Gil vs. DeShawn
[Actual news: Songaila may play against the Lakers but only in a limited capacity; Caron wanted to cry when he heard he made the all-star team but held it in and didn't cry until he got home and hid in a closet (at least that's what he said); and Eddie Jordan offered thanks to Shaq and Wade for earning him all-star coaching duties and said his goal is to run one possession of the Princeton offense in Vegas.]
People sometimes ask me why I write so much about the Wizards. This is why.
Gil blogged some smack about DeShawn yesterday, to wit:
I told him that I'd shoot with one-hand from college three better than he can shoot with both hands from NBA three. He really doesn't want to make that bet. He keeps brushing it off.
(Gil also blogged smack about Roger Mason, which I excerpted here, which my editor then put in the paper, which Roger took exception to. He said there were factual innacuracies in Gil's account. Ivan Carter will clear this up later.)
Anyhow, today after practice, Gil took 100 one-handed college three-pointers, and DeShawn took 100 two-handed NBA three-pointers. Oh, and they bet $20,000. Brendan Haywood and Antonio Daniels kept score. Caron Butler rebounded. Cal Booth was the voice of justice and fair play. Virtually everyone else on the team sat and watched.
Gil started out on fire, and finished up making 73 out of 100, with DeShawn attempting to distract him by spinning maniacally while dribbling a ball in the background. By the end, Gil was launching one-handed shots from out of bounds. "You think he's going to make 70 three-pointers?" he asked teammates, who questioned this strategy. "Get the [heck] out of here."
In any case, Gil was making em one-handed from out of bounds, too.
Then DeShawn set in. He made his first 13. It got quiet. He made 17 out of his first 18. "Damn, dawg," Gil said. Then Gil got to work. He started jumping up and down while DeShawn shot. He started dancing around in circles. He started screaming at A.D. for constant scoring options. He got in DeShawn's face. He did some Matrix moves, sort of some modified flips or rolls. He pretended to kick DeShawn. He pretended to be a quarterback, taking a snap and dropping back to pass in front of DeShawn. He screamed a lot. He jumped some more. DeShawn cooled off.
Going into the last shooting station (10 shots), DeShawn was 10 down. He could still tie. He had made his first 10 shots from that same spot. Gil was hyper beyond belief, squirming and wiggling on the ground. DeShawn made his first 5. My palms got all sweaty. He missed the sixth. Gil began breakdancing and laughing uncontrollably. DeShawn stormed off the court.
"Hey, I hope this don't mess you up for tomorrow," Gil yelled after him.
"You ain't gonna never hear the end of that one," A.D. said.
"Gilbert found some way some how to distract him in the clutch," Caron said.
DeShawn said he wasn't talking to Gilbert any more. He said the distractions were just too much.
"I think Gil crossed some boundaries," Cal the judge said. "I think a rematch is in order."
I had to leave before Gil talked. I had to go to the White House. Ivan Carter will bring you much more on this story. But that's why I write so much about the Wizards.
By Dan Steinberg |
February 2, 2007; 1:29 PM ET
| Category:
Wizards
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Posted by: r.g. | February 2, 2007 01:44 PM
Don't let people who ask about why you write about the Wizards so much get to you; I mean, yeah there is college basketball, which you devote enough time to, but the Redskins season is over and there are no other professional sports on in the area right now.
Posted by: AV | February 2, 2007 01:48 PM
white house, huh?
Posted by: littles | February 2, 2007 01:50 PM
Nice story - but you don't have the video. ;)
Working on it now, should have something up by this afternoon.
Posted by: WizDotCom | February 2, 2007 01:58 PM
Cal Booth: "Judge and Executioner"... WNTZ! I smell a tee in the making!
Posted by: TheHype | February 2, 2007 02:08 PM
This is the kind of stuff I like reading about when it comes to the Wiz. The stuff you generally won't get from a beat. These guys are hilarious.
Posted by: Dave B. | February 2, 2007 02:18 PM
You can't make this stuff up. It's entirely newsworthy. I think if I weren't a basketball fan at all, but had read the Esquire piece on Gilbert and this story, all I'd want to know is more, more, more.
Posted by: Nancy | February 2, 2007 02:36 PM
Honestly, and I feel (only) slightly bad about saying this, with the way the Wizards have been playing over the past few years and the way the Redskins have, I'm glad you write so much about the Wizards.
I think if there's one thing the Redskins don't need it's more damned media coverage, anyway.
Hibachi-time, OTOH, can always use some additional coverage.
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6009/69266517nm1.jpg
Posted by: Gack | February 2, 2007 02:38 PM
Gack, heard that.
You're wearing that image, http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6009/69266517nm1.jpg, to the game tomorrow night, right?
Posted by: Nancy | February 2, 2007 02:46 PM
Cal Booth = Ogilvie
Posted by: Prophet | February 2, 2007 02:48 PM
Nancy, I so wish I had thought of that before last night, but it came to me in a flash of brilliance and disappointment, as I realized I wouldn't be able to actually get one before the game.
Posted by: Gack | February 2, 2007 02:51 PM
Gack,
If you have one of those "Agent Zero" t-shirts they handed out, you can paint a "6" before the zero and have something kinda nice.
I know because I did it. Like three weeks ago, in anticipation of Saturday's game.
Hey, I'm a girl, what can I say? When I'm going out, it's always: "What do I wear?"
I haven't yet made my "Kwame: Got Cake?" sign, but I'm thinkin' 'bout it.
Posted by: Nancy | February 2, 2007 02:56 PM
Dan, I don't mind. As much Wizards, Caps and United as you want.
Posted by: TG | February 2, 2007 02:56 PM
Why the heck is DeShawn, on a minimum contract, making $20,000 bets? Get him to a GA meeting (hey, no pun intended).
Posted by: Fed | February 2, 2007 03:03 PM
Prophet,
Excellent.
Caron Butler = Kelly
Brenda = Lupus?
Posted by: bryc3 | February 2, 2007 03:05 PM
Please tell me somebody was bankrolling Deshawn.
Haywood makes $5 mil a year...let him pay off that bet (it's about time he made a positive contribution).
Posted by: Unsilent Majority | February 2, 2007 03:37 PM
Sounds like a kinder, gentler version of a stunt MJ would pull.
Posted by: jhorstma | February 2, 2007 03:55 PM
where's the vid???
Posted by: hmmmmm | February 2, 2007 03:59 PM
That. was. awesome.
Posted by: leafblower | February 2, 2007 03:59 PM
$20,000!?!?! Arenas spends that much on party hats, but that is like 1/6th of DeShawn's total take home salary for this year! Maybe Gilbert can let DeShawn work it off by doing something insane like getting identical tattoos...er, nevermind.
Posted by: Dan | February 2, 2007 04:07 PM
Beeeyoooteeful. Keep it up!
Posted by: Juan-John | February 2, 2007 04:08 PM
Do you think that Gil will waive DeShawn's Super Bowl entrance fee now? Probably not.
Posted by: Kev | February 2, 2007 04:13 PM
Video (not mine) coming soon....check back often....before the end of the work day.....
Posted by: Dan Steinberg | February 2, 2007 04:16 PM
Gilbert's gambling on "skill games" is like that of a former Wizard -- MJ ...
DeShawn lost 20 Gs when he only makes like 900 Gs. That's rough.
Posted by: dubland | February 2, 2007 04:36 PM
That video is PURE COMEDY!!!!!
Posted by: black | February 2, 2007 07:53 PM
White House?notta' chance you got in there?ha!
Posted by: WGDC- | February 3, 2007 02:52 AM
damn thats 1 crazy story instead of writin about the wizards u shud get onto orlando their the bomb (by orlando i mean dwight cos he basicly is orlado)
Posted by: nxtfranchise | February 3, 2007 05:08 AM
"Haywood makes $5 mil a year...let him pay off that bet (it's about time he made a positive contribution)."
Ouch, that's some backstabbing there! Why drag Haywood in? Is "Unsilent Majority" a pen name of the poet?
Last I checked, the poet made over $1 mil more than Haywood, and he spent most of the time in injured reserve writing poems in his 6 seasons with the Wiz!
Posted by: Saga | February 3, 2007 11:41 AM
Gilbert is such an a$$hole
Posted by: GSFAN | February 4, 2007 02:34 AM
watching the Pistons vs. Lakers game. Chris Webber hit a three right before halftime. at halftime, court reporter asked Chris Webber how it felt to hit a three as a Pistons. Chris said it felt good and that at practice they were discussing who could hit threes better. he said they just take more. makes me think some other players around the League have seen the video on YouTube and are talking.
~
Posted by: honey | February 8, 2007 09:18 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
God I love these stories.