Gilbert Arenas entered with a vow to score 50 points. He exited questioning what he viewed as the Wizards’ new philosophy.
Which isn’t what his coach wanted to hear after a 21-point loss to a sub .500-team at home. And Eddie Jordan’s focus was on the lack of leadership.
And suddenly, after Sunday’s 94-73 loss to Portland (21-30), the Wizards (28-21) remain in first place in the Southeast Division, but they’re now 1-4 minus the injured Antawn Jamison and have lost those games by an average of 18.3 points.
Arenas said the stronger emphasis on defense led to problems on offense.
“It’s like seeing [Phoenix coach Mike D’Antoni] going to the Suns and saying, ‘Let’s focus on defense now,’” said Arenas, who scored nine points on three of 15 shooting, including zero of eight 3-pointers. He’s made just 26 ofhis last 82 field goals. “We’re a high-scoring team; we’re a running team. When you tell a team that you don’t have Antawn anymore, you can’t outscore people … that takes the air out of you.”
Arenas said guys were afraid that one defensive mistake would put them on the bench.
“When you play like that, you lose concentration and focus,” Arenas said. “You’re scared to play … It means you’re out there playing like a robot.
“From [Jordan’s] standpoint, we’ve lost Antawn so we have to pick it up somewhere else.”
Jordan was upset when asked about Arenas’ comments.
“My reaction to that? That I emphasized defense? No reaction,” he said. “Next question.”
Later in his postgame press conference he said, “We addressed this issue [better defense] weeks and weeks before it happened. … The whole idea of us having to play better defense, is that a problem or is that a question? That’s ludicrous.”
He sees a lack of leadership as a bigger issue minus Jamison, the team’s captain.
“Leadership is something you have that’s very special,” Jordan said. “We don’t have that [now]. I’ve named guys the last couple years as captain, but it didn’t work because they don’t have the qualities.”
