It’s easy to get used to having Gilbert Arenas back again, so easy that even Wizards head coach Flip Saunders was seduced.
The Verizon Center crowd certainly had no problem on Saturday in the 107-102 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In a game that began with reserve center Hilton Armstrong imploring the fans to get into the action early in the first quarter and getting a tepid response at best, it was only a short time later that a sustained applause overcame the building when Arenas simply got up off the bench and headed to midcourt to check in.
By the time the game ended, Saunders was left with the unenviable task of looking down his bench at Al Thornton, who was Washington’s leading scorer, and trying to come with an explanation for why he wasn’t used for the final nine minutes of the contest after carrying the team offensively in the third quarter. That’s the power of Arenas.
It’s also hardly the only issue that the Wizards face going forward, given how the rebounding dried up and the missed assignments piled up for the frontcourt, but much of that discussion will be lost in the intense scrutiny over how Arenas will get himself back into shape and integrated into the Washington offense – and at who’s expense that integration might come.
The John Wall watch (13 points, 10 assists, 6 turnovers)
Playing his first NBA back-to-back, Wall registered a double-double but never quite felt like he was exerting control over the game. The pendulum actually swung opposite of where it had been on Friday at New York, where he was overzealous. Against the Cavs, he was understated.
Did he still absolutely blitz the opposition running end to end, including nearly pulling off a last-second jam at the end of the first half that would’ve counted if he’d just have laid the ball in? Yes. Did he pull off an uber-athletic spinning layup with Anderson Varejao waiting for him at the rim? Certainly. He also had his jumper working, in particular off his crossover dribble.
But Mo Williams attacked him relentlessly at the other end, a tactic that has unsettled Wall the last two games.
“Teams have been a little more aggressive,” said Saunders prior to the game Saturday. “But as I told him, his game starts with his defense. His last two games, his defense has been poor, and because of that, it’s carried over. I think he needs to get into his things defensively, and everything seems to flow into it.”
The Gilbert Arenas game (13 points on 4-for-13 shooting, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers)
He said afterward that he’s 10 pounds overweight from what he was when he reported to training camp after not being able to run most of the past month. It’s not helping his defense, which has always been suspect. And there’s a ways to go for him to get back to being a part of the Wizards offense. It used to be all about him. Now it’s not, and he hasn’t been around. He can still knock ‘em down from distance, and the Wizards, including Wall, are going to look for him. The question, again, is can Saunders resist using him in end-of-game situations.
Ballers
Al Thornton (23 points, 6 rebounds)
Read about his situation in my game story. Yes, the night was about Arenas. But it came at Thornton’s expense. Saunders didn’t hesitate to admit it was a blunder, and even Arenas said he should’ve subbed himself out in the fourth quarter. Thornton has shown that when he attacks the paint, he can get to the rim with the best of them. The problem is that Flip tends to prefer a straight shooter in the small forward spot, and with Josh Howard nearing his return, things aren’t likely to get any easier, but Thornton said he’s not thinking about the potential for fewer minutes.
Kirk Hinrich (21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists)
Coming off a lackluster performance at the Knicks, and surely also aware of having a similar situation develop for him as it is for Thornton with Arenas back, Hinrich also got himself going offensively, especially late in the second quarter where he finished a traditional 3-point play during a personal stretch of eight straight Wizards points.
“I just wanted to be more aggressive with everything I did tonight,” said Hinrich, who is trying to balance his anxious desire to continue building chemistry with Wall and Arenas while at the same time proving he’s capable of running the team himself when that’s what is required.
Other candidates: Andray Blatche (16 points, 15 rebounds)
Busts
Hilton Armstrong (0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, -20)
He was unhappy with his own performance after replacing JaVale McGee (11 points, 10 rebounds), who played himself out of the game in the fourth quarter by missing box out assignments, free throws, and other defensive plays. This was the kind of opportunity that Armstrong, if he’s going to push for more time at center, needs to capitalize on. Not sure that he did.
Yi Jianlian (2 points on 1-for-5 shooting, 1 rebound, -11)
Struggled going hard to the rim, never established any rhythm from the outside. He has to get tougher.
Portrait play
The Wizards went nearly six minutes without a field goal over the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, during which Cleveland turned a seven-point deficit into a five-point lead. But Wall was beaming after he fed Blatche, who caught the ball on the low block and found a McGee cutting to the basket for a dunk and an 81-81 tie. On the next defensive possession, Arenas tied up Anthony Parker and then beat him out for the jump ball. McGee grabbed it and pushed the ball up court to Wall who spun past Varejao for the layup and the lead, 83-81. Everyone was hustling, getting involved. But J.J. Hickson’s short bank shot at the other end served notice that the Cavaliers weren’t going away, and the Wizards aren’t quite composed enough right now to put a team away.
Number of the night
+12 – McGee’s plus/minus, yet he was still pulled from the game down the stretch. He still played a season-high 32 minutes.
