Tapscott issues more work for young players
Are the Wizards reaching the boiling point with their young players?
When » Monday, 7 p.m.
Where » Verizon Center
TV/Radio » CSN/980 AM
» After starting the month with an upset of the Lakers, Indiana (7-16) has lost six straight — including five on the road. Like the Wizards, the culprit has been defense. Seven of their last eight opponents have shot 50 percent or better from the field. F Danny Granger (23.5 points per game) is the top scorer. The Pacers have a new starting backcourt with SG Marquis Daniels (15.5 ppg) having the best season of his five-year career. PG T.J. Ford (14.3 ppg, 5.4 apg) runs the show. Ford had 27 points in the Pacers’ l21-103 loss at Milwaukee in which the Bucks scored the game’s final 19 points. This marks the return of Georgetown-grad Roy Hibbert, averaging 11 minutes per game off the bench.
Sunday morning at Verizon Center, after their second straight lopsided loss, the Wizards began practice with Nick Young, Oleksiy Pecherov, Dominic McGuire, Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee and Javaris Crittenton. An hour later, they were joined by the veterans.
“That’s half your active roster, guys who are 23 and under. Part of what they have to learn is a regular routine of doing certain things,” said interim head coch Ed Tapscott. “Right now, like most young guys, their routine is no routine.”
Washington (4-17) seeks to establish a winning routine tonight against visiting Indiana (7-16). The Wizards need something positive.
After Thursday’s 122-88 loss to Boston, Antawn Jamison questioned the focus of some of his teammates.
In Saturday’s 104-89 loss at Philadelphia, there were signs of Tapscott’s exasperation with McGee, his starting center, who played only 5 minutes, 31 seconds, and guard Young, who played only 4:12, 11 minutes fewer than in any game this year.
After a solid start, Young has slumped in his last four games, hitting 4 of 17 shots with 16 points and six assists in 57 minutes.
“Someone asked me last night, is he in my doghouse,” said Tapscott. “I don’t have a doghouse for bad play. I have a palace for good play.”
In the backcourt, the current palace residents are DeShawn Stevenson and newly acquired Mike James, who had 16 points each Saturday, both hitting 6 of 12 shots from the floor. Along with Juan Dixon (10 points), the Wizards struggling backcourt had 42 points, its third most this season.
Too often this season, however, the palace has been vacant, with fewer recent visits from the Wizards young players.
“I don’t want them to see it as punishment,” said Tapscott of Sunday’s extra practice. “I want them to see it as us doing everything we can to help them develop as quickly as possible.”
