Thunder 127, Wizards 108: Think Durant was up for that one?

By: Craig Stouffer
11/20/09 11:04 PM

When you have D.C. natives Kevin Durant and Jeff Green together on one team that's not Washington, it's automatically a rivarly, at least for them. Durant (35 points) and Green (19 points, 14 rebounds) were clearly up for facing the Wizards (3-8) tonight in a run-and-gun 127-108 (full box score here) win for the youth-laden Thunder (7-6). Durant and Green lifted their teammates, who shot a stunning 53 percent from the field, which actually wasn't as impressive as the 52.4 percent they shot from three.

Washington's big three each had at least 22 points, too, but only Caron Butler (24 points) shot 50 percent. Gilbert Arenas had 23 points on 20 shots, and Antawn Jamison had 22 on 17 shots. Brendan Haywood again was huge in the middle, with 14 points and 16 rebounds.

The Wizards had chances, too, cutting the Oklahoma City lead to one point twice in the third quarter. Chance No. 1: Arenas hit a 3-pointer to make it 66-65, but on successive possessions, Butler grabbed Durant on an inbound, then Butler traveled, then Arenas turned the ball over. Seven-point margin restored, 72-65.

Chance No. 2: Arenas converts his 3-point play to cut the lead to 82-81. But on successive possessions, Butler got picked by Durant, Arenas bricked a 3-pointer, Andray Blatche took a poor shot, DeShawn Stevenson fouled Russell Westbrook (26 points), and then Stevenson turned the ball over, too. Ten-point margin...

Wizards (3-7) at Thunder (6-6)

By: Craig Stouffer
11/20/09 8:01 PM

Certainly it will be interesting to see if the Wizards can build off Wednesday's emotional and satisfying win over Cleveland.

One of the things I'll be looking for is the increasing value and impact of Mike Miller, who has averaged 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists over the last two games.

I asked Wizards head coach Flip Saunders yesterday if Miller's growing impact surprised him: "That’s what I expected. Maybe other people didn't."

Okay, maybe the question needed to be rephrased. Here's the deal, when Miller arrived in Washington, he never had any expectations of supplanting the Wizards' big three -- Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. But his value has become strikingly apparent of late as the team has struggled offensively, and it begs the question as to whether he needs to assert himself earlier instead of becoming a fallback weapon when the rest of the guys are getting themselves going.

I asked Miller if his role has changed since his arrival: "I think it’s the same thing. I think it’s the same way, its just the last couple of games, guys have been struggling a little bit from the field, and when they do that I’ve got to be able to step in and make shots for them to alleviate some of that pressure."

Blue collar, indeed.

As for his banged up left shoulder, which continues to trouble him during games, Miller said thi...

D-Steve in the zone vs. LeBron

By: Craig Stouffer
11/19/09 1:51 PM

When the Wizards went to Cleveland at the beginning of the month, DeShawn Stevenson tried to take the safe road and not inflame his rivalry with the Cavaliers. But he couldn’t help himself and ended up running the whole city over with a bus.

After shutting down LeBron James in the fourth quarter on Wednesday -- a night in which the Wizards handed out Stevenson bobblehand dolls -- during Washington's 108-91 win over the Cavs, Stevenson disappeared from the locker room before reporters could ask him about his performance, and on Thursday after practice, he still played down the rivalry, albeit with a slight grin.

“I was in the zone,” Stevenson, asked about the crowd reactions every time he forced James into a missed jump shot. “It just felt good being out there, playing against a team that you like playing against.”

James racked up seven assists in the first quarter alone -- with equal parts boos and cheers raining down on him from stands every time he made a play. But then he took it upon himself down the stretch – “He looked like NBA Jam for a little bit out there,” said Gilbert Arenas, “Remember that game back in the day? – playing into the Wizards’ hands.

LeBron was 3-for-7 in the final quarter, but two of his field goals came on vicious dunks after the result had already been determined. On at least two misses, St...

Wizards 108, Cavaliers 91: When LeBron scores, the other guy wins

By: Craig Stouffer
11/19/09 1:10 AM

Despite having a positive vibe for the Wizards prior to their 108-91 win over Cleveland earlier tonight, not all of my three reasons were totally accurate. Let’s evaluate:

Antawn Jamison is back. Definitely accurate (as if it was a difficult call). He may have hit the front iron once or twice early, but Jamison showed no signs of rust and his contribution early was invaluable. He finished the first half with 21 points and 8 rebounds.

Shaquille O'Neal (shoulder) isn't in the building, and Anderson Varejao (bruised hip) isn't playing either. Accurate. This call looked like a botch early, as Zydrunas Ilgauskas was bombing wide-open jumpers early and Darnell Jackson also had a strong start. Both went into halftime with 10 points – the same numbers they had when the game finished. In addition, the Cavaliers got only 24 points in the paint, slightly more than half of the 40 they got vs. Washington in Cleveland on November 2.

Without O’Neal and Varejao, the scale couldn’t help but tip toward LeBron James and Mo Williams, who both got baited out of their games in the second half. Sure, James finished with 34 points, but that’s what the Wizards wanted. When he hits a trio of three-pointers “from the parking lot,” as Caron Butler put it, that’s actually when Washington had him where they wanted him. At that point, James' teammates disappear fr...

Cavaliers (8-3) at Wizards (2-7)

By: Craig Stouffer
11/18/09 7:01 PM

The Wizards' record is vastly different from the Cavaliers', they began their six-game losing streak in Cleveland two weeks ago, and LeBron James and his gang have won five straight. But Washington has to like its chances tonight. Three reasons why:

Antawn Jamison is back. It's been explored at length already, but here's what Wizards head coach Flip Saunders had to say: "I think the energy level’s up. I think there’s no question, it’s a combination, you better have energy when you play against the Cavs and LeBron and those things, but also I think that now, any time you get back one of your team leaders, a guy that’s been not only a very good basketball player for you but a vocal player for you, I think it kind of ignites you a little bit."

How does that translate onto the court? This is the starting lineup -- Jamison, Gilbert Arenas, Mike Miller, Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler -- that the Wizards have been waiting SINCE JUNE to unveil.

Shaquille O'Neal (shoulder) isn't in the building, and Anderson Varejao (bruised hip) isn't playing either. Those two combined for 31 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks in the Cavaliers' 102-90 win in Cleveland on Nov. 2. With them out, the Wizards' decision to shelve Fabricio Oberto (hamstring) for the night is easier to digest. Saunders actually cautioned against it resulting in more minutes for JaVale M...

Jamison speaks as Wizards move closer to full health

By: Craig Stouffer
11/17/09 2:24 PM

There are some strong educated guesses as to why Antawn Jamison didn’t talk to reporters yesterday, but we won’t harp on them for now because he did make the reluctant trudge to get in front the cameras and microphones today, ahead of his season debut tomorrow vs. Cleveland.

“It’s been tough the first nine games, watching,” said Jamison. “I’ve been feeling pretty good for a while, and it’s finally good to get out and start practicing the last couple days.”

Who else was practicing? Randy Foye (right ankle) had full participation while Fabricio Oberto (left hamstring) didn’t. Both expect to be play tomorrow, giving the Wizards their strongest set of available players this season. Obviously, Javaris Crittenton (foot) and Mike James (hand) remain out.

“Ooh, it felt good,” said Foye. “You could see the bounce and the pep in everybody’s step, like here we go. Everybody’s healthy, let’s go now.”

Jamison will have to shake off the rust and probably needs some conditioning to get fully back into shape, especially after being sideswiped by illness last week: “I have no idea what it was. I got cleared to play on Wednesday, and Wednesday night something hit me. It wasn’t the flu. It wasn’t swine flu. It was something, but it felt like I wasn’t going to play basketball f...

Wizards practice report: Jamison doesn't talk

By: Craig Stouffer
11/16/09 9:48 PM

After the Wizards lost to Detroit on Saturday night, a lone bright spot was head coach Flip Saunders announcing that Antawn Jamison would be back for Wednesday's game against Cleveland. Back from his shoulder injury. Back from the illness that knocked him out last week.

Cue the anticipation of talking to Jamison after Monday's practice, about his return, about hitting the reset button on the Wizards season, about the fruit plate tirade in Indianapolis, about being the glue that can hold together Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and the rest of the team.

But Jamison didn't show. He wasn't available after practice ended, wasn't available after a couple of team meetings. Five hours after arriving at Verizon Center -- four and a half hours spent waiting for access -- a few of us media scribes were informed that he was gone.

Strange and unexpected. I've reached out to him via a couple avenues, and have gotten no response.

(Meanwhile, Randy Foye (right ankle) didn't practice, and Fabricio Oberto (hamstring) also was pulled halfway through the session.)

Saunders didn't give any hints that anything was amiss: "[Jamison] went out and went through the whole practice and didn’t show any ill effects or anything so that was a positive. When you get him back, I think the guys all see where things can fall into place and sometimes the rhyme and reason of what we’re trying to do. When ...

Pistons 106, Wizards 103: What was Arenas worth?

By: Craig Stouffer
11/15/09 1:39 AM

Four quarters of Gilbert Arenas to put in the bank after the Wizards dropped their sixth straight game, losing 106-103 to Detroit. Not all of them are worth 25 cents:

First quarter: After proclaiming before the game that Agent Zero had returned, Arenas opened the game with six missed shots. Despite passing well, he bricks consecutive three-point attempts, and matched up for the final shot of the quarter against Will Bynum, who only generously comes in at 6-feet, Arenas decides to drive and miss an off-balance shot over multiple collapsing defenders. Final line: 0 points (0 for 6), 4 assists, 2 rebounds Actual value: Maybe a dime, and we’ll add a nickel to that because of the assists.

Arenas: “I don’t know if I’m just sitting out there watching. There’s always a half or a quarter where I don’t shoot or I don’t score. Before in Eddie [Jordan]’s system, he needed me to score 30. In this system I don’t have to so me sitting, not shooting for a whole quarter doesn’t really bother because we have other players that are scoring. But then when I try to get into that rhythm, I don’t have that feel so I have to try and find a way to keep myself in the game the whole time.”

Second quarter: With Earl Boykins in the game, Arenas slides off the ball but it’s still nearly seven more minutes before he gets on the scoreb...

Pistons (4-4) at Wizards (2-6)

By: Craig Stouffer
11/14/09 6:51 PM

There's either buzz or anxiety here at the Verizon Center, I can't quite tell which.

We'll start with the anxiety of the Wizards starting Mike Miller despite him clearly not being at 100 percent coming off his left shoulder sprain. It certainly doesn't feel like he's playing down the pain that he's managing. But there's no keeping him off the floor.

"He can spread the floor so much you have to guard him," said Wizards head coach Flip Saunders. "I think what it can do, it can open up, relieve a little bit of pressure off of Gilbert [Arenas]. It also gives another ball handler out on the floor who can make plays for other people. Even though he’s been our two guard at 6-8, he’s been our best rebounder when he’s been on the floor. He’ll add in all three of those areas."

Meanwhile, Antawn Jamison is still out with his non-flu illness, and Randy Foye isn't quite ready to return from his right ankle sprain.

Now to the buzz. First, there's the unspoken buzz of Saunders facing his old team for the first time in the regular season. Of course, he's motivated.

"We just got to get into a flow and start playing with some confidence," said Saunders.

Then, there are hints that Agent Zero is again on the case. Seriously, there's buzz. Perhaps it's just the chance to pair him with Earl Boykins, who Saunders said will likely see 15-20 minutes in hi...

Miller wants back in, Jamison still out sick

By: Craig Stouffer and Craig Stouffer
11/13/09 2:01 PM

Mike Miller said he’s bored. He didn’t accompany the Wizards to Miami or Indianapolis due to the left shoulder injury he suffered last week against the Heat at Verizon Center.

He wants to play Saturday vs. Detroit.

“I was a little tired today,” said Miller, who did participate in full contact practice on Thursday. “But that’s to be expected. I’ll be fine. I told [Wizards head coach] Flip [Saunders] that I’ll be ready to play, and if he feels like I’m hurting the team, take me out.”

It’s just one of a few player decisions Saunders has looming as he gets set to face his former team for the first time during the regular season. Antawn Jamison (left shoulder) missed his second straight practice with illness, which could put what looked like it might be his season debut in doubt, and while Randy Foye (right ankle sprain) did some jogging, it seems unlikely that he’ll return before next week. Javaris Crittenton gets the walking boot off his left foot next week but still won't be running for another two weeks, and Mike James (left hand) obviously also remains out.

“[Miller] did some good things, and it’s just a matter of how much he’ll be able to sustain,” said Saunders. “Our big thing is we just want to put him in a situation where he’s not going to hurt that thing anymore. There&r...

Reports: Wizards to sign Earl Boykins [UPDATE: Signed]

By: Craig Stouffer
11/11/09 5:09 PM

Remember this game? I haven’t been on this beat for very long, but this one sticks out in my mind from before I was here. There was no way a guy that small could play that big.

Well he very MVP in that Denver win, Earl Boykins, is now a member of the Washington Wizards, who have added the 33-year-old, 5-foot-5, 133-pound point guard to help alleviate a need created by injuries to Randy Foye (right ankle sprain), Mike James (broken left hand) and Javaris Crittenton (right foot surgery). Foye is listed as day to day and could be kept out of Saturday's game against Detroit in order to make sure he's healthy for Cleveland's visit next week. There are also indications that James could be on the mend faster than the initial prognosis of 4-5 weeks. We'll know more about that next week. (By the way, it will be interesting to hear how Gilbert Arenas is after deciding only that the last minute to play on Tuesday at Miami. He was all but set to miss the game with what is being described as calf soreness.)

Boykins is the second shortest player in NBA history after 5-3 Muggsy Bogues, who also played for the Wizards. After three and a half years in Denver, Boykins went on to Milwaukee and Charlotte, where he last played during the 2007-08 season.

His career averages in the NBA: 9.4 points, 3.4 assists, 1.4 rebounds, 0.5 turnovers. The 2006-07 season, which included his big game against Wa...

Foye is day-to-day; Wizards making move for point guard

By: Craig Stouffer
11/11/09 2:41 PM

Just spoke with Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld, who says guard Randy Foye is day-to-day after spraining his right ankle last night in Miami. Not sure whether he might be available for Saturday's game against Detroit.

In the meantime, in light of Foye's injury, the loss of Mike James to a broken left hand on Monday and the continued absence of Javaris Crittenton due to foot surgery, the Wizards are working on signing a veteran-type free agent point guard, with an announcement coming either later today or first thing tomorrow.

On the bright side, there are continuing indications that Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller could return from their respective shoulder injuries on Saturday. I've been hinting at such a scenario since after practice on Monday...

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Heat 90, Wizards 76: Arenas pads the wrong stat

By: Craig Stouffer
11/10/09 10:59 PM

Four giveaways after the Wizards (2-6) made their first five shots and got a Gilbert Arenas dagger from six-feet behind the three-point line at the end of the first quarter but blew a 49-41 halftime lead in Miami and extended their current losing streak to five with a 90-76 loss to the Heat (6-1):

If Arenas had shown the same kind of focus and intensity that he had arguing calls with referee Dan Crawford after the game had already been decided – enough to earn himself a dumb technical foul – back during his 7-turnover third period, perhaps he might not have rung up the most dubious of double-doubles: 21 points, a career-high 12 turnovers. Even with eight assists, that A-to-T ratio ended in negative land.

Dwyane Wade bettered his 40-point performance in last week’s Heat win over Washington at Verizon Center by one, but tonight far more of his points were gift-wrapped by Arenas, who nearly single-handedly erased the Wizards’ 11-point lead in the third quarter with his sloppy play. On four consecutive possessions, Arenas gave the ball away – three bad passes and one offensive foul. And when was the last time you saw an unforced backcourt violation? Actually, that one didn’t hurt as much directly since Jermaine O’Neal missed his shot at the other end.

No judgment yet on Randy Foye, who left in the second quarter after rolling (spraining) his r...

Wizards (2-5) at Heat (5-1)

By: Craig Stouffer
11/10/09 1:50 PM

With the encouraging news yesterday about Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller – both of them are trending toward a return to the court Saturday vs. Detroit – the Wizards might actually feel like they’ve got some momentum should they pull off a win tonight at Miami, where they did win twice two seasons ago. Hopefully they stayed out of South Beach last night… In addition, Washington’s schedule does ease a bit, with only two games over the next nine days – the latter, of course, being a nationally-televised visit from Cleveland next Wednesday. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The immediate task is better offense, and head coach Flip Saunders is trying to keep it simple: “Easy passes lead to easy buckets. Tough passes lead to tough buckets or turnovers. So we're not making that easy pass. Right now we got no mojo, so we need to find some mojo, bottle it up and bring it with us.”

To get that mojo, Washington has to embrace Flip’s offense. Brendan Haywood, who called out his team for too many one-on-ones after the Phoenix loss, elaborated on why the Wizards haven’t totally clicked with what Saunders has installed so far: “I think some of it is lack of familiarity with the offense. Some of it is trying to break old habits from the previous offense because a lot of times, once you broke the offense down, you got in...

Flip's few losing streaks

By: Craig Stouffer
11/10/09 9:33 AM

I wrote today about Flip Saunders having very little experience with long losing streaks during his NBA head coaching career. The stat box made it into the print edition but not online so here's the full rundown:

Year Team Overall record Losing streaks (4 games or more) 1995-96 MIN 20-42* 5 1996-97 MIN 40-42 1 1997-98 MIN 45-37 2 1998-99 MIN 25-25** 2 1999-00 MIN 50-32 2 2000-01 MIN 47-35 2 2001-02 MIN 50-32 1 2002-03 MIN 51-31 0 2003-04 MIN 58-24 0 2004-05 MIN 25-26*** 2 2005-06 DET 64-18 0 2006-07 DET 53-29 0 2007-08 DET 59-23 0 2009-10 WAS 2-5 1

*took over midseason **strike-shortened ***fired mid-season

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Wizards lose James for 5 weeks, Arenas doesn't practice

By: Craig Stouffer
11/09/09 2:44 PM

We're edging dangerously close to absurdity here at the Verizon Center, where the Wizards have suffered another couple of injuries, one minor, one slightly more so. First off, Gilbert Arenas was held out of practice with some soreness in his left calf. Second, guard Mike James, who jammed his left hand in practice on Satuday -- one day after 6 points and 3 assists in his season debut during Washington's loss at Indiana -- found out this morning that the fourth metacarpal in his left hand is broken. Emerging from the locker room with his left hand in a cast, he's set to miss 4-5 weeks.

The casualty list was already a long one: Antawn Jamison (shoulder), Mike Miller (shoulder), and Javaris Crittenton (foot surgery). The plan is for Jamison to perhaps return to full practice on Thursday, and Miller was only set to be out 7-10 days, so both of them, in theory, could be back on the floor when the Wizards host Detroit on Saturday night.

Reporters were joking about assistant coach Sam Cassell perhaps getting a ten-day contract after seeing him in a practice jersey. Turns out he actually did practice because the Wizards once overstocked backcourt is down to bare bones.

"That might not be out of the realm of possibility," joked head coach Flip Saunders.

"It’s just something freaking random," said James, who had no idea his Monday would be this bad. "I felt it ...

Suns 102, Wizards 90: Symptom or concern

By: Craig Stouffer
11/08/09 11:38 PM

Four concerns, and symptoms of concerns, after the Wizards dropped their fourth straight game, getting burned by Steve Nash and the Suns, 102-90:

Concern -- Washington can’t seem find any offensive rhythm without Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller. Despite getting by in wins at Dallas and vs. New Jersey, being without Jamison has proven more difficult with each passing game because of his consistent production. He may not be the guy that wins games for the Wizards late in the fourth quarter, but he’s definitely the guy that makes and keeps them competitive in the other three. Losing Miller has been a blow to the team IQ. That’s two glue guys down. Overall, it leads to players now blaming their unfamiliarity with one another: “I can’t put my finger on it,” said Caron Butler when asked why the Wizards are ending up with more turnovers than assists. “But obviously we just gotta remain positive and continue to execute. Obviously you see different guys being inserted in the lineup, and we have to get a feel for one another. A lot of things are happening on the fly with the lineup change and different guys being out there playing with one another. So we just gotta get accustomed and just continue to play good basketball and play with high energy.”

Symptom and concern – Gilbert Arenas wants others to take the shots they’re given (s...

Suns (5-1) at Wizards (2-4) pregame

By: Craig Stouffer
11/08/09 12:36 PM

Suns (5-1) at Wizards (2-4)

The Wizards have lost three games in a row, and head coach Flip Saunders didn’t like anything he saw Friday night at Indiana. The Phoenix Suns have taken down two undefeated teams in their last three game with Steve Nash (19.0 ppg, 11.0 apg) showing a return to MVP form, Amar’e Stoudemire (19.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg) dominant inside in his return from injury and Jason Richardson (17.8 ppg, .522 3-pt pct) and Channing Frye (13.5 ppg, .485 3-pt pct) patiently waiting on the wings to knock down three-pointers.

What’s not to like?

“This is a difficult team to play, from an effort standpoint because they play two-man basketball,” said Saunders. “Nash and somebody else are playing and three guys are standing around, watching for you to help out, make a mistake and hit 3-point shots. It’s not a team that generates energy for you. You’re going to have to generate your own energy, no question.”

That job falls to Gilbert Arenas, who should have plenty in the tank – even if it is an afternoon game – because he only took 10 shots and finished with a season-low 13 points against the Pacers.

“Sometimes the best way to go against a good offensive player is to go at him at the other end, so they gotta play defense,” said Saunders, who didn’t expect Nash to guard Arenas. “That’s what yo...

Pacers 102, Wizards 86: Washington minus two starters equals yuck

By: Craig Stouffer
11/06/09 10:59 PM

Four thoughts about the Wizards' 102-86 loss at the Pacers, which was (a) simply an abomination, (b) moved Washington one step closer to legitimate concerns about this season's prospects, or (c) was simply an exclamation point demonstrating how much the Wiz are hurting with two starters (Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller) sidelined by shoulder injuries [Update before I post -- Jamison apparently berated his teammates afterward, making the answer (a)]:

At least Caron Butler got some of his scoring mojo back, with a team-high 24 points to go with 12 rebounds. His three-pointer was still off (1 for 5) and he committed the first of Washington's seven first-quarter turnovers. Tonight, it wasn't that the Wizards punched and then couldn't handle the counter. They went into the ring without any gloves.

Three of the other four Wizards starters sleptwalked through the first quarter and had the proverbial awful game, as did Andray Blatche (zippy for 5) and DeShawn Stevenson (0 for 2 from 3-pt) off the bench. Gilbert Arenas (13 points, 5 assists, 3 turnovers) got torched defensively. Nick Young made a 3-pointer and a block -- and then missed his next three shots and was yanked until garbage time in the fourth quarter. Fabricio Oberto's two assists and two points were cancelled out by two points and an inability to guard rookie Tyler Hansbrough. (Speaking of Hansbrough, there should've been odds...

Heat 93, Wizards 89: Feeling warm and fuzzy

By: Craig Stouffer
11/05/09 12:34 AM

Four reasons to keep smiling after the Wizards came back from 19 points down and still lost to Miami, 93-89:

Gilbert Arenas gave a great explanation for what happened with 15 seconds left and instead of taking a three-pointer he decided to feed Brendan Haywood for a failed alley oop. “Obviously, it hit the rim,” said Arenas, who was in full mope but reluctantly and thankfully spoke with the media. “It’s not rocket scientist.”

Mike Miller mustered a smile despite having his left arm immobilized in a sling. “[It happened] riding a guy over a screen, a guy kind of clipped me in a weird spot,” said Miller. “It felt like it kind of came out of place and went numb. That scared me a little bit, more than anything, but I’ll be alright… It was tough. But the one good thing we got going for us is it’s early in the season. Unfortunately, we’re already going through some injuries that we don’t want to go through, but that’s part of basketball. We’ll be alright. We just gotta get everyone on the floor together at the same time and get some practice time with everybody. The best thing about it is you play 82 games.”

Brendan Haywood also kept a brave face. “How long’s [Miller] out?” Seven-ten days. “Damn. It’s tough to develop the chemistry until we get everybody out the...

Heat (3-1) at Wizards (2-2)

By: Craig Stouffer
11/04/09 6:39 PM

What are you playing down ahead of the first of three meetings this month between Washington and Miami? They play again next Tuesday and on Nov. 27 in Florida.

Wizards head coach Flip Saunders is playing down foul trouble for his big men last night at Cleveland.

"Our bigs played really well," said Saunders. "There were some bad calls that shook them out of their offense and took them off the floor so they can’t just change. If you go out like that, you’re going to go out non-aggressive, they’re not going to have very much success. They just gotta hope that the way they play, they get some good whistles. But that’s what happens in this game. Our referees do as well a job as any professional. It’s a hard game to referee, and as I told our players, you have to fight through that type of situation and not all of a sudden fold because you had a couple bad calls."

As for Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, he preferred to understate the Heat's struggles against the Phoenix zone in their first loss of the year last night.

"Really it’s the first time we’ve seen it in the preseason or the regular season. It’s different when you drill and say, okay, here’s five straight possessions, here’s what we’re getting into.’ What happened in the fourth quarter, and really it was a result and we should take it ...

Cavaliers 102, Wizards 90: Not a rivalry

By: Craig Stouffer
11/03/09 10:07 PM

Four reasons Wizards vs. Cavaliers still isn't a rivalry after the Cavs (3-2) were on the upside of a 30-point swing, turning an 18-point second-quarter deficit into a 102-90 victory over Washington (2-2):

It isn't a rivalry when the Cavs have won six straight against the Wizards at home. Washington won't stop that trend if they can't play well for more than 14 minutes. They took a 37-19 lead at that point of the game on a Mike Miller layup in transition from Randy Foye after Andray Blatche blocked Boobie Gibson and started the break. Then Blatche got his third foul. Then Brendan Haywood got his second and third fouls. Then DeShawn Stevenson got two fouls. Then JaVale McGee got his second, third and fourth fouls. (Fabricio Oberto was already on the bench with two personals, too.) The margin was four at halftime, and the second half was academic.

It isn't a rivalry when the Wizards can't stop the 3-pointer. (Augh! The blinding glare of last season!) Cleveland was 42.6 percent from behind the arc. Without Anthony Parker's bricks (1 for 6), they were 50 percent, led by Gibson (4 for 5, 14 points) and Mo Williams (3 for 4, 15 points). Remember last week, when Washington held Dallas and Atlanta to 22.2 and 25 percent, respectively? By the way, the Wizards themselves were 28.6 (4 for 14) from three.

It isn't a rivalry when there's no answer for Shaq. Okay, few teams have an answer for S...

YouTube homework assignment: DeShawn vs. LeBron

11/02/09 3:22 PM

When it comes to the Washington Wizards’ rivalry with Cleveland and LeBron James, which will be renewed tomorrow night, Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler prefer the high road, while DeShawn Stevenson has no fear of the most direct route. But there’s no question it’s on players’ minds because Randy Foye took it upon himself to do homework to learn about it.

“I knew about it just from watching it, and I YouTube’d a few things,” said Foye. “I heard Brendan saying a few things. But I can remember watching the playoffs when he was supposedly getting fouled. But I think the biggest thing is, like I said before, is just that we play together as a team and try to get the victory… I just YouTubed DeShawn Stevenson versus LeBron and see what came up because I heard him talking about it, and so I got a little bit of everything. I heard Brendan talking. I heard Caron talking. I heard [ESPN’s] Stuart Scott saying things. From then on, I understood that it was a big rivalry.”

Being that it’s my first year on the beat, I followed up on what Foye said. Check out this, the first search result on YouTube.

“I saw Soulja Boy, Jay-Z, but I just checked up on it to see what it was about and how serious it was,” said Foye. “Just from practicing and preparing for these guys, that’s been the talk from day one o...

Butler expects to be back vs. Cavaliers

By: Craig Stouffer
11/02/09 3:00 PM

Wizards head coach Flip Saunders said after practice Monday that Caron Butler will be back in the starting lineup for Washington at Cleveland tomorrow night after sitting out last weekend's home opener with a bruised left kneecap.

Butler didn't quite give a rousing endorsement of his health, saying he still felt a little soreness.

"It felt good in practice when I was out there moving around and was able to perform at full speed," he said. "So we’ll see how I feel tomorrow."

The injury did happen when he dove for a loose ball at Atlanta. "It was just the after-effect thing. I was diving for the ball, played a couple minutes afterward, felt a little stiffness, a little tightness. It swelled up a little bit. I had a nice bruise, and doctors felt like it was probably the best thing to sit out a game, see how I feel."

Butler also confirmed what Saunders had said on Saturday, that he was a bit anxious until the knee was examined.

"I was very scared. After getting the X-ray, getting the MRI, my mind was clear. I felt much better. But I was very scared initially because a little stiffness and soreness and a little swelling don’t feel right. Whenever you have problems with your knees, your alert just goes up. You’re radar is off the charts."

Wizards 123, Nets 104: Blazing home opener

By: Craig Stouffer
11/01/09 12:11 AM

Four thoughts after the Wizards’ fiery – and I mean, they had a flame-infused opening montage and a hanging Wizards sign that spewed fire during pregame introductions – home-opening win over not-very-good New Jersey, 123-104.

Before the game, Washington head coach Flip Saunders talked about Gilbert Arenas still trying to find a balance between making plays himself and for others: “When he gets into trouble is when he predetermines what he’s going to do. I think he can’t predetermine, ‘Well, I’m going look for an assist on this play.’ Those are things that just kind of happen. But the more he plays with our guys, the more it’s going to happen.” Afterward Saunders was shocked that he fielded a half-dozen questions before anyone asked about his best player: “I think it’s a very unique situation that I’ve been here about eight minutes and no one’s mentioned anything about Gil. he did have 32 points and 7 assists.” Fair point.

How about Andray Blatche? He had a late-night workout with assistant coach Sam Cassell on Wednesday, and the savvy showed itself against New Jersey. He’s averaging 21.0 points after three games. Saunders was asked, had you seen those moves before? “He hadn’t seen them either, and if he didn’t make the shots, he wasn’t going to have the c...

Nets at Wizards; Butler out with knee bruise

By: Craig Stouffer
10/31/09 6:39 PM

Nets (0-2) at Wizards (1-1)

Stats guys have at it: When was the last time five players started a home opener for a team who missed last year's home opener or didn't play for the team at that time? Gilbert Arenas (knee), Randy Foye (with Minnesota), Mike Miller (with Minnesota), Fabricio Oberto (with San Antonio) and Brendan Haywood (wrist) will be added to that list tonight.

Foye replaces Caron Butler, who will sit out after bruising his left knee diving for a loose ball in last night's 100-89 loss at Atlanta.

"Caron will not go tonight," said Wizards head coach Flip Saunders. "He’s got a slight bruise of his kneecap. It’s more precautionary than anything else. We think that he’ll definitely be ready for us on Tuesday [at Cleveland]. But we’re going wait right now... He had both an X-ray and an MRI and there’s nothing structural so nothing to be overly concerned with... He’s had knee issues in the past so he wanted to be more cautious about it than jump into something. I think he feels a lot better now that we’ve had it looked at."

On the other bench, Devin Harris will sit out with a sore right groin. The Nets' lineup: Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Yi Jianlian and Brook Lopez.

One observation made: Antawn Jamison going through a good workout on the court, looking fine putting up shots.

One observation ...

Hawks 100, Wizards 89

By: Craig Stouffer
10/30/09 10:52 PM

Four thoughts after the Wizards (1-1) fell back to earth with a 100-89 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks (2-0).

Gilbert Arenas had hardly any success attacking the basket against the Hawks’ more athletic big men. Although he led the Wizards with 23 points, he finished the first half with six of his seven turnovers in the game. He also had just four assists – almost the opposite of his complete control in the season opener Tuesday at Dallas. Brendan Haywood (19 points, 9 rebounds) and Andray Blatche (13 points, 6 rebounds) were -11 and -17, respectively.

The loss of Caron Butler to a bruised knee in the second period stung, and it was a significant factor in why Arenas couldn’t get things going. Without Butler – who gets his points even on off nights such as the one he had vs. the Mavericks – the Wizards had far fewer options off the dribble. Nick Young, who replaced Butler in the third quarter starting lineup, had what is known in British soccer parlance as a shocker, mate: 0-for-8 horrendous shots with one rebound. That's exactly how NOT to celebrate the Wizards picking up its option on the next year of your contract. Randy Foye was only one notch better, with 9 points on 3-for-12 shooting. He also struggled against the length of the Atlanta defenders. At least JaVale McGee made his impression felt with seven points on 3 of 4 shots (two fast break slams s...

Wizards (1-0) at Hawks (1-0)

By: Craig Stouffer
10/30/09 1:54 PM

After setting the bar very high in the season opener on Tuesday, the Wizards are back in Atlanta, where they half showed up just over a week ago for a lackluster preseason loss. But we’re not taking stock in those games, not after what went down in Dallas.

“Just the way we played 48 minutes,” said Antawn Jamison, who was supposed to start shooting the ball again today. “We’ve really stressed being a good road team, and we did a lot of things that entitled for us to be a good road team: stopping runs, playing good defense, and executing our plays offensively.”

The total team performance was reinforced by Flip Saunders’ game management, which was also superb, whether it was finding the right combinations on the floor or making the right play calls out of timeouts.

“Sometimes, when you see him on the sideline, he looks so focused,” said Randy Foye. “I could be on the court and I could say, coach, and he really don’t respond right away. I look at him, and it seems like he’s playing chess in his head with their defense and our offense. He’ll draw something up, and it’s unbelievable where we could get a good shot out of our offense.”

Saunders, though, also delegated plenty to Gilbert Arenas: “On the floor, as I basically told him after the game, he basically controlled the game against Dallas....

Crittenton on crutches, Blatche gets spooked

By: Craig Stouffer
10/29/09 2:18 PM

It's okay to believe the Wizards are going to have a good season, apparently. There were three reporters at Verizon Center on Monday for the Wizards' final practice before their first game of the regular season. There must've been a dozen today.

The other thing that was impossible to notice was Javaris Crittenton traded in his walking boot for a cast and crutches. After being sidelined by a couple swollen ligaments and a bone bruise in his left foot since midway through training camp, he had exploratory surgery last Friday. He'll be out of commission six weeks: four until he can play again and two more to work his way back into shape.

"It’s disappointing," said Crittenton. "I wish the procedure would’ve happened, and I would’ve been recovered by now. They actually saw it on the x-ray a long time ago, but they had to continue to look at different CAT scans and x-rays to get it done. It’s tough, end of training camp, the whole preseason, now the beginning of the season’s going to be tough coming back, but I would rather have it done now than deal with it and try to play through pain during the season. I’m glad they cleaned it out."

On a lighter note, Andray Blatche gave fresh evidence of his newfound professionalism. Remember, partly inspired by his mom, who said he had become lackadaisical, Blatche changed his number from 32 t...

Wizards' first spell is magic

By: Craig Stouffer
10/27/09 11:49 PM

Wizards 101, Mavericks 92

I'm trying to figure out how many questions were just answered at American Airlines Arena. Not all of them, of course. But you tell me when to stop:

Will the Wizards start off on the right foot after a disjointed preseason? Is Gilbert Arenas back? How much will he thrive under head coach Flip Saunders? Will the Wizards' new arsenal of offensive weapons make a difference? Will the Wizards improve defensively? Will someone step up to fill Antawn Jamison's shoes while he's sidelined? Will it be Andray Blatche? Can Blatche play efficiently and consistently at both ends? There's tons more...

What struck me: Washington trailed in the first quarter by six, 13-7, when Brendan Haywood dunked the first of the Wizards' next three buckets on a feed from Gilbert Arenas. Arenas followed the Haywood dunks with a pull-up jumper to make the score 15-15, and from there, Washington controlled the game. Dallas took one more lead early in the second quarter, 25-23, on J.J. Barea's and-1, but that was it. Fabricio Oberto put Washington back in front with a U-G-L-Y three-point play of his own, and the Wiz never trailed again.

Despite 34 points from Dirk Nowitzki. He was the only consistent weapon -- and an excellent one, obviously -- for the Mavericks, who won 50 games last year. The Wizards held them under 40 percent from the field.

Washington also countered with what seemed lik...