New faces, early dividends posted by john howard

Dallas Mavericks' new players played well last night, beating the top team in the east in Orlando Magic.

Caron Butler and Brenden Haywood combined for 73 minutes 16 rebounds and 31 points.  A really good bigman and another scorer.  Good Job Dallas.

Another top team fell to newcomers.  Denver fell to Washington and their new lineup.  No Arenas, no Jamison, no Butler, no problem.  Josh Howard had 20 points in 23 minutes. More stunning was the 25 points the Wizards outscored the Nuggets in that 23 minutes.  Also, Al Thornton (just acquired from the Clippers) had 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 block shots in 31 minutes. Oh I can't wait until Ilgauskas joins the group. 

Expect Thornton and Howard to play with a chip on their shoulders, showing the teams that didn't want them that they were wrong. The Wizards have players that are auditioning for the big free agent bucks.  They are going to be competitive for the rest of the season.

Cleveland set for title run posted by john howard

Cleveland just got a lot better.   They traded Zydranus Ilgauskas and his 11million dollar expiring contract to Washington for Antwain Jamison who has the same salary.      This adds a power scorer to the lineup while giving up nothing.  Anderson Varejo has been the backup at both power forward and center. This will continue.  Hickson's minutes may decrease, but he is still developing so that is ok.  The first pick won't matter if they win the title.       Also acquired is Sebastian Telfair an up and down career since joining the NBA.  They have point guard injuries so that is an added bonus.

Washington continues to dump salary by trading for Ilgauskas. His 11 mil is the same as Jamison's but expires this year.  They also unloaded Drew Gooden whom they acquired from Dallas last week.  Washington gets Al Thornton who is young and improving. 

The Clippers continue to confuse.  They gave up Telfair for Drew Gooden?  Whatever.

Mavs A Wizards--gambling posted by john howard

Dallas and Washington traded talent this week. 

First Dallas---they get Caron Butler an all star that is almost averaging 17 points and 7 rebounds.  He will replace Josh Powell which is a huge up grade.  Brendon Haywood also joins the Mavs.  This was a good move because Eric Dampier hasn't been effective since hurting his knee.  Haywood is averaging 10 rebounds a game.  The Mavs also get Deshaun Stevenson.  A decent backup.

Washington is clearing house by unloading contracts and gaining potential.  What kind of potential is the question.  Josh Howard averaged 19 points last year.  Injuries and attitudes have landed him on the bench with decreasing minutes.  He has potential to be the team's leading scorer.  Sorry to say that his behavior could land him sitting next to Gilbert Arenas.  I'm not sure this was  a good move.

McGrady sweetstakes---Knicks? posted by john howard

Houston has been shopping Tracy McGrady all year and something is a about to happen.  The leading candidate is the New York Knicks.  McGrady could be a 20pt scorer again with the up tempo style of play New York has. I think he would be a perfect fit for them. 

A third team may have to be involved and latest rumor has the Wizards.  Houston might get Caron Butler from Washington and the Knicks would send much traveled Al Harrington to DC.  Sounds like a swapping of big salaries and not much improvement.  There will be other players involved and draft picks for sure.  But, the main thing is McGrady in the biggest market.  If he could stay healthy for any length of time, he could really profit well.  He might be enough of a surge to get them into the playoffs this year. 

No place for guns in Washington posted by Andy Charles

As if things weren’t bad enough for the Washington Wizards, Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton have now apparently decided that the locker room is the right place to show off their guns.

No, I am not talking about the size of their respective biceps, but I am referring to the weapons pulled in the locker room after an argument over a gambling debt got out of hand.

Guns? Gambling? Sounds like Arenas and Crittenton are trying to break all of the NBA’s strict rules in one fell swoop.

Although many of the reports last week made it sound like the new version of Gunfight At The OK Corral, and may well have been over-playing it, the fact that both players seemingly had unloaded firearms in their lockers is bad enough.

Only just over a year after Plaxico Burress managed to shoot himself in the thigh, firearms are back on the sports pages and both players may find themselves having to explain their actions to David Stern, with the chance of heavy fines and suspensions possibly following.

The incident could also be the perfect way for Washington to get out of the $100m+ deal they signed Arenas to before his two injury-plagued seasons.

But at least Agent Zero appears to be contrite, as he said: “Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong. I should not have brought the guns to DC in the first place, and I now realize that there’s no such thing as joking around when it comes to guns, even if unloaded.”

Is an apology going to work though? Seems strange to think it’s been so long since the brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills, but this incident could be just as damaging to the sport – if the players escape lengthy bans they can definitely consider themselves a touch lucky.

Thoughts on the Wizards: Are They Good? posted by Chase Hughes

   On Wednesday night I attended the Wizards game vs. Cleveland and it was great to see Washington come away with a win, especially in front of a legion of Cavalier fans (where they came from I don’t know).  While the Wizards were able to seize a victory against one of the best teams in the East and an immanent rival, it is still hard to ascertain whether this team is any good.  After a dreadful first half by just about every player on the team I was absolutely fuming in my seat.  It didn’t help to be transplanted in between a Cleveland fan who would say “terrible shot” during all of Antawn Jamison’s trick hooks and a Ohio family of six that probably amassed a total of 3,000 pounds.  The father of that Lebron-rooting herd fittingly donned a t-shirt with the slogan “I’m not going to call you stupid, but I’m thinking about it.” 
    The reality of this win is that without Antawn Jamison’s incredible shooting display in the first half, the Wizards would have never been in the game by the third quarter.  It’s also fact that the Cavaliers fell flat in the second half in an away game which they traveled following a game the night before.  Gilbert looked like he has no business running the offense and Caron didn’t seem himself until late in the game.  To be trite, it was a rollercoaster of emotions, that game, to go from the verge of catching a case to celebrating a win over Cleveland was a sweet turn of events. 
    There are some sincere positive areas to be observed from the Wizards at this point in the season, however, they did get their third win.  It looks like Earl Boykins is the true point guard they had been missing all along.  At this juncture it doesn’t look like either Gilbert or Randy Foye can be trusted to run the offense.  Gilbert still takes the long three sometimes before passing the ball once on a possession and Foye is struggling offensively in general. 

How Can the Washington Wizards Improve to Contender Status? posted by Chase Hughes

Last night I was listening to an interview with former NBA head coach P.J. Carlesimo on 106.7 The Fan.  He was commenting on the opening days of the NBA regular season, specifically about the Eastern Conference and his thoughts on who were the better teams.  Not surprisingly he named the top three teams as the “factors,” those being Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando.  He said that there are not any teams even close to those three but on the outside looking in is the Washington Wizards.  The Wizards were the only team he mentioned as the fourth best team and he said this about three times.  These comments got me thinking about what the Wizards need to do this regular season to take the next step and breach that label, in what areas can they improve to develop into the fourth Eastern Conference power? 
First of all, this piece is not in discussion of anything to do with the playoffs, I am not assuming that the Wizards are clearly the fourth best team or that they will even make the playoffs at all.  What I am saying is that the Wiz are in that second tier bunch that follows the top three, which in my opinion also includes the Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, and the Philadelphia 76’ers (3rd tier: MIA, CHI, NJ, DET).  Carlesimo added that this is the way the East is presently, that come December we could be talking about another team that has emerged or perhaps a top team will regress and make way for one that is on the brink.  We know that this is Gilbert Arenas’ team but what pieces need to fall into place for Washington to make that jump?  I offer several possibilities, some more plausible than others for how the Wizards can materialize into a contender:

Washington Wizards Preseason Analysis/Season Outlook posted by Chase Hughes

After it has ended, it is fairly unclear how much stock can be taken out of this year’s Washington Wizards preseason.  As usual in preseason games the stars generally saw limited minutes, particularly at the end of the game.  When the Wiz played the Cleveland Cavaliers they did not have to deal with Lebron James and the Wizards had to cope with a “swine-flu backcourt” for several games.  It was ironically against those same Cavaliers that workhorse power forward Antawn Jamison endured a shoulder injury that could prove onerous in the beginning of the season.  Flip Saunders remarked that Jamison’s injury is better to occur at the beginning of the regular season rather than the end.  That’s a glass-half-full perspective but far from appeasing for a fanbase that is sick and tired of injuries plaguing promising seasons.  As fans we could revert to what’s become an old adage, that “at least it will give time for the young players to develop,” but after three essentially lost seasons, that contrived positivity has run its course.  It is hard to believe that the trio of Arenas, Butler, and Jamison hasn’t played a regular season game together since April 1, 2007. 

It’s understood that if Jamison is to be integral on a team that contends there is little time to waste.  Each year the circumstances become more and more exigent, if you were watching when Gilbert Arenas hit the game winner against the Chicago Bulls in the 2005 playoffs then you understand why.  If you were a “witness” of Lebron crab-dribble his way past Michael Ruffin in 2006, you understand why. 

Why the Washington Wizards Will be a Top 10 Defense posted by Chase Hughes

With the Washington Wizards’ season set to get underway, there remain questions about the team’s chances to compete in the Eastern Conference.  Will Gilbert Arenas stay healthy and be his old self?  Will Andray Blatche fulfill his potential and be the player he can be?  Will the Wizards regret getting rid of Oleksiy Pecherov? (just kidding).  One major concern that will be definitive of the Wizards’ season is whether they can play defense, especially against teams of the East’s top tier such as Boston, Orlando, and Cleveland.  Upon taking a closer look at the Wizards’ personnel, there are several reasons to believe that they can. 

Throughout the Grunfeld era, the Wizards have enjoyed much success scoring points.
It has provided for some entertaining regular season games, but little success in the playoffs.  Year after year the knock on this squad is that they can’t defend well enough to compete for a title, this is the year that it stops. 

I have put together 5 reasons why I believe the Washington Wizards will surprise their critics and emerge an improved team defensively:

1. They Weren’t That Bad in the First Place – The last season that can objectively be evaluated for the Washington Wizards was two years ago, the 2007-08 season.  I am going to go ahead and say that last season was an aberration skewed by the freak occurrence of three starters missing significant time due to injury.  It was not a true measure for the current roster mainly because Gilbert Arenas played in only two regular season games.  What people don’t realize is that the Wizards had the 12th best defense in the NBA in 2008, according to opponent’s points-per-game averages.   By allowing only 99.2 points-a-night the Wizards made an improvement from being ranked 28th overall in that category the year before.  This is an astounding stat considering that their best player, Gilbert Arenas, was out of the line-up and Caron Butler was also injured.  There is sound evidence that with a healthy Gilbert and Caron, this team will be even more imposing defensively.

5 Predictions for the 2009-10 Washington Wizards posted by Chase Hughes

  1. Gilbert Arenas will average over 8 assists per game –            It is quite obvious that with all the new offensive weapons and a healthy roster, Gilbert Arenas’ scoring average is going to go down.  He isn’t going to be able to keep up a 29.3 ppg season like he did in 2005-06.  My guess is that his numbers will drop down to around his career average of 22 ppg.  Maybe even a little bit lower as there are going to be plenty of guys begging for the rock.  Scoring averages aside, with Gilbert Arenas back in the line-up everyone will benefit.  Gil still gets respect for his scoring capabilities, as evidenced in the two games last year in which he tallied 20 assists and no turnovers.  He has the ability to draw the double team and help defense, much like Kobe, Dwyane, and Lebron, giving him opportunities to pass the ball off to the open man.  In the two games he played last year, you could see that Gilbert still has a quick first step but is more cautious with it.  That hesitancy makes opponents play on their heels which allows Gilbert to blow by them on a drive and get the basket or draw the foul.             What is going to happen is Gilbert will come out this season as a type of player we aren’t used to seeing wear number “0.”  His essentially two years away from the game have undoubtedly changed his perspective as a floor general.  What will emerge is a Gilbert Arenas that involves his teammates while still showcasing the killer instinct that makes him the great scorer he is.             Gilbert’s career assist average is 5.5 apg, a great figure for a small forward but not up to par with the best point guards in the league.  Here are his assist averages over a few seasons:
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Free agent notes: Josh Howard, Eddie House, Jannero Pargo (Yahoo! Sports)

Because this is what the offseason has dwindled to. Josh Howard's new contract with the Washington Wizards,... [read full article]

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Wizards keep Josh Howard with 1-yr. deal (AP)

A person familiar with the deal says Josh Howard has agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Washington Wizards. The person told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Howard is set to come back after playing only four games with the team last season. The person spoke oncondition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been signed. [read full article]

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Wall scores 31 in summer-league win (AP)

John Wall scored 31 points in the Washington Wizards' 90-89 summer-league win over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night. The top pick in the draft had 13 points during an 18-0 run in the third quarter. He capped the run with a steal and a transition dunk that put Washington up 62-60 with 2:05 left in the period. [read full article]

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Wall has 24 points, 8 assists in debut (AP)

John Wall wanted to get off to a fast start in his pro debut. He needed to slow down to show why he was the top pick in the draft. The 19-year-old Wall had a team-high 24 points and eight assists for the Washington Wizards during their 84-79 victory over the Golden State Warriors in an NBA Summer League game on Sunday. [read full article]

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