Flip Saunders has only to blame himself for the 93-85 loss to Charlotte.
No, of course he doesn’t, but prior to the Bobcats game on Friday night, three key things he talked about were the Wizards’ improvements in rebounding, the steady performance of Al Thornton, and limitations on Gilbert Arenas’s minutes.
It’s only fitting that the Wizards proceeded to get outrebounded, 48-30, lost Thornton to an injury which in turn helped force Arenas to exceed what he was expected to play and to be saddled with shooting crucial jump shots – of course, not making them – down the stretch.
Flip’s already wary of talking about the starting lineup after what Arenas did during the preseason. Now he may not want to talk before the game at all.
The John Wall Watch (13 points, 11 assists, 4 steals, 1 turnover)
For the first time, he wasn’t the key story in the contest, and this isn’t meant as a positive or a negative. He missed three shots early, a couple of which he was forced to take late in the shot clock, and then redirected his efforts into getting his teammates going, picking up nine of his 11 assists on the night by halftime.
He fed JaVale McGee for a couple of spectacular alley-oops – seems to be a requirement every game – and made his share of coast-to-coast sprints. Some finished with layups, one ended with Gerald Wallace tracking him down from behind for a block (and an technical foul-inducing protest from Saunders).
Wall has been conscious of staying under control and not forcing himself or the ball into bad spots. His only turnover of the night came on an indecisive dribble where he carried the ball.
“I’m doing a great job of what my coach want me to, take the open shots and not force it. but I got the ball a couple times with 3 seconds left on the shot clock,” said Wall. “I didn’t have no choice but to shoot it. I changed my game plan, I attacked when I had the chance, but more often I’m looking for my teammates and to get them involved and find myself later on down the stretch so it’s been going pretty good.”
The Gilbert Arenas Game (5 points on 2 for 14 shooting (1 for 9 from three), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers)
One a night where the Verizon Center crowd and the media crush around Arenas’s locker were both smaller than usual, Arenas was honest about his own struggles and yet upbeat about his hopes for the Wizards improving over the course of the season.
But man, he couldn’t make anything.
“I’m getting there,” he said. “I’m just struggling with the shot right now. I feel good every time it leaves my hand. It’s just not going down. It just comes with playing. The three weeks I missed is killing me right now because before I was on point with my shot. Right now I just got to keep playing, rebound, defend, do the little things when you’re not hitting your shots.”
“He’ll get there,” said Kirk Hinrich. “The thing about gil that I’ve always known is that the guy has no conscience. He’s that type of scorer. I’m really not worried about it, just assuming it’s going to come.”
Arenas made both of his steals as soon as he got into the game, he crashed the boards and was as unselfish as he’s been since his return. But as good as his shot almost looks, the dynamic element of his game – in particular, attacking the basket – still leaves a lot to be desired.
“They’re just hitting the front of the rim,” said Arenas. “It’s from legs, and just getting used to the speed of the game, running up and down, and shotoing that shot. I give it a couple more games and I should be back in the flow.”
He also isn’t getting frustrated watching the Wizards collapse down the stretch against New York, Cleveland and Charlotte over the stretch of one week.
“It’s exciting because every game we’re not making the same mistakes,” he said. “Today it was rotations, other games it was turnovers. We’re learning. It’s still a learning process, and I understood that coming in, and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Ballers
Kirk Hinrich (14 points on 5 for 7 shooting, 8 assists)
It’s been up and down for Hinrich, and it was back up against the Bobcats, not only because of how efficient he was offensively, but also because he kept Stephen Jackson, a guy a half-foot taller than him, from becoming an impact in the game until the fourth quarter.
Andray Blatche (22 points, 9 rebounds)
It was another solid night for Blatche when it comes to straight numbers, but consider also that it took him 21 shots to get there, and he went to the line just twice. For all of his impact on the scoresheet, Blatche is still having trouble affecting the outcome of the game. He struggles early to find his offensive rhythm, inevitably going to the behind-the-back dribble instead of going strong to the basket, chucks his headband and then is on the floor long enough to regroup. He is the Wizards’ best option down low, so he’s going to get his touches, but he’s got to make them count early. If he does, he can be a 30-point scorer with little problem. That’s why it’s got to be hard for the coaching staff to congratulate him when he has 22.
Busts
Al Thornton (2 points, 2 rebounds)
He said he was overcome by what he called an abdominal strain before the game even started, that it prevent him from finished his pregame routine, and he looked glaringly out of sorts from the opening tip, especially considering how productive and reliable he has been so far this season. He was expected to get checked out in Chicago, but if he’s injured, Saunders will have to make the first changes to his starting lineup since the regular season got underway.
Yi Jianlian (8 points, 4 rebounds, career-high 6 blocks), Javale McGee (10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks)
“Yi and Javale combined, I know they played damn near 40-some minutes and combined for five [sic 6] rebounds,” said Flip Saunders. “When those guys are playing those spots, they’ve got to get more, and it just puts too much pressure on the rest of our team.”
No matter what else these guys do, Saunders is determined to turn them into rebounding machines, even though neither one of them are naturally attracted to the job.
An equal problem for McGee – despite three highlight-reel dunks – is the easy buckets that come for the opposition when he misses defensive assignments.
Saunders threatened to make changes, if not to the starting lineup then the rotation, and he’s got little choice but to back up his words. Rookies Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin deserve to at least get a chance.
Portrait play
Yi’s failed attempt to draw a charge on Wallace wasn’t the turning point – that happened when Charlotte went on an 8-0 run after the game had been tied, 78-78 – but it clinched the result. It was also excruciating to watch since there were 15,000 people inside Verizon Center watching the replay unfold on the video screen while three officials pretended they were in a dark room huddling after a conflicted initial call – one referee gave the charge, another the block. The evidence didn’t back up their final decision, and Saunders already had a technical foul.
“The new rules, you’ve got to respect the game,” said Yi. “You can’t talk to the ref. At the end, a tight game, it changed the game.”
Stat of the night
The Bobcats had 16 offensive rebounds but only 8 second-chance points. What the heck were they doing with the ball after they got it? Probably turning it over one of 24 times.
