La Canfora needs to take some notes about how to run a blog and how to cover a team. Carter and Lee don't bring any of the pompous, arrogant crap Redskins fans have grown accustomed to from JLC.

Ivan, please throw an update at us after the EG press conference today.

Looking forward to reading over the summer, Ivan. The sensational "You're never gonna guess what Gilbert said this time" stuff is fun, but I'm sure there are a lot of basketball junkies here who crave all the little details about the draft, summer league, trade rumors, and all that good stuff.

I think Jason LaConfora is horrible. If he isn't careful, I might break outta this lock down and do the blog myself.

I'll show him my colon shank.

Gilbert didn't tear his meniscus, I cut it when he gave me a dirty look on the sand yard. I cut em deep.

DeVon Hardin a senior from Cali. This is a guy the Wiz need to take a hard look at in the draft. Not a first rounder, but perhaps the Wiz should consider trading up to early in the 2nd round to snag him. No offensive skills to speak of yet, but hardnosed, very smart, strong rebounding 6'10" PF with room to grow.

Can't wait for the summer updates! I think Nick Young can be a beast..and somebody needs to tell DMac that he's way too young to become a Ben Wallace/Dennis Rodman (all rebounds no shot)!

Adam, I'll spare you the wait. Here is a summary of the press conference today:

Question: [insert any question]

Grunfeld: "We will evaluate our options, and make our decision at the appropriate time."

or

"We are looking forward to the draft. We have two picks. We will bring in a number of players for workouts."

The only possible newsworthy Q&A is:

Question: "Will Eddie Jordan be back as Wizards coach next year?"

My prediction of an answer:
Grunfeld: "Eddie Jordan got the team into the playoffs this year, and has for the past four years. We had some injuries this year, and our loss in the Cleveland series was disappointing. Eddie and I will sit down and discuss our plans for next year."

Ivan, I think you have one of the coolest job and I am sure at least half of the regular bloggers here would like to treat job with yours. Thanks for your hard work this season and we will look forward to hear from your this summer!

trade the 1st for Elton Brand and as much as I hate to say it, get JJ Reddick if we lose Mason Jr. if nothing else, he can spot up for 3's while Arenas has the ball.

Adam, I'll spare you the wait. Here is a summary of the press conference today:

Question: [insert any question]

Grunfeld: "We will evaluate our options, and make our decision at the appropriate time."

or

"We are looking forward to the draft. We have two picks. We will bring in a number of players for workouts."

The only possible newsworthy Q&A is:

Question: "Will Eddie Jordan be back as Wizards coach next year?"

My prediction of an answer:
Grunfeld: "Eddie Jordan got the team into the playoffs this year, and has for the past four years. We had some injuries this year, and our loss in the Cleveland series was disappointing. Eddie and I will sit down and discuss our plans for next year."

Posted by: | May 8, 2008 1:44 PM

lol, thanks...I'd like to hear his thoughts on what Arenas said yesterday though, could be somewhat interesting.

Ivan, I'd love it if you or someone asked Ernie whether he reads Gilbert's blog.

Hey, Ivan, did you ever follow up with EG about the zards crack medical staff, resulting in a series of season crushing injuries EVERY YEAR for the past FIVE YEARS? Didn't Jerry Stackhouse have an issue with the staff rushing him back too soon? Doesn't Kwame have chronic ankle problems now? Didn't they assure us Jarvis' knee was fine a day before he snapped it right in two? How many games did Larry Hughes miss? AND WHY WASN'T ANYONE IN GILBERT'S EAR TELLING HIM TO COOL IT???? WHO'S IN CHARGE OF THIS TEAM ANYWAY? THAT INJURY ABSOLUTELY RUINED THE SEASON!!!! arrrrrggh...

Just heard on espn: Arenas tears ACL in pick up game on the streets and cant do anything basketball related for 9 months. Thought he wasnt gonna do anything in bball. guess that means hes not coming back

Chris, is that a joke? Not a very funny one...

Let's hope Ernie indeed "has something up his sleeve". Mr. Attention Deficit Disorder can take his bull**** elsewhere as far as I'm concerned. Jamison MUST be resigned and Butler given the keys to the future.

Ernie never says anything at a press confrence, it will be a complete waste of time.

Chris has been doing shots all morning with Dana Jacobson. G$ got in a round or two as well. Elton Brand for a low 1st round pick?! Ain't gonna happen bro. AND JJ REDDICK!?!?!? Are you kidding me?!?!?! That will really get us out of the Eastern Conference!

Arenas' act is wearing thin. If the Wizards' don't re-sign Jamison, he's not returning. Give us all a break, Gil. You work for the Wizards and are paid an extraordinary sum. Not only do you not make your teammates any better, but you're one of the worst defensive guards in the league. You'll play with whomever they have on the roster, Jamison or no Jamison. How about apologizing to your coach for making him look silly w/ your self-serving agenda? On a lighter note, JJ Redick? This guy is the most one dimensional player in the league. Opposing guards drool at the prospect of having him guard them. Redick's only value to a team would be in the last 5 seconds of a game if they need a 3-pointer to force overtime.

La Canfora needs to take some notes about how to run a blog and how to cover a team. Carter and Lee don't bring any of the pompous, arrogant crap Redskins fans have grown accustomed to from JLC.

AGREE!!!!!!!!!

Great post "Shut up Gil" Agree on all points. Sign and trade Gil for Elton and a 1st round draft pick....if thats not enough we can toss in that pick that we will never see that we got for navarro

Ja La rocks. He answers all the questions posed to him on the chat sessions.

If I were EG, I'd be furious. If Gilby wants AJ on the team, why can't he tell EG that in a closed session? Why does he need to go public with every strange thought that crosses his mind?

I think both Abe, EG, and EJ are tired of his act. I said from the getgo that Gilby is disruptive and not team oriented. I'm glad people are starting to notice.

Ivan and Michael - superb job the entire year. After taking a well-deserved break, I hope to at least see your blog weekly on the Wizards insider. It would be great to have a Live Chat session during the week preceding the draft in June to see who the Wiz are considering picking. Thanks again for your hard work!!!

Gil obviously has talent - when healthy. The thing that bothers me now is that he's always so focused on the entertainment aspect.

I truly love that side of him and that's what makes me want him to stay. But the desire to have a winning team gets the better of me. And it seems like in the end, Gilbert is ok with losing as long as it's entertaining.

In Gil's blog about the Cleveland series, after saying that LeBaby killed them again:

"But, it was entertaining. On the days I wasn't playing, I enjoyed the hype. I know a lot of critics and sports analysts were killing us, I heard the Charles Barkley thing, but at the end of the day, they were watching. And at the end of the day, that's all you want for your series are the viewers."

Reminds me of Sidney in "White Men Can't Jump"...

You guys are STILL here? Start planning your summer vacation, loosers!

Looks like the Travel Agent aka LeBron James has once again dispatched the pizzards.

Yes we know LeBron travels, who doesn't this day in age? But that isn't the reason he's the travel agent. He is the "Travel Agent" because he has put the Washington Douches of Columbia Wizards on vacation for the last THREE years now. And to think ol' Gills said "Whats the odds of them beating us three years in a row?" I'll tell you the odds; 4-2, thats what. And speaking of Gilbert...

get rid of agent dildo.

Can't wait for the summer updates! I think Nick Young can be a beast..and somebody needs to tell DMac that he's way too young to become a Ben Wallace/Dennis Rodman (all rebounds no shot)!

Posted by: Chiggy | May 8, 2008 1:43 PM

I, and, I believe, the Wizards brass, would be delighted if DMac became a Ben Wallace or Dennis Rodman (without the weirdness). Both of those guys have multiple rings and they excelled at the two things the Wizards need most to take it to the next level - defense and rebounding.

Ernie's just like the Warden...he just talks a bunch of jive...then someone ends up getting cut with that colon shank.

Washingtonwizards.com has some of the presser up right now. big surprise they want to re-sign Gil and tawn

People talked a lot about Ty Lawson as a possible draft choice for the Wiz. I don't think he signed with an agent so he might still pull out of the draft. That said I would prefer Augustin to Lawson.

I heard EG's presser and reiterated that he wanted to see what this team could do if they are together for a "long period". When the question came up about blowing up the team, he was very adamant that this was not an option. EG's future here rides on GA's return to health and resigning AJ. If he doesn't start drafting better in the 1st round, this franchise is doomed long-term. I don't want to hear anymore about potential when he picks another foreign player in the 1st round who won't ever help us like Pecherov.

The way this team is built, they don't have the assets in-house to be able to swap out old parts for new (via trade or FA) on the fly without taking a big step backwards. Until guys like Thomas, Daniels, and maybe Haywood reach expiring contract status in a year or two, the only real option is to keep the team together and hope that internal improvement will be enough, or broom the whole thing out and start from scratch. They don't have a lot of wiggle room in between to make significant changes.

Let's hope that Ernie does the right thing and dumps EJ who has consistently run his player into the ground. His "injury plagued team" has become a self-fulfilling prophecy with the way he manages minutes in the first half other season. Please oh please Ernie, make a bid for Mike D'Antoni!

Gilbert pretty much has the Wizards hostage but that is not necessarily a bad thing. He, AJ and CB are still a fine nucleus and Haywood I think has found his place. Health will be the X factor as always.

To make this work, though, Nick Young is going to have to step up sooner (i.e. next year) and prove his value.

The remaining questions now become much more straightforward and intriguing at the same time.

1. Can we do a decent sign and trade for Mason? Let's say to Memphis or Portland, which are overstocked with point guards?
Or (previous blogger to the contrary) do we deal him to guard-poor Orlando for JJ Redick and see if he really can do the job as the designated bomber? I think there is at least an even shot that JJ could do it.

2. Should we keep hoping for an upside on Blatche or trade him now for a back-up PF with less upside but solid credentials? David Lee is too much to hope for but what about Shelden Williams or a 'rookie on paper' like Tiago Splitter.

2a. What about inviting free agent forwards like Darius Miles, Sharif Abdur-Rahim (assuming he gets cut by Sacto) or Marc Jackson (played in Europe) to camp to see if there is any gas in those tanks?

3. Do we draft big or small... my sense is we will go with what is the best available choice e.g. if Hibbert is there take him or if Collison is there, take him?

4. How do we re-integrate Etan Thomas into the team. The message to the poet has to be that we want 10-12 minutes of high energy from him as the Lakers are getting from Ronny Turiaf, who has the same medical history.

You and Mike Lee did a great job this year, Ivan! Thanks!

Ivan - must be tough having to work all year! [grin]

Wanted to let you know that I think you do a phenominal job covering the Wizards. Balanced, well rounded reporting in the paper - and little insider tidbits for us Wiz nuts in the blog... A great combo.

Keep up the fantastic work.

And, again, the Wizards do not have any Bird rights for Mason, so he cannot be used in a S&T. The most they can use to sign him is the MLE, which every other team in the league will also be able to spend. And if they re-sign him to a new deal, they wouldn't be able to trade him until December.

"Let's hope that Ernie does the right thing and dumps EJ who has consistently run his player into the ground. His "injury plagued team" has become a self-fulfilling prophecy with the way he manages minutes in the first half other season. Please oh please Ernie, make a bid for Mike D'Antoni!

Posted by: Kevin | May 8, 2008 6:31 PM "

Yes and no.

No, EJ is not responsible if the owner doesn't want to spend any money on 10 day contracts or go over the cap to get reinforcements when the team is under manned.

Yes, EJ is responsible when he lets the injured players dictate how many minutes they play and often times, it's more than they should. But, it's EJ's job to get wins, and if he's undermanned, then he's got to put the best horses out there.

Yes, EJ is responsible when some of the players either look totally unmotivated or are unprepared.

if Collison is there, take him?

Posted by: khrabb | May 8, 2008 6:59 PM

Unfortunately, Collison has said he is returning to College and is not entering the 2008 NBA Draft.

We have 2 centers, 6 forwards, and four guards (after Roger Mason leaves).

Based on these numbers, our biggest need is either a third center or a fifth guard.

Two of our forwards (Songaila, Blatche) have a lot of experience at the 5.

Only one of our forwards can potentially play any minutes as a guard. (Caron, but his ball-handling is suspect.)

Our biggest need right now is clearly a fifth guard, preferably a point guard given Gilbert's injury history and AD's age and playing style.

After that, we should think about finding a physical, wide-bodied "enforcer" forward.

Last, if we have any room left within the luxury tax limit, we should fill out our roster with a sixth guard.

khrabb -

1. Can we do a decent sign and trade for Mason?
A. Kalorama answered this one very well.

2. Should we keep hoping for an upside on Blatche or trade him now for a back-up PF with less upside but solid credentials?
A. Blatch's contract is so low that anyone you get back in a trade will a scrub. The sensible thing to do is to see if he matures, works on his game, and is able to tap into all that potential. THAT's the whole reason EG signed him to that contract - He didn't break the bank on someone with potential, and questionable work ethic. Instead, he signed him to a basic (below NBA average) contract. Now it's up to Blatche to prove he is better than a $3M per year player..

2a. What about inviting free agent forwards like Darius Miles, Sharif Abdur-Rahim (assuming he gets cut by Sacto) or Marc Jackson (played in Europe) to camp to see if there is any gas in those tanks?
A. There's a reason why none of those guys are currently on an NBA roster (it's like saying we should sign Sun Ming Ming).

3. Do we draft big or small... my sense is we will go with what is the best available choice e.g. if Hibbert is there take him or if Collison is there, take him?
A. My choice would be to draft big, given the chance. I agree, that if Hibbert is available, the Wizards should take him. If Hibbard is not available, then take Robin Lopez, JaVale McGee (who probably won't be there for the 18th pick), or perhaps Nikola Pekovic.
(Collison is not entering the Draft this year).

4. How do we re-integrate Etan Thomas into the team. The message to the poet has to be that we want 10-12 minutes of high energy from him as the Lakers are getting from Ronny Turiaf, who has the same medical history.
The last thing the Wizards need is a repeat of the Haywood vs. Thomas vs. Jordan feud from last year. Haywood has proved his worth. He's the undisputed starter, and deserves starters minutes (30mpg) - period!

We have 2 centers, 6 forwards, and four guards (after Roger Mason leaves).

Based on these numbers, our biggest need is either a third center or a fifth guard.

Two of our forwards (Songaila, Blatche) have a lot of experience at the 5.

Only one of our forwards can potentially play any minutes as a guard. (Caron, but his ball-handling is suspect.)

Our biggest need right now is clearly a fifth guard, preferably a point guard given Gilbert's injury history and AD's age and playing style.

After that, we should think about finding a physical, wide-bodied "enforcer" forward.

Last, if we have any room left within the luxury tax limit, we should fill out our roster with a sixth guard.

Posted by: DM | May 8, 2008 8:55 PM

Much easier to find a 3rd point guard, than a back-up Center.

Let's face it, it looks like both Arenas and Daniels will be back next year, but the ONLY center the Wizards have right now is Haywood.

Also, when the Wizards pick at # 18, there could be 3 or 4 legitimate 7ft centers with 1st round skills available:

JaVale McGee 7-0 240 - Athletic, skilled, huge upside. Still growing as a player. Probably will not be around at #18.

Roy Hibbert 7-2 278 - Good post player. Played in Princeton offense. Hard worker. Solid offensive moves. Good one-on-one defender (unless you take him outside).

Robin Lopez 7-0 255 - Brook's twin brother. Not as good Offensively, but high energy, and a good defender.

Nikola Pekovic 6-11 243 - Likes to play with his back to the basket. Banger. Good rebounder. Physical.

There are also several other 7footers in Europe.

On the other hand, there won't be many talented (1st round in the draft type) Point Guards available at #18:

DJ Augustin 5-11 180 - Will probably be gone by 18, but terriffic ball handling and quickness. Small for the NBA.

Mario Chalmers 6-2 181 - Good size. Good defender. OK ball handler. Needs to improve his shot.

Of all those players, it's my opinion that only Hibbert could come in as a Rookie and contribute right away.

i keep reading people talking about trading arenas for brand. if we do that and resign jamison, we'll have 2 all star players that play the same position. neither of them is capable of playing center. and neither is going to be playing 3 full time.

if you're going to trade for brand, you gotta trade jamison for a ball-handling backcourt player.

all these gilbert haters are letting their dislike of his personality color their judgement of his on-court game. last time we had him with our other all-stars playing together, we were FIRST in the east. with a much worse bench than this year. and both butler and jamison, had similar numbers last year with gilbert as they did this year without him. so did stevenson.

the only differences was butler improving his outside shot, and jamison taking less "bad" long jumbers. both of which were conscious off-season decisions (according to comments by each player), not a result of gilbert not playing.

haywood made the most noticeable improvement among the starters, though, he also got about 5 minutes more playing time per game. last time he had that many minutes per, he statistically averaged almost exactly what he did this year.

now...as a team, the wiz were much better defensively this year. but you can't unequivocally blame arenas for that. we also made defense a focus this season, and brought in a top-flight defensive coach.

arenas might not be a great man up defender, but neither is butler or jamison. he is just as good, if not better than butler at getting into the passing lanes though.

as for blatche not reaching his potential....

the man is only 21. the same age or younger than most rookies this year. and this season he got his minutes increased by about 40%, and in doing so, doubled his scoring output, increased his rebounding by about 60%, more than doubled his blocks per game, doubled his steals, and his shooting percentage went up.

look at it this way....al horford was seriously considered for rookie of the year. everyone thinks he's going to be a very good player. if you check out their splits, and look at their averages per 48 minutes, blatche averages more points, horford more boards, and blatche way more blocks. and they are both the same age.

now horford will continue to develop faster cuz he's going to get a lot more minutes per game over the next couple of years. but blatche is already a solid player. he needs to work on his strength and endurance, his free throw shooting, and get his jump shot more consistent.

i think during the next regular season both jamison and butler should play at least 5 minutes less per game, on average, and at least 5 of those minutes should go to blatche. rest our stars to keep them fresher for the playoffs, and get blatche more battle-tested.

Glad to see the Cavs got beat again. The Celts really seem to have James hamstrung so far. I hope it continues.

ok, its not all Eddie's fault. but still he's got to go. AJ needs to give little brother GA a little advice. GA does not see the forest for the trees. Help him AJ, maybe take him on a cruise and get his head straight. Maybe take him to the woodshed CB.

Gee, I hate it that those Boston fans are chanting "overrated" at me too. On the other hand, I shot 6 for 24 and had 7 turnovers, so maybe they do have a point.

"al horford was seriously considered for rookie of the year. everyone thinks he's going to be a very good player. if you check out their splits, and look at their averages per 48 minutes, blatche averages more points, horford more boards, and blatche way more blocks. and they are both the same age."

Which only reinforces the idea that the per 48 minutes average is only useful for fantasy leagues, because anyone who watches them play knows Blatche is nowhere near where Horford is as a player.

get rid of agent dildo.

Posted by: | May 8, 2008 4:02 PM
Why are you so scared of Arenas? Afraid he'll make your baby cry?

"ok, its not all Eddie's fault. but still he's got to go. AJ needs to give little brother GA a little advice. GA does not see the forest for the trees. Help him AJ, maybe take him on a cruise and get his head straight. Maybe take him to the woodshed CB.

Posted by: oddjob | May 8, 2008 10:11 PM "

I wonder how AJ feels when Gilby is constantly piggy backing his future with AJ's. AJ is his own man and can take care of his own business.

kal, the per 48 was just an easy example. if you take the games where blatche played 25 or more minutes, his averages are 13.5 pts, 8.3 rbs, and 2 blocks in 30.3 minutes. horford's were 10.1, 9.7, and 0.9 in 31.3 minutes.

now these averages are from only 23 games for blatche. and obviously are not exactly fair, because some games his low minutes would have correlated to his bad play. but also, as we know with most players, they play better with more court time.

we can also look at some other splits, like stats as a starter. blatche reached 11.5, 8.1, and 1.9 in 31 min. horford managed 10.2, 9.7, and 0.9 in 31.4 min.

now again, these are just stats, but they can help to dispel some perceptions. and i am in no way trying to say that blatche is or will be as good as horford (i'm not saying he isn't and won't be either). i was merely trying to refute khrabb's comment about how we should not keep hoping for an upside to blatche, and that we should try for david lee or shelden williams or tiago splitter (this was where i felt i had to comment).

as a final note, i think right now the biggest difference between blatche and horford is desire/attitude. the fact that blatche is talking about wanting to play in the summer league with the other young guys is a very positive sign.

let's forget about what the wizards needs are for a minute as faras draft is concerned here is where Grunfeld needs to concentrate at he needs to find someone who can hold rest of the wizards players accountable on defense here is something else Randy ayers needs to figure out how to upgrade that defense and maek that defense stronger also the problem the wizards have is that on both ends they play way too much one on one instead of team offense and team defense this team needs someone like either either jason Maxiell who i believe that he can hold his teammates accountable on defense of James posey who can play defense also the wizards needs to make upgardes on the assistant coaches with defensive background.

JC, you can look at all the stats you want, but they won't tell you what you need to know about the difference between Blatche and Horford. Horford plays with focus, intensity and consistency pretty much every minute he's on the floor. He understands that he can't just show up and expect to beat the other guy simply because, on paper, he's more "talented." He gets that. Blatche doesn't. And until he does he won't come close to being the kind of player his physical talent says he has the potential to be.

And while I would stay far away from Williams and have no idea about Splitter, I would take Lee for Blatche in a heartbeat.

the wizards should use the their 2nd round pick...on Jamal Shuler...SHUUUUUU!!!!!!
VCU's Lock down defender with almost unlimited range....

Time to let Gilbert go.

1) He has had significant leg & knee injuries two years in a row. Not only is that beginning to represent a 'pattern', but as a player who relies primarily on speed, a major worry looking forward.
2) The team played as/nearly as good without him, better defense, teamwork, ball movement, more looks for other players, which helped them get into the flow of the game.
3) Wants a max or a near max contract. As long as Abe is owner and we don't pass the luxury tax threshold, such contracts will kill us. Already, tight purse strings forced us to practice with eight players this year, while we're gonna have to let Mason - who had a breakout year - go because of salary cap pressure created by resigning Gilbert and Tawn. Meanwhile, as Butler develops into an elite All-Star, will we be able to pay him what he deserves & keep him with Gilbert maxing the books?
4) He is not a franchise player. Pure scorers who do nothing else - rebound, play D, make other players better & get them involved, etc - never lead teams to championship series. All-around stars like LBJames, Duncan, Jordan, Bird, Magic, Thomas do. We need one such star to reach the championship, and Gilbert ain't it. Butler may be.
5) He is extremely, tenaciously, exhaustingly immature. He 'demands' the team keep EJ, then criticizes him, demands they sign Antwan & threatens to leave if they don't, etc. On the floor, he remains a selfish player, and his trash talking during the Cleveland series was immature and counterproductive. By his own admission, he does not want to be a leader. THEN WHY SHOULD HE GET TEAM LEADER MONEY? The injury and bench time gave him a lot of time to think, mature, learn to value the lucrative, albeit fleeting nature of his career, set his priorities straight and, yet, he remains an immature, self-serving, childish braggart. He is funny and likable, granted, but simply not the future of our team if we want a championship.

Forget the draft. We have more than enough young players to develop already. We don't need any more immature distractions on this team. Trade the picks away, especially the guaranteed contract first rounder. If no one wants our picks, take a long shot longterm project that we can stash in the Europe for a few years to save salary.

Instead, fill out our roster with experienced journeymen. We have talent- what we need now is maturity and composure. Let's look in the DL for 27 to 30 year olds. Most important quality- professionalism, the ability to set a good example in practice and in the locker room.

There are some telling quotes from both LeBron and Doc Rivers about how they have been able to contain him.

"They have athletic bigs that do a good job on rotation," James said. "They don't allow me to crack the second line of defense."

From James Posey..."We go to practice and we work on trying to contain him. LeBron is what makes them go, if we control him then we can control them. It's not me, it's everybody, it's the big guys stepping up and bringing help."

Whether it is Garnett or Kendrick Perkins or Leon Powe, the Celtics big men are approaching him with their arms stretched outward, not upward, to attempt to remove passing lanes. It is part of the reason he's got 17 turnovers in the two games.

As a result James is feeling crowded and his options seem limited. Not helping is the Cavs apparent refusal to make major adjustments. Possession after possession the Cavs ran pick-and-rolls from the same spot on the floor with James and time and time again the Celtics executed their defense.

"We didn't make a defensive adjustment, we just got to places, quicker, faster, better," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "This is how we want to try to force him to play. We're not recreating the wheel but we have great focus at what we're doing."

This says to me that the best way to stop the guy is to have long armed, quick big men who can move their feet. This is the exact opposite of what Roy Hibbert brings to the table. Hibbert will never be even as good as BTH. He's an average rebounder and a worse scorer an is much slower. AB probably should have been utilized a little bit more at the PF position along with BTH and maybe AJ should have played SF against the Cavs. That may have put AJ on Wally but I'm ok with that. Even Pech is long and may have helped if we kept him down low. We got outcoached in our series. Sorry, EJ. It's true. With more overall talent that the Cavs, we should have been more competitive.

Ernie cant get equal value out of Gil right now, so he has to sign him and hope he comes back to at least 90% of what he was and then trade him next summer. In the mean time you have CB taking more and more control of this team. Ernie will look to fill the holes on the Wiz based on what CB needs to be more successful. He needs a PG who is a younger version of AD. He needs spot up shooter or two. And he needs a burly rebounder/defender he can funnel his man into. This is Ernie's plan, he is too smart to bank his future on a very talented flake. GA has one more year to show his head can catch up with his court skills.

That was plain as day and my assessment after watching the Wiz lose....the lack of a quick in the paint defender in the 4 spot.

Hibbert, as slow as he is, was able to handle Greg Oden 2 years ago, so I give him credit for that. Maybe Hibbert needs to borrow Gilby's parachute to work on his explosion and leg muscles.

I couldn't agree more with GreveyK.

I heard a soundbite earlier in the season that Gilby dissed Calderon and called him overrated and then some Raptors fan blasted Gilby on Gilby's own blog site.

Well, Calderon is stating now that he wants to be a starter. Guess what Calderon? You can start for the Wiz. Ernie, please call his agent.

http://www.thestar.com/article/423237

Ernie's press conference must have had nothing new of substance. On Monday I wrote,

"Ernie G has a tough, tough decision. He has publically been saying he wants continuity. But I am not sure we can believe the public statements. It is his job to hide his strategy. Trying to read what is happening behind the closed doors and what is really in his head is very difficult. There are so many questions. The top 4 decisions are:
*Do we keep Coach Jordan?
*Do we keep Gilbert ?
*Do we keep Jamison?
*Do we try to improve down low via the draft, free agency, or by current players improving?
But the most important question is "Which of these 4 decisions is top priority?"

It seems from his press conference that EG has already determined that they want to keep these 3 men. At least that is the public spin. Is he though, behind the scenes open to or even searching for offers and scenarios that will move Gil or Antwan? I hope so. I hope that he has not already determined that those 2 are untouchables. The top priority clearly seems to me to be to get better down low. So even if it means breaking up the big 3 to improve then we must break them up. We have draft picks, young and talented bench players as well as vets like AD and RM. But unless we can find a buyer like we did for Kwame or Stackhouse , which could happen, those commodities may not get us what we need. If the current resources can not be bundled to get better down low, then the "holy trinity" must be severed. (And I am certainly not one to advocate just flippantly breaking up the holy trinity!) So let's see how this plays out. I hope we are only hearing his public spin.

let's forget about what the wizards needs are for a minute as faras draft is concerned here is where Grunfeld needs to concentrate at he needs to find someone who can hold rest of the wizards players accountable on defense here is something else Randy ayers needs to figure out how to upgrade that defense and maek that defense stronger also the problem the wizards have is that on both ends they play way too much one on one instead of team offense and team defense this team needs someone like either either jason Maxiell who i believe that he can hold his teammates accountable on defense of James posey who can play defense also the wizards needs to make upgardes on the assistant coaches with defensive background.

Posted by: | May 9, 2008 1:30 AM

Talk about a run-on sentence... wow, was that hard to read!

The Wiz can march forward and keep the team intact and sign all their free agents.

Unfortunately, it doesn't solve the problem of having a low post presence at the 4 spot, for both offensive and defensive purposes. With AJ, after you sign him, he'll be locked in there for the next 3-4 years.

The Wiz can go into next season with the current roster, but questions still remain about the health of Gilby's knee, how effective the team will be with Gilby at the 4, defense in the starting lineup, consistent 3 point shooting, etc.

Wiz also need someone like Kapono who spreads the court and makes defenses stay honest. Mason doesn't strike that kind of fear, by a longshot.

"Gilby at the 4"

I meant Gilby at the 1.

Once Mason leaves the team will lack the 3 point shooter they have and will need to look to fill that up in the draft aside from the most obvious need of a banger/low post treat PF. It is still way too early to give up on Blatche. His still a young man and next season will be crucial for him. I still believe that if he excel in the summer and pre-season that EJ should try to experiment w/ AB and BTH combo with AJ as the super 6th man. This will give them the shot blocking front court that will negate any defensive lapse from GA and AD.

Who is the floor general for the Wiz at the defensive end of the floor?

Because they play under the basket and everything plays out in front of them, usually it's the responsibility of the center or power forward to recognize what the offense is doing and direct the defense. Who plays this role for the Wizards? Jamison, probably. If he were moved to the 3 or to a sixth man role, can any of our other bigs take over the responsibility?

(Incidentally, this is one of the ways that Jamison makes his teammates better offensively. Pull KG out to the perimeter with Jamison's three point shooting, and it makes it much easier for our other guys to break down the Celtics' defense.)

I was impressed by the way Doc Rivers rotates his team. Garnett, Pierce, Allen, they all got their rest. Their other guys got their minutes, and contributed according to their particular strengths. The Cavaliers also made sure to rest their big guys.
Next season, methinks the Wizards need to start developing their bench guys' strengths, and not just sit them cause they don't measure up to what AJ can do, or what Butler can do, etc. I've said it before, early in the season it is the coach's job to integrate the younger players into the team, give them confidence and develop their decision making abilities.
EJ didn't do that, so come crunch time at the end of the season and during the playoffs, he could not rely on his bench. Hmm kind of like catch-22, eh? Yes, someone's going to pipe up and say that EJ's primary objective is to win games. I understand that, but he has several responsibilities, winning games is not the only one. Another responsibility as others have said is to give his players adequate rest, not to fatigue them, make sure they aren't slowing down at the end of games, make sure they don't get hurt.
I think Jordan is a good coach, far better than the previous Wizards coaches of the last ten or fifteen years. But he can't just keep sticking to his plan, he's got to make changes. Right now, he can only get so far.

Anon - What I'm saying is IF (capitalized) Blatche improves to the point that starting him won't be detrimental to the team then I think the coaching staff should think about it. He has already demonstrates that he plays better when starting than coming of the bench. Plus, AJ as a 6th man doesnt mean far less playing time for him. He can still be the 6th man and still have his 35 PT ala Manu Ginobili. Just my $0.02.

Knock me over with a feather -- Grunfeld made news at his press conference yesterday. Eddie will be back.

"Hibbert will never be even as good as BTH."

Based on what? His college career? Well, here's a newsflash: Hibbert's college stats are almost identical to Haywood's at UNC.

"He's an average rebounder and a worse scorer an is much slower."

Another newsflash: Haywood is an average rebounder (if that). The notion that Hibbert is worse offensively than Haywood is nonsense. Hibbert is a much more polished and fluid low post scorer than Haywood, by a wide margin. Hibbert can actually create his own shot in the post. Most of Haywood's offense is generated by being setup by someone else off lead passes at the rim or putbacks. His low posts moves are painfully clunky and awkward. As for speed ... neither one of them is going to win a sprint, but Hibbert has much better lateral footwork offensively.

Mark, I realize that Haywood is some kind of sacred cow to you, but having another C on the roster who can actually play really is a good thing. I don't expect Hibbert to be an all-star, but he can certainly be a solid offensive low post presence in the NBA, which is what the Wizards need.

This is what Queen James comment on his poor performance with the Celtics so far:

"They have athletic bigs that do a good job on rotation," James said. "They don't allow me to crack the second line of defense."

That my friend sums up on why the Wizards loss to the Cavs. The trash talk/ hard fouls are only secondary.

EJ needs to take a look at the Bos./Cleve. in order formulate a plan on how to play LeBron.He also needs to get the bench more involved next year I have defended him in every venue but its time to put up or shut up that last game at the phone booth was atrocious he and the gm need to be on the same page as far as free agents and the draft are concerned and get a new medical staff stat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

kal, if you read the end of my comment, i said just that. desire and attitude are what separate those two. and while you certainly cannot live by stats, you can't just carelessly throw them out the window because they don't support your case. they are a part of the whole picture.

now as for lee, besides the fact that he is smaller, 3 years older, and slower than blatche, is also has almost no post game (his points are mostly second shots from rebounds), and is not much defensively. certainly not nearly as good a defender as blatche is.

blatche also fits in well with our team. he's the only real shot blocker we have after haywood. having that presence in in the lane makes the defense much stronger. in fact, i'd argue that his increased playing time, and effectiveness defensively, added greatly to our improved defensive numbers this year. more so than the lack of arenas playing, anyway....

i think people forget that he came right out of high school and is only 21. not to mention he basically lost his rookie year from being shot. this would've been his rookie year if he had left college after his SOPHOMORE year. if we had drafted a young rookie bigman this year, and he gave us 7.5 pts, 5 rbs, and 1.5 blocks in 20 minutes per, plus 15 or so games of over 15 points, and a dozen or so double doubles, we'd be pretty happy...

Formula is simple for improvement: need athletic, stronger, and tougher players at the 4 and 5 position. Kendrick Perkins of Boston is a prime example of why Boston is able to contain LeBron. They also have some young bigs like Leon Powe & Glenn Davis who can give quality minutes off the bench....we have no one of that ilk. Think about bringing in good 4 or 5 backup even if that means trading a future No. 1. How about Nick Collison of Seattle? He's probably available for a No. 1 plus Blatche since Seattle doesn't want to give him a large long-term deal.

I like Mason but his minutes will be needed next year by NY to see if can develop into the 18-20 ppg guy you'd like to have. Songaila, Daniels, and Etan each have 2-3 years left on their contracts and would be tough to move. Ernie was a little short-sighted when he doled out LT deals on guys who are career backups since it limits our flexiblity. The money we'll need to resign AJ and GA is hindered by the $16-17M we have tied up in 3 bench players who will be 30 or over this year. A smart GM would never have done 5-year deals for players of that calibre. We need to either draft a young big man at No. 18 if available or a young backup PG like D.J. August or Mario Chalmers.

"Songaila, Daniels, and Etan each have 2-3 years left on their contracts and would be tough to move. Ernie was a little short-sighted when he doled out LT deals on guys who are career backups since it limits our flexiblity"

I think AD was a good pick-up for the Wiz. Etan I believe was a huge mistake on EG's part for giving him that huge $$$/multi year contract. He should have just let him go to the Bucks.

now as for lee, besides the fact that he is smaller, 3 years older, and slower than blatche, is also has almost no post game (his points are mostly second shots from rebounds), and is not much defensively. certainly not nearly as good a defender as blatche is.

Posted by: JC | May 9, 2008 10:52 AM

Hey JC - I think the Wizards would take Lee over Blatche in a heartbeat.

Lee is a high energy guy and a rebounding machine. Hard worker. Extremely efficient. Does not need the ball to score. Very good free throw shooter (82%). He's a double-double just about every night. Very consistent.

Blatche, on the other hand seems to be a low energy type player. Has yet to show he's willing to work hard. He's not very efficient, especially around the basket - showing a reluctance to finish strong at the rim, even though he's almost 7ft. Prefers to flip up floaters, finger rolls, and short jumpers - rather than finish with a dunk. Average FT shooter (69%). Good shot blocker when coming on help defense - but not a very good man-to-man defender. Very inconsistent.

The Knicks would be crazy to go for that deal - - - - ............. Still, they paid Ared Effries all that cash... hmmm..

I like when Blatche crashes the boards...just like my life came crashing down when I was ent to prison on that murder wrap colon.

"if we had drafted a young rookie bigman this year, and he gave us 7.5 pts, 5 rbs, and 1.5 blocks in 20 minutes per, plus 15 or so games of over 15 points, and a dozen or so double doubles, we'd be pretty happy..."

And that might mean something if Blatche were a rookie. But he's not. And, again, numbers aren't the issue. If all you do is look at his numbers, you'd walk away with the impression that Ricky Davis is a great player. But if you'd actually followed his career you'd know that he's a selfish team-killing me-first stat-monger. Numbers don't provide context. Not every 20 pt game is created equal.

"now as for lee, besides the fact that he is smaller, 3 years older,"

Which would make him an ancient 25. Huh. Surprised the old fart isn't in a wheel chair.

"also has almost no post game"

Neither does Blatche. Most of his points come off face up jumpers or dribble drivess to the basket. He has no really effective post moves to speak of. Even if he did, he's not strong enough to back defenders at the PF and C positions (where he plays most of his minutes) down under the basket effectively.

"(his points are mostly second shots from rebounds)"

Two areas in which the Wizards need to upgrade. Perfect fit.

"and is not much defensively. certainly not nearly as good a defender as blatche is."

He's not the shotblocker Blatche is, but he's much stronger and tougher and provides a more formidable physical challenge to big men who try and back him down.

Of course, this is all moot, because the Knicks would never make such a deal. But if it was on the table, Grunfeld would be a fool not to pull the trigger.

I missed the conference yesterday but saw th evideo clip on wizards.com. It cut off just as someone was asking Grunfeld about Veeremenko. I know he's not that great, but did anyone catch what Ernie's response was?

Hibbert's college stats are almost identical to Haywood's at UNC.

Aren't you the one always talking about how stats don't mean much? And if your response is "No, I'm talking about how they played," then why bring up stats?

Mark, I realize that Haywood is some kind of sacred cow to you,

You mean the way Eddie Jordan is to you?

I agree with you about Hibbert, BTW. Would love to see the Wiz grab him. I just don't see the need for the gratuitous insults.

His numbers (PER, +/-, etc.), and the Wiz' record, reflect Haywood's value; it was the defensive improvement that made the biggest difference this year with all the injuries. That starts with Haywood.

I disagree with the poster that said we have to keep the team together. Even with the knee injuries, a sign and trade with Arenas could fetch some pieces that we need.
But I am not sure what kind of deals might be out there (outside of the Brand one, which JC correctly points out the problems with that).
You could make a case for taking either Hibbert or Augustin. I want Augustin because Arenas should be the two and Daniels isn't the type of point guard who can play the whole season at 35 mins. a game and stay healthy. Plus because of his jumper isn't very good, his effectiveness is fairly limited.
Drafting Hibbert is a good idea because if Etan returns he doesn't have to play center at all, he can back up Jamison at the 4 (if Jamison is still here).
Question for the board, do we have an MLE to use this year? If we do, maybe we can make a play for Calderon (a top notch PG in my view).

"Aren't you the one always talking about how stats don't mean much? And if your response is "No, I'm talking about how they played," then why bring up stats?"

Because i know they matter to the person with whom I was having the discussion, thus I used them as a point of reference he would understand.

"You mean the way Eddie Jordan is to you?"

Yawn. Aside from having no basis in fact, that's not even esp. clever. You can do better (I hope).

"I just don't see the need for the gratuitous insults."

Do you see the need for gratuitous self-righteousness? It would appear so.

I didn't insult mark, in any way shape or form in my post. And the fact that you're so worked up over some wrongly imagined insult to someone else pretty clearly speaks more about your own issues than anything else. Get over it. Or don't. Makes no difference to me either way.

Oh, and just so we're clear, I didn't insult you either. I was dismissively snide and sarcastic towards you, but only because you started it.

If you may, I will like to add my piece in the Blatche / Lee debate.

For me, we have seen the very best of David Lee this season. He will be a very good NBA back-up for a long time ( ala Kurt Thomas). I don't think we've seen the very best of Andre yet. If he'll change his work habit and be more dedicated to playing then I think he has more upside than Lee. Then again I have seen a lot of players that didn't reach their full potential because of lack of commitment on their part. I wish AB doesn't fall to that category. I just think that it's a season too early to say that Lee is better than Blatche.
Now I'm getting ready to take the hit :-)

Kal, I'm basing on plain athleticism or lack thereof. BTH isn't The only one who's sacred to me. Anyone that can help us win is sacred. BTh just happens to be our best answer at C right now.
As for Hibbert, I can't recall too many big guys that whose athleticism was questioned in college making it big (at the center position) in the pros. Brad Daugherty comes to mind. That said, he did a great job against Oden so perhaps I'm wrong. I just don't want to wind up with another slow footed Center when we already have more than enough of those.

Yawn.

Yup, that pretty much describes your entire post. And yeah, saying some has a "sacred cow" is an insult. It's saying you worship that person, and never see any fault. You're saying they're not objective, and can't be about that person.

you're so worked up

Writing a response is "so worked up"?

Spin away, my friend. Maybe you'll eventually convince yourself.

LeBron James is proving himself to be overrated as DS claimed. The only problem for DS is you have to have the ability to make him an outside shooter. I was amazed by how close we played LeBaby all series on D. Bait him and let him take all the outside shots he wants! Again, a reflection on our poor coaching!

This is what I've been "witness" to:

Con LeBron - streaky to no outside shot - 22% from 3pt, average foul shooter at best, no mid range game whatsoever, turnover prone when defended well.

Pro LeBron - great handle, very good passer, great driver to the rim, good rebounder, great intensity

I think most of us are putting the cart before the horse. We need to figure out what kind of team we want to be. Inside-out offense wherewe kick it inside and get better looks from outside? princeton where whoever is open gets the shot? Hornets-like team where the PG drives, dishes or shoots, creating the offense?
Let's figure out what defense we're trying to master also. are we a smallish, trapping team? Do we want to establish inside size and funnel guys into the bigs? All of this will determine who we want to build around.
Kal, I think Keithinator was just agreeing that BTH is the answer at C and the weakness defensively is not really him. We need more from the PF defensively. AJ is great at scoring and good at rebounding but he's small and the Cavs bigs were taking the ball from him after game 1 as much as he tried.

So questioning someone's objectivity is an insult? Really?

My, aren't you the sensitive hothouse flower? Life among people with differing opinions must be very hard on your delicate constitution.

The fact that mark readily copped to inherently favoring anyone who can help the team and, in so doing, admitted a bias regarding said players just makes you look like an even bigger jackass.

That was an insult, in case you were wondering.

"Writing a response is "so worked up"?"

When you're responding with indignation over something that (A) wasn't actually said and (B) wasn't even directed at you... yeah, pretty much.

"Yawn. Aside from having no basis in fact, that's not even esp. clever. You can do better (I hope).

---

Ohh, that was clever. You come up with that yourself or did you subcontract, now that the writer's strike is over.

---

But, y'know, other than the fact that you got almost everything wrong, you were spot on.

As usual.

Jackass.

---

I was wondering what that smell was.

BTW, the term is "bated breath" genius.

---

Reading is your friend. You should try it some time.

---

Apparently your subtle, rapier-like wit escaped him."

-- Kal, these are all examples of insults you've hurled at various posters in just the last two threads. Most of them were directed at others, not me. And I didn't include the insult parade from your 1:24 post.

It might be time to look in the mirror, and wonder why you feel the need to attack so much. But you don't seem to be an introspective type of guy.

Please, feel free to throw some more invective my way.

Were any of them directed at you (prior to your initiating an attack on me in this thread)? No. Then why is it your concern what I say to anyone else?

And, as usual, context is everything. Most of those were in direct response to shots being taken at me. Funny how you didn't include any of that. I'm sure it was just an oversight on your part, being the scrupulous truth seeker that you so clearly are.

But, again, why is what I say to anyone else your concern? When and by whom were you appointed the new sheriff in town? For such a sensitive guy, you certainly have a rather large ego, to think it's your burden to act as my ad hoc conscience. Sorry son, I've already got one and it works just fine.

Seriously, get over yourself.

kal has posted on other WaPo blogs. He is the same jackass, ass-sniffing douchebag there as he is here. He's just one of those people who if you don't agree with his opinion, he'll get all girly and start having hot flashes. He reminds me of some of those lames over at RI who think they're some type of blog superstar.

Hey kalorama, get over yourself buddy. You're not that special, if you were you wouldn't blog like us "loosers".

Glad to know that I was right about the lack of introspection. "Yes, it's everyone else's fault! They're all causing me to hurl insult after insult!"

i'd actually argue that david lee is not that strong or great of a physical defender. but we neither of us can prove that without looking at and citing tape. i have seen some write-ups about him arguing the same point...some from fans...soe from media "experts". so take from that what you will.

and actually i think blatche does have an inside game. yes he takes jumpers, but he also has some good baseline moves and is able to take most defenders off the dribble cuz of his quickness. his main issue has been finishing strong. it's not saying much, but he might have the "best" post moves of any wizard...

you're right he's not a rookie, but he also never had 2-3 years of college like these other guys. so effectively, he's got the same experience. you could argue that maybe he's had better coaching and could dedicate more time to bball, but conversely, you could also argue that he got limited chances and playing time compared to what a college player in the pros would have. jermaine o'neal was awful for about 4 seasons. mainly because he got no playing time. al harrington and al jefferson had similar issues. guys who progressed faster out of high school, like garnett, dwight howard, and josh smith, all got about 30 minutes of playing time a night from the get go. not saying blatche is any of the above, btw.

lee is not ancient, by any means. i listed the age difference because in 2 more years, when blatche is the same age as lee is now, i expect that he'll be a much better player than lee is at this stage. i tend to agree with fortune teller that we've seen the best of lee for the most part. maybe he'll have a bigger stat year every so often, but on average, what we've seen is what we get.

now don't get me wrong, i would love to have a guy on my team like lee. i just don't think i'd want to give up blatche for him.

"kal has posted on other WaPo blogs."

Wrong. Try again.

"Yes, it's everyone else's fault! They're all causing me to hurl insult after insult!"

You mean like you seem to be implying it's my fault you're hurling them at me? Ahhh ... I love the smell of rank hypocrisy in the morning. It's hard to claim the moral high-ground when you've got muck on your shoes.

I love the smell of rank hypocrisy in the morning. It's hard to claim the moral high-ground when you've got muck on your shoes.

I'm disappointed, Kal. You can be much more vicious than that, as I pointed out. You must be getting tired. Time for a cup of coffee; then you can pick up your chainsaw and go for my jugular again.

The funny thing is, you actually think you're the "good guy." Your like one of those drunken bar rats who starts a fight then threatens to sue when he gets his ass kicked.

Keithinator, You're spot on. Kal's posts are usually dripping with arrogance and/or sarcasm as if he's the authority and no one else has ever watched a basketball game before. I respond to him because he usually makes good (though arguable)points. I think the issue here is the tone in which he posts and the way he's so dismissive of other ppls opinions. I've disagreed with things that you, Rook, BF#1 have said yet I still remain respectful of your opinions. Kal doesn't usually afford us that same respect.
Still, he's head and shoulders above other folks here who blatantly insult everyone else.

Watching Games 1 and 2 between the Cavs and Celtics, with Lebron not scoring and producing a lot, I'm starting to think that the Wizard's main problem is Coaching. Doc Rivers knew how to contain each Cav's offensive player, esp. Lebron with their zone defense. Even the announcers pointed it out during the game.

The Wiz have good players, but they don't know how to strategize.

Your like one

Careful, Kal. For someone who likes to point out the misspellings of others (i.e. your "BTW, the term is "bated breath" genius." comment), it stinks of hypocrisy -- in fact, something else of which you accuse me!

Mark, you don't expect Kal to admit any of this, do you? Now you'll be in his gunsights, too.

The fact is, I always read Kal's posts, because they are usually insightful and well-reasoned. It's too bad he doesn't realize how smug he comes off (now, of course, he'll accuse me of exactly the same thing.)

Keithinator, I've been the target before. I suspect as loon as I say that BTH is a decent player and GA is a great one, I'm setting myself up for it.
I really enjoyed when 88 and Kal went at it earlier this year. It was kinda like watching the Cavs/Celt series. I didn't really care who won. I just read their insults to each other and chuckled to myself.

Back to insulting and bashing each other!
What, do we need to bring back the Cleveland camp followers?

Keith - Those were Kal's idiotic tirade directed to me in the previous thread. That's all okay. I questioned one of his post and he just explode like a rocket ship. It just showed that he can't take it the same way he usually dish off to others. What a character! By the way, he just left me once he realized he can't win. :-)

By the way I envy you guys as Kal has been giving you special attention. I asked him a couple of questions and he keeps on ignoring me. :-)

We need large, fast, athletic big men to compete deep into the playoffs. As constituted, our team is a small jump shooting team, OK during the regular season, disastrous in the playoffs.

1) Brendan Haywood - made great strides this year with his free throw shooting, can block shots and is an average rebounder and hot-cold scorer. But he is also awkward and lumbering. Lacks explosion, foot speed & the ability to fast break.

2) Andray Blatch - has great potential if he gains pounds & muscle, but is currently too thin to do anything but tantalize inside

3) Jamison - an all-star, but not an inside presence. He shoots too many jumpers & spends too much time on the perimeter. While he rebounds well owing to one of the quickest jumps in the NBA, he doesn't bang, or intimidate, or muscle. He is a small forward playing Power Forward. His absence in the paint coupled with Haywood's slowness means that our starting five lacks presence, force and dynamism inside.

4) Etan Thomas - At best, a third-string C/PF option.

5) Pecherov - Has the body of Mr. Burns on the Simpsons and will simply never be the answer inside. I like his spirit, but it remains to be seen whether he even belongs in the NBA.

6) Songalia. A decent bench player, but glacial speed and zero lift.

Until we have a truly dynamic, fast, strong, intimidating presence in the middle, we'll be a jump shooting, first-round-and gone-playoff team. Which is why we must think VERY CAREFULLY about paying max to Antwan and Gilbert. I believe we must pursue and set aside 15m for a major interior presence. And no, the slow-footed Hibbert is not the answer

"It's too bad he doesn't realize how smug he comes off "

On the contrary, I'm quite aware of it. I simply don't care what anyone else thinks of it. I esp. don't care what people who employ the same tactic in a hypocritical attempt to prove them somehow morally superior think of it. Remember, this entire thing started with you expressing your disdain for "gratuitous insults" (which I didn't make) by slinging gratuitous insults my way.

If you believe, as you implied you do, that other people taking shots at you doesn't make it ok to respond in kind, then practice what you preach. Turn the other cheek. Unless and until you're willing to do that however, then you are, in fact, a hypocrite by virtue of behaving in the very manner you disparage. Can't have it both ways. Takes two to tango. And all of the other appropriate cliches. You have no basis for complaining about the tone of my responses as long as you engage me, knowingly and willingly, using the same tactics,

Yo Kal. What law firm do you work for?

uhhh. huh? Kal, you're something else!! LOL

GreveyK, that Pech/Montgomery Burns comparison has me in stitches. They both sport the Quasimodo look.

On the contrary, I'm quite aware of it. I simply don't care what anyone else thinks of it.

And finally, we come to the crux of the issue! He recognizes what most everyone else sees as a problem.

But he doesn't even admit it is a problem. In fact, he's undoubtedly just misunderstood -- by everyone. That's why he won't change.

The reason? If only we were as evolved, as enlightened as he, we would understand. It's our own ignorance that is the real issue here. Why change, after all, when you don't need to? What needs to change is everyone else.

Glad we got that straightened out!

"Andray Blatch - has great potential if he gains pounds & muscle, but is currently too thin to do anything but tantalize inside"

The whole "Blatche needs to hit the weight room" thing keeps coming up, but I'm skeptical on that front. Becoming a tough, physical player is about more than size, it's about attitude. And I don't think Blatche has it in him to be a tough guy. Certainly he can develop his skills and play, but I hold out no hope of him ever becoming a real physical tough inside player. I think his future may bee on the wing. And if that's the case, putting on weight/muscle may actually work to his detriment as it may impede his quickness and athleticism, which are his primary assets.

At the risk of blatant self-promotion...

There's a reason why Bullets Forever keeps growing. It's because people like DC Man and kal come across as such jerks in their posts. Worse yet, they don't seem to realize it. It's too bad, because they make lots of intriguing points, and I think they clearly know hoops.

But there's a way to do that without baiting people, and I'm not sure they've figured it out.

Come on over and register with BF (www.bulletsforever.com). Nobody baits each other over there, just civil discussion. And if someone does cross the line, they're warned, then if they don't stop, they're banned. Simple as that.

"But he doesn't even admit it is a problem. "

It's not a problem ... for me. If it's a problem for you, well, that ain't my problem. If you're upset or offended by what I say, feel free to ignore my posts. I won't be offended. But the idea that I should somehow be required to modify my behavior to fit your idea of acceptable comportment is wildly arrogant and self-absorbed. Since you seem so obsessed with the idea of "introspection" perhaps you can tell look deep inside and discover why you seem to believe you can get away with acting like your perspective is the only on people should be allowed to adopt.

"But there's a way to do that without baiting people ..."

It's not the fisherman's fault if the fish doesn't know enough to stay off the hook.

Kal, you only continue to further embarrass yourself. I wish, for your own sake, you'd stop. How many folks have to call you out on this before you'll admit that maybe, after all, it's you, and not everyone else?

Prada, I'm coming over. I like what you're saying, and I love the idea of registration. See you at bulletsforever!

Kal & Keith,

Ever consider marriage counseling?

never said trade the low 1st rounder to the clippers and they'd bite on it for brand. it would probably have to be a pkg deal and include antonio daniels or etan's salary to work.

never said JJ Reddick is the answer at 2 guard. other than Mason Jr and Stevenson on occasion, who do we have that consistently knocks down outside shots? would Reddick not be effective for 15 - 20 minutes a game if he were in with a healthy Arenas and Butler who both can put the ball on the floor and draw double teams on penetration? it would be no different than having Earl Boykins in his day, Pargo for the current Hornets or other specialists like we used Legler back when Webber, Juwan, Strickland and co were Bullets. Orlando doesn't want the guy so he'd probably be a bargain.

Oh, and this whole stupid feud exploded when kalorama took exception to JC's very valid point about how Blatche's per-minute numbers mirror Al Horford's. Not only is it simply rude to say something along the lines "per 48 minutes average is only useful for fantasy leagues, because anyone who watches them play knows Blatche is nowhere near where Horford is as a player," but it's misrepresenting JC's point. He threw them out as food for thought, not as saying that Blatche and Horford were equal players.

And then, to go down the Ricky Davis line is just ridiculous. It's akin to saying "blogs that have a lot of hits all suck. Perez Hilton has a lot of hits, but it sucks, so therefore, you can never, ever evaluate blogs by the number of hits they get." Just because something isn't a perfect tool doesn't mean it should be totally ignored.

(Of course, it's wildly ironic that later you used the logic that Hibbert and Haywood are comparable because they had similar college stats).

And per-minute stats are actually very valuable. They allow you to compare players in different places in their careers. More importantly, if you don't use per-minute stats, you assume that coaches are infallible. You assume that they always play the right player for the right amount of time. Coaches are smarter than you or me, but they aren't perfect.

Additionally, in around 70 percent of the cases, a player's production actually increases when they get more time. Some great examples of players who had great per-minute numbers as bench players and became productive starters include Jermaine O'Neal, Michael Redd, Ben Wallace and Gerald Wallace. Those are just a few examples.

For more, I suggest reading this link, which links to the studies I mentioned.

http://www.knickerblogger.net/index.php/2007/10/29/a-laymans-guide-to-advanced-nba-statistics/

Yeah, it's just numbers. Fine. But even numbers is better than the "everybody knows that" argument.

Prada, are more than 2 comments posted per hour on bullets fever? No disrespect to Ivan and Michael, they're great, but between the asinine post, or lack of post peroid, this place can become a room with white walls.

with one occupant.

"How many folks have to call you out on this before you'll admit that maybe, after all, it's you, and not everyone else?"

Still don't get it do you? Like I said, I'm fully aware that my approach isn't for everyone. I simply don't feel the need to water down my opinions just to please other people. Anyone who wants to engage me can do so (and they frequently do). Anyone who doesn't, doesn't have to. Those are the (only) rules. If you choose to be in the latter group, so be it. But if you really think that I'm somehow beholden to change to suit the dictates of some nameless, faceless internet blogger, I'd strongly suggest you and the Internet need some time apart.

Man, this weekend, I think I'm gonna cut someone bad. Real bad in that sand yard with my colon shank.

Kal, look, you can do whatever you want. You can say things however you want. I don't really care, to be honest.

But I think it would serve both this blog and even yourself more if you would just tone it down a notch. Blockquoting segments of poster's posts and then shredding them to pieces in the way you do so is not adding to anyone's purpose but your own. And maybe if you took the time to understand what everyone is saying, instead of finding the one snippet of a post that you don't agree with, you too might gain the same from the other posters as a lot of others could gain from you (since you know hoops).

I assume you come on here because you like talking Wizards hoops with others. That makes you like practically everyone here. So why pick fights? You're all here for the same purpose anyway.

Last post on this subject Kal, but the irony is too delicious to ignore:

I'd strongly suggest you and the Internet need some time apart.

This, from the person who posts here all day, every day. If we counted up your posts and mine over the season, you would win by at least a 30-1 ratio.

Watching Games 1 and 2 between the Cavs and Celtics, with Lebron not scoring and producing a lot, I'm starting to think that the Wizard's main problem is Coaching. Doc Rivers knew how to contain each Cav's offensive player, esp. Lebron with their zone defense. Even the announcers pointed it out during the game.

The Wiz have good players, but they don't know how to strategize.

Posted by: bdunkadunk | May 9, 2008 2:16 PM
__________________________________________

The Celtics have Kevin Garnett. He makes everybody around him better and he plays with passion and emotion on both ends. The only player close to that for the Wiz is Caron and he wasn't healthy nor is he 7 foot tall and a major presence in the paint. K-G rubs off on his teammates. Perkins, Posey & co dig in and play big because K-G does. We need Brendan to enforce and during the Cleveland series, for the most part, he did. As another blogger said, Blatche will probably never have that fiery attitude.

Prada, are more than 2 comments posted per hour on bullets fever? No disrespect to Ivan and Michael, they're great, but between the asinine post, or lack of post peroid, this place can become a room with white walls.

with one occupant.

Not sure I get your question. If you're asking which site has more readers, it's here, obviously. If you're asking which site posts more frequently, it's definitely BF, because not only are there main page posts, but users can write their own blogs (called "FanPosts" and post their own videos/clips/quotes/links/etc).

If you're asking which site is better, then I don't have an answer for you. Ivan and Mike are incredible reporters; two of the best in the business. I'd like to think that BF is as good an independent blog that you can find, but Ivan and Mike are professionals.

Is the pissing contest over now?

Both of you can write your name great in the snow, now let it go.

Sheesh!

If you don't care, then let it go and move on.

Meant to say that I hope Bullets Forever is as good an independent Wizards blog as you can find.

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