ron Artest at power forward and Boston can put a healthy Kevin Garnett on anybody. They have rosters that can address pretty much any countermove one could make. I don't mean to throw these names out to say we should mimic the contenders' style of play, but they drive home loud and clear that the Wizards can only become elite if they match the other contenders' frontcourts in terms of depth and reliability. The best way to ensure that weakness is solved is to make an in-season trade. Otherwise, our only hopes are to:

• Pray for the five zillionth season in a row that Andray develops some game-to-game reliability;
• Assume JaVale will go from being possibly the league's rawest player to one of its most polished;
• Lead Fabricio to a fountain of youth that will allow him to recapture his effectiveness and have a career year at age 34.

Wow, that's was a long write. Hope you liked it, I'm starting to like writing down all my thoughts so we can come to a solution as soon as possible. Leave any comments!

[Fresh8]

Good read. I really enjoyed it!

[Martti.]

• Butler 20+ Points :: 2/1 100 on it
• Oberto 6+ Rebounds :: 2/1 50 on it
• Crawford 20+ Points :: 3/1 100against it
• Horford 10-10 Night :: 1.5/1 150 on it

Great blog update!

[Valor]

great writing here man, keep it up!
Arenas is on fire, just like he is right now in real life Keep up the pace and you'll be in the playoffs making some noise for sure

[cavs4872]

Good writing. How are you liking NBA 2K10?

[kibaxx7]

Still looking awesome. I wont bet since Ima bad gambler Looking forward to this one lasting.

Thanks man, planning some other things for when the regular season starts.

Good read. I really enjoyed it!

Great blog update!

Thanks guys. Yeah I started to write better in the last time...

great writing here man, keep it up!
Arenas is on fire, just like he is right now in real life Keep up the pace and you'll be in the playoffs making some noise for sure

I don't want to jinx myself but I really like the team. Of course it needs some frontcourt adjustments Yeah Gilbert is playing great!

Good writing. How are you liking NBA 2K10?

I love 2k10 - My Player mode is killing me I was also waiting for the season to start so I could adjust the starting lineups and minutes.

[Lamrock]

I like the blog update. While I still think you should devise a recapping system that allows you to at least finish a month of a season, I'm glad this is still going strong, and enjoying this. Good to at least have three good, active associations.

Not gonna bet. Gonna horde my 2650 points and hope I win in the end.

[kibaxx7]

Thanks a lot man... I was thinking in only posting one game a week so I could go a little faster (the other games of the week would be shortly recapped in the blog). About the betting game, I don't know if scrap it or leave it.

[Lamrock]

Meh, your prediction game is sure to bring in a lot of replies, but at the same time turns some, like me, off due to its high-maintenance nature. Its really up to you. I suggest you take all the decisions that worked best in your other 25+ dynasties and go with them.

[kibaxx7]

(4-2)
(2-3)

Crittenton lifts Wizards past Hawks in OT
(PLAYED GAME)
Preview | Recap | Game Info | Full Play-by-Play | Watch Highlights
"He sees himself as a pass-first, shoot-second point guard, but that doesn't mean opponents can get away with giving him open shots. He was on fire," coach Thierry Tirieux said after the game. Javaris Crittenton converted a driving layup through a crowd of defenders with 1.8 seconds left in overtime, capping a game of career highs and lifting the Washington Wizards to a 115-113 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. With Antawn Jamison in street clothes (Tirieux gave him a rest), Crittenton hit five 3-pointers on his way to 27 points, both career highs, to go with four assists and three steals. "I think going into a lot of games, teams say, just let him shoot, he really can't shoot,'' Crittenton said of the way opponents guard him. "Tonight it burned them. I try to tell people I can shoot a little bit if you let me, if I'm open. A lot of teams let me shoot 3s, so if you look at the stats and think I can't shoot, then that's on you.''

Crittenton also made a pair of crucial free throws (his only 2 free-throws) that tied the game at 105 with 33.1 seconds left, a score that held until overtime, when Washington usually takes the game a gear up. The Wizards won again after two straight losses. Washington made twelve of seventeen 3-pointers in all, an incredible percentage, a key to their fourth victory in six games this preseason. Gilbert Arenas scored 21 points and Brendan Haywood had his best game so far with 13 points and 6 rebounds, and his alley-oop reverse jam from Arenas helped the Wiz open the extra period with a 5-0 run that began when Arenas hit a driving floater as he was fouled. Jamal Crawford tied the game at 113 when he made a rainbow 3-pointer with 23.8 seconds left in OT. After Crittenton's winner, Atlanta had one more chance to set up a quick shot, but Al Horford lost the inbounds pass out of bounds as he tried to make a touch-pass to Joe Johnson in the corner.

"It's a play that could have gone both ways,'' Horford said. "I wasn't able to control the ball and I was kind of trying to catch it, but at the same time trying to tip it to Joe because I thought he was open for the 3 and it didn't come out right.'' It was a bitter end to an otherwise strong performance by the center, who had 14 points and 17 rebounds. Johnson led Atlanta with 28 points and Crawford added 21 while starting for Marvin Williams (given rest), including several soaring dunks and an array of mid-range jumpers. Caron Butler scored 20 for Washington and, from the bench, Maurice Evans and rookie point guard Jeff Teague finished with 11 points apiece for the Hawks. "It's tough when you play without a very important man, especially Antawn, who I thought was playing well,'' Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. "We hope he isn't really out when the season starts. It was a great win for us.''

Even with the lineup shuffling, the Wizards led most of the game and were up 103-98 with just over two minutes remaining. Then Atlanta scored seven straight points, starting with Horford's tough fallaway in the lane. Johnson then hit a pair of free throws and a driving layup to give the Hawks a 104-103 lead before Butler was called for foul and Evans hit one of two free throws. As already said, Crittenton ended up being fouled on the same possession, however, and made the game-tying free throws. "He is going to be a great player,'' Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said. "Flip has got a real prize there. He just needs minutes and time to develop.'' Crittenton's previous career highs were 23 points and two 3-pointers made, both against the New York Knicks when playing for the Memphis Grizzlies (April 2th, 2008).




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Green = Won bet; Red = Lost bet.

• Butler 20+ Points :: 2/1
• Oberto 6+ Rebounds :: 2/1
• Crawford 20+ Points :: 3/1
• Horford 10-10 Night :: 1.5/1



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[Dee.]

Javaris Crittenton had 27.

[Lamrock]

Sounds like a really fun game. Glad to see Crittenton doing well for you. Always liked him. I ruined him in a My Player training camp so its good to see him do well here.

LOL @ me still winning the contest.

[Cartar]

So Butler was only 1 point short? Almost had a perfect prediction this time.

[Martti.]

C'mon, 20 counts as 20+.

[kibaxx7]

Javaris Crittenton had 27.

He was playing PG with Gilbert at SG... incredible.

Sounds like a really fun game. Glad to see Crittenton doing well for you. Always liked him. I ruined him in a My Player training camp so its good to see him do well here.

LOL @ me still winning the contest.

Yeah I had him as trade bait before but he has earned himself a roster spot

So Butler was only 1 point short? Almost had a perfect prediction this time.

C'mon, 20 counts as 20+.

Yeah, you know, I realized that after I made all the recap... 20+ is 20 or more... my bad... free coins for all of you in the next recap.

[Mark.]

Looking strong dude. I think only recapping one game a week is a good idea. I think you should keep the betting game. It better than the prediction one since viewers can miss quite a few rounds and still be up there as its quite up and down.

[hova-]

I noticed I havent post recently. Nice win over the Hawks. Good to see Crittenton making some noise. Nick Young should get more minutes though

[kibaxx7]

(4-2)
(2-4)

Wizards hope for health this season; visit 76ers
Preview | Recap | Game Info | Full Play-by-Play | Watch Highlights
The Washington Wizards figure they'll be among the best teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference this season, so long as Gilbert Arenas is healthy + assuming Antawn Jamison puts his preseason shoulder problem behind him + if yet another All-Star of the past, Caron Butler, avoids late-season injuries + if Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson are fully recovered from their own health problems and avoid new issues. Yes, the Wizards are absolutely certain - if they have everyone available, for a change - that they will quickly turn things around under new head coach Flip Saunders and show that last season's worst-in-team-history 19-63 debacle was an aberration. "If we stay healthy," Saunders said, uttering a phrase that's become a mantra for the Wizards, "we should be able to compete in the East for an elite spot."

It all starts with Arenas. "He's the franchise," Stevenson said. The high-scoring, buzzer-beating point guard was already a three-time All-Star and emerging as one of the best - and most popular - players in the league when his problems began. During a game on April 4, 2007, an opponent accidentally slammed into Arenas' left knee, leading to surgery the next day. That would be the first of three operations on that knee in about 1½ years, limiting Arenas to 13 games in the 2007-08 season and two games last season. Eager to re-establish himself, he worked this summer with renowned trainer Tim Grover, dropping weight and gaining strength, and has shown flashes of his old explosiveness in exhibition games. "He's trying to get his rhythm," Saunders said. "He's starting to feel more comfortable every time he steps on the floor." Arenas also has been as enigmatic as ever, declaring he's "not the entertainer anymore" and generally staying mum until the NBA fined him and the Wizards because he wasn't doing interviews. "Fans, I think they just want to see me play," Arenas said. "I think they can live without me just rambling on about stupid stuff."

Under Saunders, who led the Detroit Pistons to three consecutive conference finals, Arenas is going to have the ball in his hands more than in the past. So while the Wizards would be thrilled if he could replicate his career scoring average of 22.8 points, the thinking is that he is sure to improve on his career assist average of 5.5. "The assists are going to go up, no matter what," Arenas said. "Coach told me to be aggressive the whole time." This much seems clear: The coach-star relationship, sometimes rocky when Eddie Jordan ran the Wizards, will be key to Washington's success. "I haven't sugarcoated anything with Gilbert, and I think he's been the same way with me," Saunders said. "I give a lot of responsibility to the point guard, and they have to almost think like I think. That's why we've had a lot of conversations. And I told him I'll be harder on him than probably anybody else, because I have higher expectations."

All of the Wizards are thinking lofty thoughts, predicated on some serious ifs. If, for example, the Arenas-Butler-Jamison trio is on the court, the Wizards are a top team on offense, one that should only be helped by newcomers Mike Miller and Randy Foye. Butler's scoring has gone up each of the past five seasons, to a career-high of 20.8 in 2008-09, when he also averaged 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Jamison averaged 22.2 points and 8.9 rebounds last season. If Stevenson (limited to 32 games last season by a bad back) and Haywood (limited to six games after wrist surgery) are around, the Wizards might finally fulfill their annual pledge to play better defense. "We've been through so many down times, and so many negative things have been done or said," Jamison said, "it's our time to put all that stuff behind and do what's expected - and do what we believe can happen." If, that is, they stay healthy.


The 76ers figure to be one of the more interesting teams to follow this season as basketball chief Ed Stefanski continues to mold the team in his image. Interim coach Tony DiLeo, who replaced Maurice Cheeks during the season last year, was kicked back to the front office and replaced by Eddie Jordan, the highly-regarded former Wizards mentor, who brings his vaunted Princeton Offense up I-95. The team also let veteran point guard Andre Miller walk to Portland and handed the keys to the untested Louis Williams, a hich-octane offensive player that thinks shot first. Meanwhile, former All-Star forward Elton Brand will try to return from yet another injury and fit in with the Sixers' best player, swingman Andre Iguodala.

In virtually every business, executives who get paid way too much to do way too little try to reinvent the wheel. "Branding" or "re-branding" is a big catch phrase in corporate America. "Branding" invaded the sports world over the last 20 years or so. Looking to stick their hands deeper into the pockets of fans, many sports franchises change logos and jerseys every few years, thinking their most loyal customers will shell out the money for the new merchandise. The 76ers went back to the future for their re-branding campaign this season, retrieving their classic red, white and blue logo used during their last championship run in 1982-83. Change was certainly needed.

The Sixers haven't been relevant since 2000-01 when Allen Iverson was taking home MVP honors en route to an Eastern Conference championship. The train began to derail when the nomadic Larry Brown, the only coach to ever figure Iverson out, took his tired act to the Motor City. Iverson's legendary selfishness then teamed up with Chris Webber's attitude to cripple one of the league's marquee franchises from within. Billy King was replaced at the top of the organization by Stefanski during the 2007-08 season and the Sixers looked to be back on track. A Philly native, Stefanski rolled the dice in a big way during his first offseason as the team's general manager, inking Brand to a massive free agent contract.

Brand, a two-time All-Star, was coming off a ruptured Achilles tendon that cost him most of the 2007-08 season. He didn't look healthy when he took the floor with the Sixers last year and wasn't a good fit for the team's high- octane running game. "The main thing is, it wasn't Elton," Iguodala said at the team's media day. "We didn't really have a concrete plan (last year). I think we had a Plan A, but no Plan B, C, so on and so forth. Just pound it inside and see what happens from there. Once that was shut down it was kind of hectic instead of playing our game and going with the flow." With Jordan and the Princeton offense now employed, the Sixers are hoping to finally garner a return on a massive investment.

Jordan explained to the media how his philosophy is designed to work earlier this offseason. After each pass, a variety of options exist. According to Jordan, Brand seems like a natural fit for the offense. He can pass, he has a nice mid-range jumper from the elbow and he can move inside to the pivot at times. In fact, Jordan envisions Brand, Iguodala and Young much in the same way Arenas, Jamison and Butler excelled in the offense in Washington. "It's going to take time," Brand said of the new offense. "I know we can put the basics in, but once we have the basics, it's still more plays, more layers we can add." Of course Brand must stay on the floor to make things work. "Once you get the physical grind of the game, you start to appreciate that again," Brand said. "You can add that back to your game. Then everything else is secondary."


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(2008/09 Stats)


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• Young 15+ Points :: 3/1
• Haywood 7+ Rebounds :: 2/1
• L. Williams 20+ Points :: 2/1
• Brand Double Double :: 1.5/1

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[kibaxx7]

Looking strong dude. I think only recapping one game a week is a good idea. I think you should keep the betting game. It better than the prediction one since viewers can miss quite a few rounds and still be up there as its quite up and down.

Thanks man... yeah I'm definitely going with the one game per week idea. Also, betting game only for the games I play.

I noticed I havent post recently. Nice win over the Hawks. Good to see Crittenton making some noise. Nick Young should get more minutes though

Crittenton's been quiet for the first games but he exploded last game... Young starting tonight

Side notes:
1) Anyone thinks I'm writing too much? I think I am... please any constructive criticism
2) Mike James is definitely out. Packaging him with Stevenson or McGee for a good PF/C, I'm thinking of Jason Maxiell, or any PF/C with 85+ defense in the game. Any trade tips?

[Lamrock]

Well I personally don't see the point of the extensive game previews, but that's just me.

[Dee.]

• Young 15+ Points :: 3/1 100 on it.
• Haywood 7+ Rebounds :: 2/1 100 on it.
• L. Williams 20+ Points :: 2/1 100 against it.
• Brand Double Double :: 1.5/1 50 against it.

2) Mike James is definitely out. Packaging him with Stevenson or McGee for a good PF/C, I'm thinking of Jason Maxiell, or any PF/C with 85+ defense in the game. Any trade tips?
Tyrus Thomas would be a better choice.

[Fresh8]

Cut out the previews man. That's what I think! Just do recaps!

[Martti.]

• Young 15+ Points :: 3/1 75 against it.
• Haywood 7+ Rebounds :: 2/1 150 on it.
• L. Williams 20+ Points :: 2/1 100 against it.
• Brand Double Double :: 1.5/1 150 on it.

Yeah, the previews have too much text. Cut it down, it's be much easier for you.

And as for the PF, TYRUS THOMAS!

[kibaxx7]

Well I personally don't see the point of the extensive game previews, but that's just me.

Cut out the previews man. That's what I think! Just do recaps!

Yeah, the previews have too much text. Cut it down, it's be much easier for you.

I think I will only do waaay shorter previews and the starting lineups Gifs (I love them)

Tyrus Thomas would be a better choice.

And as for the PF, TYRUS THOMAS!

I remember you traded for Gordon and Thomas using the Wizards, Martti, I don't want to do the same