HOOPLOG: Washington Wizards

Team USA Concludes Exhibition Tour With 116-63 Win Over Korea

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 15:01:55 -0800

Team USA completed a 5-0 exhibition tour by defeating host Korea 116-63. LeBron James led the U.S. in scoring with 23 points and added six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Dwayne Wade (16), Elton Brand (16) and Carmelo Anthony (13) also scored in double figures. Anthony led the U.S. in scoring overall during the five games, averaging 16.8 ppg. James (15.8) and Wade (12.2) were the only other U.S. players to average more than 10 ppg, but Antawn Jamison and Joe Johnson came very close (9.6 ppg each).

This win does not tell us a lot about Team USA. As Coach Mike Krzyzewski said afterward, "Obviously we knew we were going to win. The talent differential was in our favor by far." It will be interesting to see how this team responds when faced with tougher opposition. Also, as Bill Walton pointed out during the ESPN broadcast, teams have not been playing much zone defense against Team USA during the exhibition tour. Will the U.S. be able to execute offensively against zone defenses during the World Championships?

During my appearance today on BetUs.ComRadio, host Matthew Ross asked me if five exhibition games were too much for the U.S. I told him that, if anything, it might be too few. Keep in mind that the other countries in the World Championships have national teams that have played together for years under FIBA rules, while the U.S. team consists of players who have not played together (except for All-Star Games). It takes time for a team to jell and even more time to adjust to the different FIBA rules (shorter three point line, one less foul before disqualification, liberalized goal tending, trapezoid lane, etc.). I like the new U.S. approach of insisting on three year commitments from each player and I am confident that this will eventually result in gold medals for the U.S. in international play. Team USA's recent results in the Olympics and World Championships prove that winning these events will not be a cakewalk.

The only bad news so far for Team USA is that neither Amare Stoudemire not Gilbert Arenas will be healthy enough to play in the World Championships. Stoudemire returned home to continue rehabilitating his knee, while Arenas suffered a groin injury during practice on Monday. Coach Krzyzewski still must make one cut to get the roster down to 12 players before the World Championships begin. There are a total of 24 players on the Team USA roster for the 2006-08 period, but only 12 of them may be activated for a given event. This time around, injuries and prior commitments have eliminated several players from consideration.

Team USA is Ready.

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 15:01:25 -0800

The last friendly has been played. The US has went undefeated in the warm-ups. There's only one player left to cut after a less-than-serious injury pulled Gilbert Arenas out.

This team is ready.

The real tournament starts Saturday, when the Americans will face Puerto Rico to open up Group D action. And with all due respect to Carlos Arroyo, Yao Ming, and (insert Slovenian superstar here), but the real test for Team USA isn't in the preliminary round. It's in the knockout stages, where the team will first likely meet Turkey or Lithuania, and then either Germany or Spain or France or Serbia. When it's down to eight teams, that's when the team has to perform at or near its peak to win.

And that's exciting. Yeah, the Dream Team was great. But you knew Angola and Australia had no shot. There was no drama. (Well, except for wondering if Christian Laettner would get into the game. Always a crapshoot.) There's going to be drama in early September. Whether it's self-inflicted or caused by a team on a roll (Spain), a young team finding itself (France), or the defending gold medalists asserting their will (Argentina), it'll be something we don't typically get out of international basketball.

Here are my predictions for the tourney. The top four teams from each group make it to the knockout stage, and I've listed them in the order I think they'll finish. After that, it's pretty self-explanatory. The pairings for the knockout rounds can be found here.

PRELIM ROUND

GROUP A
Argentina
Serbia
France
Venezuela
Nigeria
Lebanon

GROUP B
Spain
Germany
Japan
Panama
New Zealand
Angola

GROUP C
Turkey
Brazil
Australia
Lithuania
Greece
Qatar

GROUP D
USA
China
Puerto Rico
Italy
Senegal
Slovenia

ROUND OF 16
Argentina def. Panama
Brazil def. Puerto Rico
Turkey def. Italy
Japan def. Serbia
Spain def. Venezuela
China def. Australia
USA def. Lithuania
Germany def. France

QUARTERFINALS
Argentina def. Brazil
Turkey def. Japan
Spain def. China
USA def. Germany

SEMIFINALS
Argentina def. Turkey
USA def. Spain

FINALS
USA def. Argentina

losers bracket. Okay, what the hell. Brazil beats Japan, China beats Germany, China beats Brazil for 5th. Germany beats Japan for 7th. And Turkey beats Spain in the third-place game.

The best game of the prelim round will be Spain v. Germany, unless France gets its act together and puts up a fight against Argentina. (They had better hurry - this game is Saturday.) In the round of 16, I look forward to possible matchups between Germany and France, and Brazil and Puerto Rico. If the semifinals end up as I predict, that will be some damn exciting basketball. Hell, even the third-place game would be awesome!

Let's hear your predictions in the comments.

LeBron, It Turns Out, Is Rather Skilled

Thu, 04 May 2006 09:34:35 -0800

Well, perhaps this is one of those games they will end up remembering.

LeBron James’ twisting, physics-defying, insane that-couldn’t-really-have-been-that-easy layup last night as time expired gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead in the series and officially notched LeBron’s first official Gatorade highlight reel in the year 2018 moment.

We’re not particularly adept at NBA-as-poetry, so we’ll leave it to the experts in the field, Free Darko:

He’s so next at this point that it might end up being some shit that, for anyone else, would be a wildly contingent move of a lifetime. LeBron, though, has mastered basketball fate itself, like if Posieden cared for whitewater rafting. Or the inverse of an improvisation that seems like it must’ve been written.

By the way, our sympathies to Wizards fans, particularly the folks at Wizznutzz, who not only had to deal with a crushing loss, but the indignity of the misunderstood. Anyone who has any question about the intelligence of those guys, we cannot possibly recommend more that you head to the site and get yourself educated.

Strength Begat Mind [Free Darko]
Oh, LeBron [True Hoop]

The Eastern Conference Clusterfuck

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 16:46:56 -0800

The top four is set, but the battle for the final four spots in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Playoffs is as tight and bunched-up as Magic Johnson’s boxers. Milwaukee, Washington, and Indiana all have identical 39-40 records, with Chicago one game behind them at 35-41. The Sixers are the odd man out at the moment, 2 games out of a spot at 37-42. With perhaps a little bit of shuffling among the order, the four teams that are in right now are probably the same four teams that will end up sliding in.

HowEVA (Â© Stephen A. Smith)… right behind them, we have the Orlando Darkos, probably the best team of the group. They’re mathematically alive, but barely. At the moment, they’re three games out of a spot with three to play, despite their current 7-game winning streak that includes wins against maybe the best five teams in the NBA, the Spurs, Pistons, Mavericks, Suns, and Heat. The Darko trade has been great for them (no, seriously), and they’ve got a bright young line-up with Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and of course, Darko. This is probably the last time in a while that they’re not going to be in the playoffs.

Key games remaining:

Sixers @ Magic, Tonight.
Bucks @ Wizards, Tuesday.
Magic @ Pacers, Wednesday.
Bulls @ Magic, Monday.

Wizards Place Butler on Inactive List

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 17:55:07 -0800

The ASSOCIATED PRESS on ESPN.com reports that the Washington Wizards placed forward Caron Butler on the inactive list with a right thumb sprain before their Friday night game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Billups, PIstons topple Bulls, look ahead to lighter schedule

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 22:39:44 -0800

Admit it...a lot of you were a little nervous last night as the pesky Bulls took the Pistons down to the wire at the Palace. Two reasons for the slow start: One, it was the first game back from the West Coast, and two, they had two full days off before returning to practice on Tuesday. Yes, the Pistons looked rusty to start, but Chauncey came alive in the 3rd with 14 points, putting his team back in control. The 4th quarter was a shootout, 37-36 in favor of the 'Stones, and had all the drama we've become accustomed to seeing when the Pistons are on FSN this season. Talked to Chauncey after the game, and he admits, despite the fact there are only 22 games left in the regular season, he's not even thinking about the playoffs just yet. That's probably a good thing. The Pistons are still only two games up on San Antonio for the best record in the NBA, so there's no time to let up now. Speaking of which, the schedule has finally lightened for Flip's bunch. Saturday's game with the Wizards will be tough, but after that, it's five straight against teams with losing records. After the 8-game, 12 day stretch the Pistons just finished, the timing couldn't be better. Look for Deeeeeetroit basketball to go on a nice little run, and finally, finally, get their starters some much needed rest.

No comments

A few days ago I was wondering about John McCaw

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 22:39:42 -0800

A few days ago I was wondering about John McCaw…
~
Scott Says:
March 5th, 2006 at 6:27 pm e
“BTW, what local millionare sold his hockey team while the NHL was in lockout?”

John McCaw?

Mr. Baker Says:
March 6th, 2006 at 8:41 am e
John McCaw?

Yes, that’s the guy.
Paging John McCaw’s wallet, paging John McCaw’s wallet…
~

So, what is in the news today?

Vancouver group has NBA hoop dream
Last updated Mar 9 2006 12:04 PM PST
. . .
Howard Kelsey says he speaks for a group, led by Vancouver Canuck owners Francesco Aquilini and John McCaw, that has a proposal to have an existing NBA franchise re-locate to B.C.
“We have what very few cities have, what you would call a plug and play – practice facilities are here right now, and they’re downtown, as opposed to Richmond where they were last time the team was here. You have a ready-to-go GM Place which is one of the best arenas in North America.
“As long as you’ve got a GM Place, and as long as you got eight or 9,000 fans it’s a no brainer,” said Kelsey.
Kelsey says the group is putting an official proposal together in hopes of securing a team – possibly the Portland Trailblazers
. . .
Read the rest of the story here.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, there’s John McCaw, he has some money, and wants an NBA team. Maybe he buys the Blazers and Allen buys the Sonics, maybe somebody else buys the Soncs… or maybe McCaw just buys the Sonics.
The situation is very fluid right now.

Heat drops Wizards

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 08:33:05 -0800

Wade scores 40; Lakers spoil Hornets' homecoming

Dwyane Wade returned from a two-game absence to score 40 points and lead the host Miami Heat to its 10th straight win, a 118-112 victory over the Washington Wizards last night.

Heat 118, Wizards 112

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 08:32:56 -0800

Dwyane Wade returned from a two-game absence to score 40 points and lead the Miami Heat to their 10th straight win, a 118-112 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

Nothing fits forever

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 21:49:48 -0800

It would seem that last night’s infernal burst of Gilbertology might truly need no comment from ours truly. As in, we live in heaven, he lives alone, our souls are intertwined and the moment need not be soiled by explanation. The more and more I gazed upon that fascinating still—one as destined for iconic status as Tiger with the fist pump or Yao’s scream of antiquity—the more brutally apparent it becomes to me that Arenas, far from being an oddball, is the living, breathing god of my favorite kind of NBA player: the kind you watch, instead of just view. What Iverson, Kobe, Nash, and a handful of others I go out of my way to see play have in common is this ability to not merely produce on any given night, but to casually redefine themselves through masterstrokes of basketball impressionism.

Let me put briefly put aside the strained fire and brimstone that guides this site long enough to admit, as I did last week, that this is by and large a league of consistency. Unlike baseball and football, where one can be violently up and down from one game to the next but still get recognized overall as a fantastic contributor, to be a credible contributor a guy’s got to come with steady output. Freaks and streaks can be profound, but no player’s a recognizable force (or definite failure) in this league until he can be counted on; to scrape the ridges of Mount Dunkmore, he’d better be guaranteed to account for a serious percentage of his team’s production, both in the box score and as a reliable force when the ball hits his hands. Until then, he will always get saddled with the p-word, no matter how impressive he is in spurts.

When you reach the rarified air of superlative hoops accomplishment, there are at least three kind of consistency. Most obviously, there are the rock-solid bequeathers, under-appreciated and often big men like Duncan, Brand, Bosh, Dirk, Jamison, Kidd, Ray Ray and Redd. These folks give it their all with frightening regularity, churning it out from the opening bell and expected to operate as if to a rhythmic tick. I want to stop short of saying that you can intuit them from looking at a box score, but by and large there is no dramatic arc to their in-game performances. Professional, workmanlike, whatever you want to call them, these are consummate anchors of an offense, the given you pencil in at most moments during the season’s onslaught.

In the next category, you find explosive players with a tendency toward predictable outcomes, who ebb and flow over the course of a game, occasionally make you doubt, and ultimately bring you right back to who you always knew they were. I’m talking about Garnett, Pierce, Wade, Vince, Billups, Bibby, Gasol, Melo, Richardson, Jefferson, Sheed, Marion, and Artest himself—unquestioned experts who sometimes lull, sometimes soar, but never have to redeem themselves and are constantly working within their own limits and images. This isn’t a knock on any of these fine, hurling turtles; merely to point out that if you turn on the television to see them play, you know what you’re getting and will be accordingly excited. Each game reinforces their , with ups and downs that end in a pointed reminder of yeah, that’s him.

Gilbert and his gang, as I will now aptly dub them, rest upon their own set of shaggy shoulders. To return to last week’s trope of half-assed existentialism, All-American and yet bleakly Continental, they are players constantly exceeding themselves, or at least engaging in what feels for all the world like a motherfucking statement game. It can LeBron or Amare exerting and expanding their dominance, Kirilenko or Gerald Wallace twisting up the parameters of a box score, Nash working his conductor-ly magic, or Kobe, Iverson or McGrady scoring not only at will, but as if it’s unnatural for them to miss—or even repeat themselves out on the floor. Arenas is a must-see, not only because he’s likely to put on a show, but for what each and every game can do to your sense of him as a player and personality. If Wade proves with each big game that he’s still Wade, still proud, then Gilbert does it up in a way that’s not only unpredictable; with each of these self-transcending events, he also manages to seem unlikely all anew. As does Kobe, Bron, et al. In the crucible of the game, their legend is broken down and created anew, surprising you not only with this most recent installment but, in its reconstitution of the player’s most basic essence, shock you yet again they exist at all, that anything they do has ever happened in the glare of man’s senses.

This may seem like two-bit metaphysics for those of you not in tune with my lifelong education on this planet (or anyone merely taking issue with my late night sloppiness). But next time you find yourself up past bedtime watching one of these aforementioned idols, think about whether or not you feel you’re seeing them for the first time, whether you’re transfixed partly out of the fear that you’re witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Not just a good game from your favorite NBA player, or one of those “instant classics” this blog will reference two years from now; I mean one of those performances where, in some ways, you feel like you’re discovering the sport again for the very first time.

Mourning Out, Wade Returns for Heat

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 18:37:27 -0800

According to THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, as reported on ESPN.COM: "Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning was sidelined for Wednesday night's game against the Washington Wizards because of a sprained left foot. Miami's Dwyane Wade, who missed the previous two games with a sprained right wrist, dressed for the game and was expected to start."

Wizards Re-Sign Thomas

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 13:09:18 -0800

Washington Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guard Billy Thomas to a second 10-day contract.

Wiz Arenas upset with Adidas

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 09:19:43 -0800

Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas played the fewest minutes of any player at the NBA All-Star Game at Houston's Toyota Center on Sunday, but it was enough time for Arenas to make a statement that could jeopardize his future...

Head-to-Head's Up (2/20-2/26): Trade Deadline Edition

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 09:54:14 -0800

Well I’m glad the NBA (David Stern) came to its senses and invited Gilbert Arenas to play in Houston this weekend after all. Too bad Gil had to go and finish the first half of the season with a 4-for-22 effort and 6 turnovers at Dallas. Ouch.
So we have All-Star festivities to get through this weekend and then we’re back to the real games and hopefully an exciting week full of blockbuster trades. Here’s looking at you, week 2/20-2/26.

Four Games: Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, LAL, Memphis, Milwaukee, New Jersey, New Orleans, Orlando, Portland, Seattle.
Three Games: Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Golden State, Houston, LAC, Minnesota, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Utah, Washington.
Two Games: Denver, Miami, Phoenix, Sacramento, Toronto.

Season-long trade rumors are finally coming to fruition this week. Darko is moving to Disney World, former Terrapin Chris Wilcox swapped area codes with Vlad Rad, and Stevie Franchise just may get another ‘change of scenery’ if Isaiah Thomas continues his quest to bury the Knicks six-feet-under. Keep a close eye on pending trades as several players are sure to find themselves in new situations that could really boost their second half value.

Plug ‘em in, Plug ‘em in:
Josh Smith/Childress, G/F – The reigning Slam-Dunk champ just put up career-highs of 21 points and 15 boards, while fellow swingman Josh Childress also scored a season-high 21 in a win over the Lakers Wednesday. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that Al Harrington will be asked to pack his bags before the Feb. 23rd deadline. Josh & Josh would immediately reap the benefits should Harrington (and his 37 mpg) depart. Smith averages an incredible 2.3 blks in only 27.5 mpg, and Childress contributes across the board but especially in steals with 1.2 spg in 28.4 minutes. Hopefully both will see 30-35 minutes a night the rest of the way and improve on their already respectable numbers. The youngsters have four games next week so get them in your lineups.

Delonte West, PG – LeBron (43/12/11) and Paul Pierce (50/7/8) may have stolen the show in an overtime thriller the other night, but Delonte also filled his stat line with 15/10/8 and 3 blocks. One of the best waiver wire pickups of the year, the versatile guard just keeps on truckin’. Jefferson, Perkins, and Wally are banged up, so West should have plenty of scoring chances in four contests next week.

Anthony Johnson, PG – Jamaal Tinsley is starting to make Marcus Camby and Fred Taylor look like iron men. He’s only appeared in 23 games this season and hasn’t been healthy for a full year since his rookie campaign. Veteran point guard Anthony Johnson has been handed the reins and asked to do what he can to help salvage Indiana’s season. A.J. has been a member of the Pacers’ starting five since the end of December and averages nearly 30 mpg as a starter. Usually just a borderline fantasy starter in deep leagues, Johnson’s hot hand (19/4/5 with 2 threes and 1.3spg in last 3 outings) makes a decent plug-and-play for four games next week.

Darko Milicic, F/C – If there ever was an ideal situation for the young 7-footer, Orlando is it. Darko’s playing time was so limited in Detroit that analyzing his stats does not really give you an indication of his potential. He’s shooting an impressive 51.5% from the floor, yet a miserable 37.5% from the charity stripe this season. But of course, his 17-of-33 FGs and 3-of-8 from the line are such small samples that they are essentially rendered meaningless. If one were to ascertain anything from his stats it would have to be his impressive 15 blocks in only 140 minutes of play this season. He’s sure to see plenty of playing time on his new team, and starting alongside league-leading rebounder Dwight Howard (12.6 rpg) seems to be a perfect fit for the Serbian big man. If you’re feelin’ Darko, get him in your lineups right away. Let's just hope for the best.

Chris Wilcox, F/C – Assuming Evans/Fortson get shipped out of town sometime before next Thursday, Wilcox will have a great opportunity to excel as the new starting PF in Seattle. Now that he lives in Starbucks capital, USA, maybe some grande caramel macchiatos can help Chris wake up and get his head in the game. The former Terp has immense talent and this appears to be a good situation for him. The Sonics frontcourt has lacked athleticism and been clogged up with the likes of Evans/Swift/Collison/Petro/Fortson for too long. Wilcox brings much needed explosiveness up front and could average 15 and 10 if he's focused and motivated. Think of him as a younger/healthier Kenyon Martin, with center eligibility to boot.

Stash ‘em or at least keep on your radar:
Antoine Walker – He was back in the SLU for a couple games before the break (scored 26 pts and hit six treys on 2/15). Employee #8 needs a starting gig to be a consistent fantasy contributor, and he may just land one if traded to the right team.
Shaun Livingston – Prep-to-pro point guard struggling in his second season, "the next Magic Johnson" has started three of the Clips last five games, averaging 6.7 assists in those contests. The potential is there for a monster second half if 36-year-old Cassell were to go down with an injury.
Earl Watson – Incessant trade rumors surrounding Denver’s reserve PG are making me nauseous. He could have some value if given a starting job somewhere (New York?)
Nazr Mohammed – The big man averaged 11 pts and 8 rebounds for the Knicks last season. He has been stuck on the Spurs’ bench all year, but exploded for 18 pts and 20 boards Wednesday night at Philly. He could make some noise if he were to take the starting spot from Rasho, or perhaps filling in for an injured Duncan.

Forget about ‘em and move on:
Larry Hughes – just went under the knife again and will be lucky to return for the playoffs.
Emeka Okafor – they’ve been saying he’ll be back in 3-5 weeks for over a month now. Word out of Charlotte is that he’ll likely sit for the rest of the season.
Jameer Nelson – Specialists can’t figure out what is wrong with his foot, and he is out for at least another three weeks. Even if he returns, he’ll have to fight for playing time with a crowded Orlando backcourt.
Sebastian Telfair – Stephon Marbury’s little cousin was benched in favor of the Blake/Dixon combo. Bassy needs to learn the pro game and improve on his "Dick Cheney-esque" shooting (36.6%FG) before he can be a reliable fantasy force. Maybe next year.
Marko Jaric – Yes, he may be traded, but he is just stinkin’ it up this season.
Deron Williams – Did they really draft him ahead of Chris Paul? Williams is simply not a good fit for the Jazz and Jerry Sloan is not a good fit for fantasy owners.

Also… the Knicks/Magic exchanging Jamal Crawford and Steve Francis would help all parties involved (especially their fantasy owners).
Enjoy the All-Star festivities and be ready to pounce once those trades are announced.

Nike Ballers of the Week

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 23:17:41 -0800

Gilbert Arenas and Andre Iguodala face off to see who will take this week's honor.