Following an 0-for-12 opening from the field in Wednesday’s 103-85 loss at Orlando, Wizards coach Flip Saunders told reporters, “We’re gonna have to do something with our start. Whether its personnel wise or whatever. But somehow we’ve got to have some juice to start games.”
Ahead of shootaround Friday morning before his winless team faces a New York Knicks team only marginally less desperate, Saunders backed away from that threat.
“Don’t know yet,” Saunders said when asked if a change to the starting lineup was possible. “More than likely we’ll probably go the same way. After our practice yesterday and after watching some film of what they do, I think that would probably be best for our rotations.”
Saunders continues to stress that the Wizards’ greatest problem is shooting the ball, and there’s plenty of truth there, since Washington’s .392 field goal percentage is second-worst in the NBA. The Wizards (0-6) also have the second-fewest assists per game, 14.83.
But considering change and actually making a change are two different concepts, and the former doesn’t quite mesh with the idea of holding players accountable, which both the players themselves and Saunders promised to do on Thursday.
The Knicks (2-4) have lost two in a row and four of their last five since beating Boston on Christmas Day, putting some heat on coach Mike D’Antoni, but Wizards guard Roger Mason Jr., who played in New York last year, has little doubt who needs the victory more.
“We’re more desperate for a win tonight,” Mason said. “We’ve had a rough start to the season, and we just need to get a win. I told the guys yesterday that there’s nothing more important right now in our lives than winning this game today.”
Mason believes that good things were said in the Wizards’ players-only meeting on Thursday. Mo Evans, who organized the brief gathering, promised a different team.
“We addressed a number of things as a family,” Mason said. “Our team has got to be close. We have to hold each other accountable and be realistic.”
As for facing his old team, Mason said he didn’t have any real emotions.
“It didn’t work out for me, but it was a great experience,” he said. “There were some positives for being in New York, and you move on. This is a business, and I’m really happy to back home with this organization. We’ve got off to a rough start, but there’s still a lot of season left.”
