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Wizards-Clippers Recap

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The Wizards failed in their attempt to win three straight road games last night, falling to the Clippers. The team showed heart, however. Maybe it was the momentum that they had from the previous two wins (what’s this, a Wizards team with confidence?!) or maybe it was the Clippers uncharacteristically sloppy play, but this was still a game into the early part of the fourth quarter. But in the end, the Wizards just weren’t able to make enough shots to stay competitive, and the Clippers put them away in the fourth. Some thoughts:

1. Bad Nick Young made an appearance last night- After I had just finished singing Young’s praises for his growth as a spot-up shooter, Young looked like he forgot everything that made him successful against the Blazers. Maybe it was because he was playing in front of a hometown crowd and he was trying to put on a show, but Young was back to his old ways of awful, contested, fall-away jumpers. Not surprisingly, this plan was unsuccessful. Who knew that an in-rhythm, spot-up three would be easier than some leaning heave of a shot? You can pretty much set your watch by it. Young actually found some success later in the game (after he hadn’t made a field goal all night) when he got back to this recipe. His stubbornness is maddening. I’m sure the coaches are explaining this to him, night in and night out. How many more years until Young finally picks up on it?

2. Trevor Booker provides a lot of value for his defense- The Wizards were a noticeably different team when Booker was on the floor last night, for the sole reason that he was the only player capable of shutting down Blake Griffin. And I’m not just talking about competent defense here. Booker was smothering Griffin, who is a physical beast and is aided by the fact that he can just bull over people at will without ever being called for a foul. There aren’t too many players in the league that can provide the strength and speed combination that Booker showcases. When this Wizards team finally gets to be a contender (ok, maybe it was a little optimistic to use “when” instead of “if”), that sort of skill will be invaluable and should separate them from other teams. This point was made even more clear when Booker got into foul trouble, and Jan Vesely tried to guard Griffin. Let’s just say young Jan needs to hit the weights…

3. Chris Singleton looks like he has hit a wall- The past two games, Singleton’s performance has been pretty consistent: start, pick up a couple quick fouls, head to the bench, resurface later to miss some open jumpers and then just kind of disappear into obscurity. It’s too bad because I really think Singleton is a talented player. I don’t know if it’s officiating or what, but he has picked up a lot of ticky-tack fouls recently. Maybe Singleton just needs to adjust his defensive style. Offensively, he’s still a great hustle player, but he’s going to be nothing more than a bench player if he can’t make an open jumper. He just HAS to add that to his arsenal. Otherwise, teams will continue to play off and it will continue to work. And for all of the acclaim about his defense, yes, he has played above average, but I would put Trevor Booker above him as a defender. And that whole business about him being able to guard four positions? Haven’t seen that yet. At this point it’s more like two and a half. Griffin dominated Singleton for the short stretch that they were matched up last night. Hopefully, he can use the upcoming All-Star break to get back in the rhythm he found early in the season.

Wizards-Blazers Recap

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That was SOOOO much fun. Seriously guys, that was the most I’ve had watching a Wizards game in like three years. Here’s the box score. The combination of Portland’s laughable inability to stop the Wizards offense and the fact that they were sticking it to the dbag Blazers’ announcers on NBATV made it a wonderful Valentine’s Day.  Some thoughts:

1. John Wall was the star of the game- Sure Nick Young had more points and Jordan Crawford was sensational off the bench. But, everything ran through Wall. He did a phenomenal job of walking that fine line between fast and too fast. He was at warp speed in the fast-breaks without being out of control. It’s a hard thing to describe, but every Wizards fan knows what I’m talking about. His ability to make great decisions on those breaks was the difference in this game. When the team needed a bucket, Wall made it happen. Portland had simply no answer. And it looked like Wall was having fun on the court again. Let’s hope he can keep it going.

2. Nick Young, the set shooter- Nick finally decided to do what a shooting guard does: find your spot and knock down shots. While it was an inauspicious start when he threw one of his patented fadeaway, long 2-pointers that makes me want to throw something at the television, Young quickly remedied that ailment. Young spaced the floor and played off of Wall tremendously, reigning three’s down on the Blazers. This set up his driving game, as he was able to throw a pump-fake in there to get by his defender and into the lane for an open midrange jumper. Young’s game works so much better when he’s playing like this, rather than the other way around. And I’m not totally against that weird shotgun celebration that he has going in (sorry guys, couldn’t find anything on YouTube, but just look for it next time out).

3. Kevin Seraphin, the bust- Sorry to end on a little bit of a down note, but this has to be said, and it’s stuck out to me for the last few games: For as encouraging as Trevor Booker’s progress has been (although last night was NOT one of his better performances), Kevin Seraphin’s has been as disappointing. And I’m the guy who picked him as my breakout Wizard big man this year. Whoops. Seraphin is still totally inept at everything involving offense, except for setting moving screens which are, you know, illegal. So that’s not real helpful. Seraphin didn’t even make an appearance in last night’s game. And it worked out great for the Wiz. Jan Vesely was extremely competent as the back-up center. The Wizards were extraordinarily effective going small with Wall, Young, Crawford, Lewis and Vesely (or JaVale McGee when he wasn’t huffing and puffing or attempting ridiculous hook shots). Seraphin: nowhere to be found. His biggest role on this team is now as the, as Simmons termed it, chemist. That’s just a stellar investment of a top pick, Ernie.

Wizards-Raptors Recap

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Here’s the box score from last night’s 111-108 victory over the Toronto Raptors. And, of course, you can see the video above for the sequence of the game that will be most-talked about. This is going to be beat to death in the media, so I’ll just keep it short and sweet: JaVale McGee is an idiot and this is just something to throw in his ever-expanding idiot file. Other takeaways from the parts of the game that I was able to catch (most of the fourth quarter and all of overtime):

1. Nick Young is NOT a closer- Every team has to have That Guy, who gets the ball with the game on the line. Some teams have more than one, which is a nice luxury. The Wizards, since they have played in very few close games this season, have rarely had to determine who their’s is. Last night, they actually had a scenario for That Guy. Tie game at the end of regulation, ten seconds left to play. The Wizards endgame play? Give the ball to Nick Young, who proceeded to get his shit stuffed HARD, and give the ball back to the Raptors before the end of regulation. Later, in overtime, the Wizards were up with under a minute left to play. Time to work the clock right? Wrong, as Young heaved up a tough shot as soon as he got the ball, sending it right back to the Raptors with plenty of time on the clock. Young may have had an outstanding game the rest of the night, but he still is NOT a go-to guy in the clutch.

2. Trevor Booker just produces- Booker played 43 minutes last night, which I have to imagine was one of his higher totals this season. His stat line: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals and a team-leading +11. It’s not especially pretty, although he did have a couple of highlights blocks and jams, but he gets it done. It’s too bad he’s stuck on such a bad team, because he would be such a good player on a good team. He does every bit of dirty work that you could ever want. For all of the draft picks that Ernie Grunfeld has screwed up, here’s one he actually got right. He snagged a valuable rotation player with late-first round draft-pick in a bad draft. Kudos.

3. Another Jordan Crawford selfish moment- End of regulation, the Wizards have a one point lead. John Wall misses a free throw, but Jan Vesely makes a great play to tip the ball out to Jordan Crawford. There are 17 seconds left in the game, so the Raptors have to foul. Crawford has the ball at midcourt. Now, let’s pause and look at the Wizards free throw percentages: Nick Young leads the team, shooting at an 87% clip. Rashard Lewis is second, but he wasn’t on the court at the time. John Wall is third at 79% and Crawford is fourth at 76%. So what did Crawford do? Of course he held the ball, making no effort to pass the ball and run more time off the clock, and waited until he was fouled. Ok Jordan, you’ve got the gusto to think that you’re the man? Fine, I’ll allow it, but you better make your shots. By now, you should know where this is going. Crawford makes one of two. On the ensuing Raptors possession the Wizards force a miss, but Amir Johnson’s putback dunk ties the game up. Boy, sure would have been nice to have that extra point, huh Jordan? Just another moment in the Wizards season. Enjoy the win, fans. Unfortunately, we don’t get to play Toronto and Charlotte every night the rest of the way.

Wizards-Bulls recap

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Here’s the box score to a game that was never really close, but wasn’t the 40-point blowout that I was expecting. So the Wizards got that going for them. Which is nice. A few postgame thoughts:

  1. I think part of JaVale McGee’s problem is he’s out of shape- JaVale plays in spurts. That’s not really news to anyone, but it is interesting to watch as he will try for a highlight dunk on one end, then saunter back on the other. Every time he comes out of the game (which is far too often considering the Wizards other options at center), he has his hands over his head and is gasping for air. He’s only good for really one “try” at each end of the court. For example, if he doesn’t get the block, there is NO way that he’s going to try to, I don’t know, grab a defensive rebound (much to the delight of Joakim Noah last night). His body language on the court is some of the worst I’ve ever seen. He seems to always be in agony aside from those few occasions when he has a highlight slam. To be out of shape at this point is pretty unfathomable to me. This is a guy who has never been known for his offseason regimen, and clearly he didn’t ramp it up during the lockout. Maybe it’s the shortened training camp or the rigors of this demanding schedule. But for someone who is now in his fourth season in the league to be out of shape just screams poor character, in my opinion. I hope I’m wrong.
  2. The Wizards biggest weakness is at the shooting guard position- I didn’t really expect it to be this way either, coming into the season. Nick Young had a decent enough year last season, and when Young got hurt, Jordan Crawford was able to fill up the stat sheet. Fast forward to this season, and the two are a plague on this team. I’m not sure Young would pass the ball to his mother, if she were open for a layup under the hoop. Young just wanders around the court when he doesn’t have the ball, and then forces awful shots when he does get the ball. Of course, none of this is especially groundbreaking. I guess I’m just shocked that one of his teammates doesn’t go up to him and shake him at some point. If it were me, I would have trouble not screaming at him for being such a ballhog. And then when Young does finally get demoted to the bench, Jordan Crawford comes in and does his best Nick Young impersonation. Randy Wittman even tried Roger Mason at one point last night, but Mason was clearly pressing, given how sporadic his minutes have been. Bless his heart, Mason knows how to play and is a consummate professional, but he just isn’t getting it done. It’s sad for me, because if he could just hit some shots, he would be SUCH an upgrade over the clueless duo  currently occupying the position. This spot HAS to be addressed in the offseason. It’s like the Rex-Beck situation, only worse. Yes, I said it. Continue reading →

Quick Wizards Thoughts

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I managed to watch about half of the Wizards-Rockets game last night (basically the part before the Rockets decided they were a much better basketball team and would win this one easily).  Some takeaways:

  1. The Wizards have no post presence- JaVale McGee, for all of his highlight dunks and blocks, can’t play with his back to the basket. Rashard Lewis is actually the Wizards best back-to-the-basket player. How sad is that? I don’t care what Mama McGee thinks, her son does NOT deserve more touches in the post. Most of the time it simply ends in either a wild shot or a travelling violation.
  2. Jan Vesely can do…something- I’m not really sure what he is yet, but all I know is I like it. Unlike his fellow big men on the team, he at least has some understanding of how to defend the pick and roll. He can block shots. He runs the floor. He will go and get rebounds (unlike JaVale McGee who will attempt to block the shot, and then, if he is unsuccesful, just stands there and watches as others grab the rebounds). I’m not sure his offensive game is ever going to allow him to be a star, but he does a lot of the little things that help a team win. Unfortunately, the Wizards have several of those players right now (Chris Singleton and Trevor Booker come to mind), which is nice, but only when they are accompanying star players.
  3. Nick Young is a horrendously selfish player- The man doesn’t rebound or pass the ball. He takes ridiculous shots on the offensive end, rarely looking to involve his teammates (he was 6-17 last night), and he appears disinterested at doing anything else other than shoot. He stands by and watches on defense. Unfortunately, the Wizards can’t really do anything about it because Young’s back-up is a very similar player in Jordan Crawford.

In conclusion, it’s a tough time to be a Wizards fan. I’m sure these aren’t the most revelatory statements ever made, since it’s pretty easy to pick apart the Wizards’ problems after just a short time watching the team. The lottery can’t come soon enough.

Wizards get a dose of reality in preseason opener

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At least the court looked sweet

The Wizards entered this season brimming with optimism over their new uniforms, the expected improvement of John Wall, the possible maturation of JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche, the addition of more talented young players and whatever else you could think of. Friday provided a a reality check that was jarring, to say the least. The Wizards were stomped by the 76ers, a team that has some nice pieces, yes, but is a team the Wizards will need to compete with if they are really serious about being in the playoff conversation (which right now sounds like a great practical joke).

Their leading scorer was Blatche, with 18 points. No one else even cracked double figures. Really. Meanwhile, the Sixers had such All-Stars as Lou Williams, Jrue Holiday, Spencer Hawes, Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner crack double digits. Again, there are some good players there, but any time there are that many players scoring in double digits, it tells me the Wizards defense wasn’t very good. If any player on the court can score the basketball on you, then you’re doing a good job at taking away…NOTHING on the court (which by the way looks awesome).

My concern with the Wizards for this year is that there are an awful lot of young players who will be asked to play major roles on this team. If Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton and Shelevin Mack all take a redshirt year, and there is little progression from the likes of Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin (not even going to entertain the possibility that Hamady N’Diaye turns into anything worthwhile), then this is going to be a BAD team. Like bottom-five in the NBA bad.

And that doesn’t even address the knucklehead problem. Andray Blatche supposed maturation revolved around reading half of a leadership book. Wow, that must have taken a lot of effort, Andray. You had an extended off season and you made it through half of a book. Congratulations. Meanwhile, Nick Young and JaVale McGee made stupid YouTube videos about things like trying to eat a spoonful of cinnamon. Stellar. It’s not even clear that Young will be on this team this season, because he is reportedly looking for $9 million a season on his next deal. Good luck with that. I wouldn’t go anywhere over $5 million, and even that is pushing it. Continue reading →