Wall, rookies have their ‘eyes opened’
There was almost relief in Wizards coach Flip Saunders’ face last weekend as he explained the difference between an underperforming team like the Detroit Pistons and a rebuilding situation like his own.
“We’re trying to win, but we’re trying to develop players,” Saunders said. “The times that we get disappointed are when guys don’t play hard.”
With 20 games remaining, the task is that simple for the Wizards (16-46), who no longer are afraid to admit that getting a result is a secondary objective. It certainly removes one element of pressure against the Milwaukee Bucks (23-38), who similar to the Pistons haven’t done nearly what they hoped to this season.
Milwaukee has lost seven of its last 10 games following a 100-85 defeat to Washington at Verizon Center on Feb. 9. The Wizards have gone 2-9 since, but they’d rather focus on the progress of their rookies, even if their performances at times have been as inconsistent as the coach’s commitment to them.
| UP NEXT |
| Bucks at Wizards |
| When » Tuesday, 7 p.m. |
| Where » Verizon Center |
| TV/Radio » Comcast SportsNet/106.7 FM |
John Wall picked up his second straight Eastern Conference rookie of the month award last week after averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 assists and 4.9 rebounds in February. He’s also scored 21 points or more in five of his last nine games.
But Wall won’t list his back-to-back performances against Chicago’s Derrick Rose and the double-threat Golden State backcourt of Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry among his best of the season. Instead, those games prompted Wizards assistant coach Randy Wittman to pronounce that Wall was “getting his eyes opened.”
“It’s a learning process for him,” Wittman said. “It’s gotta be every night, a focus, that ‘I’m going to kick your [butt],’ not, ‘Oh boy, I’ve got to face this guy now.'”
Saunders also said he’s toyed with the idea of inserting Trevor Booker back into the starting lineup, but the rookie forward continues to come off the bench.
“I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing,” said Booker, who’s averaged eight points and seven rebounds in the last three games. “I just bring energy and intensity and everything will work itself out.”
The Wizards are betting on the same approach, even if sometimes it can be hard to tell and hard to stomach.
“It’s not easy,” Saunders said. “No one likes to sit there, and you’re biting your lips because sometimes you’re playing guys, and you’re letting them play through things to learn and the reality [is] it might cost you a win now and a win then. But it’s going to help you in the long run.”
