Wizards Insider

Wizards 108, 76ers 107

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:08:14 -0500

On a night like tonight, basketball games, locker room feuds and the return of a former coach all seemed quite trivial. Abe Pollin, the patriarch of the Washington Wizards died on Tuesday afternoon, creating an emotional and somber tone as the players were informed only a few minutes before they arrived at Verizon Center. Pollin had close relationships with several of players, viewing many of them as his sons. Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas both spoke of the special relationships they had with Pollin. Jamison had formed a close bond with Pollin, similar, though not nearly as deep as, to the one Pollin had established with the legendary Wes Unseld. Arenas said Pollin "was like a father away from home." Brendan Haywood, the longest tenured Wizard with nine years in the organization, recalled how when he arrived, Pollin used to run around the arena for exercise and how difficult

Reactions to Pollin's death [Updated]

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:53:08 -0500

NBA Commissioner David Stern: "With Abe Pollin's passing, the NBA family has lost its most revered member, whose stewardship of the Wizards franchise, together with his wife Irene, has been a study in unparalleled dedication to the city of Washington. During his illness he fought with a determination and valor that will remain an inspiration to all. We extend our deepest sympathies to Irene and his two sons, to whom he was so very devoted, and to the entire Pollin family." Redskins owner Dan Snyder: "Abe Pollin was a great owner for Washington, as well as a personal friend. His legacy will live through his teams and the arena he built, and just as importantly, through his commitment to his family and to Washington. My thoughts and prayers go out to Irene and the rest of his wonderful family." The Washington Nationals: "The Washington Nationals and the Lerner family join

Longtime Wizards owner Abe Pollin has passed

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:58:11 -0500

The only majority owner in the history of the Washington Wizards died on Tuesday at age 85. The Wizards just released a statement: Washington, D.C. - Washington Sports & Entertainment Chairman Abe Pollin passed away earlier today. Further details will be released through Washington Sports & Entertainment as they become available. The Pollin family asks that their privacy be respected in this difficult time.

The Other Side: Philadelphia 76ers

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:15:50 -0500

You got there. No, go there. Uh, where are you going? (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Eddie Jordan's current team has a better record than his former team, but that doesn't mean all is well for him in Philadelphia. The 76ers (5-8) have lost their last two games in a row as Jordan returns to Verizon Center for the first time since the Wizards fired him. Here's what else you need to know about the 76ers before the game tonight: 1. Jordan has already called out his team for being soft twice this month. But it is obvious that he is still trying to learn his team. And, the 76ers are still learning the complicated Princeton offense. 2. Elton Brand, the 76ers' $80 million dollar man, is averaging 12.1 points and 6.5 rebounds and Jordan recently considering benching him, thinking that Brand could no longer play major minutes. But in the past

Wizards reunite with Jordan

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:15:09 -0500

Miss me? (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) The locker room callouts about "egos" and "hidden agendas" and the recent spat involving Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler have overshadowed what the dominant theme of this game was expected to be: the reunion of Eddie Jordan and the Washington Wizards -- on the anniversary of his firing. How rich is that? "I didn't know it was the anniversary," Antawn Jamison said after practice on Monday. "That's strange, but it's just one of those things." It will be interesting to see what kind of reception Jordan gets, especially with the Wizards only slightly better than they were last season, when Jordan was fired after a 1-10 start. When talking to reporters in Philadelphia on Monday, Jordan said he remembers Ernie Grunfeld being "very sincere" when he decided to replace him with Ed Tapscott last Nov. 24. ''Not apologetic, but he had to do what he

Morning brew

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:45:21 -0500

Yes, we're aware there's a game tonight. Might have been easy to forget in light of all the Gilbert Arenas-Caron Butler news. Michael Lee covers it for the paper, which gave it some attention on the sports front page of the dead-tree version of our enterprise. Mr. Lee also put together some late-night thoughts on the matter on the Insider. And if you need a primer on Gilbert, in his own words, we got you covered there, too. Here's Mike Jones's Washington Times story on all this. Brendan Haywood addresses the Wizards' locker room problems in his latest blog post and explains that he has never had a problem with Gilbert Arenas and that his "ego" comments were intended for the entire team, including himself. Truth About It offers its take on the Wizards' off-court flair for the dramatic. Nationally, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com checks in on Wizards' woes. NBA.com's

Arenas, Butler talk and claim to resolve differences

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:56:09 -0500

I wanted to give you guys an update on what happened since my last blog post. The drama with these Wizards has to be charted in real time, it seems. I spoke with Caron Butler shortly after I wrote about how Gilbert Arenas said that 14 of the 15 players on the team get along and two of the three captains -- Arenas and Antawn Jamison -- would help the team heal the rifts in the locker room. Butler, one of the team's three captains, was shocked to hear about Arenas's comments and refused to say anything in retaliation. He told me that he has no problems with anyone on the team and understood that guys start pointing fingers when things go poorly. "It's crazy, losing and everything. Man, it's tough," he said, "but in the midst of all of this, we've got to remain positive. That's all you can

Miller and Butler hurting, Young starting, Arenas talking

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:55:50 -0500

The Wizards will possibly be without two starters when they welcome back Eddie Jordan on Tuesday. The team is still waiting on the results of MRIs on Mike Miller's right calf and Caron Butler's right foot. Butler didn't practice on Monday and is questionable after playing with through the injury the past two weeks. Coach Flip Saunders said the pain became unbearable in the past week. "He decided go to an MRI to see where it's at. It swelled up a little bit yesterday so we'll know more this afternoon. I know that he had trouble being able to push off in San Antonio. He just couldn't get anything going. We thought it would be better to try to see where it's at and try to take care of it." Miller will definitely be out for an extended period of time after injuring his calf in San Antonio. Miller was

Morning brew

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:45:49 -0500

Well, you knew it would take something special for the Wizards to get noticed on a weekend when they played a time zone away and local fans were getting geared up for Dallas Week. And of course, it couldn't be on the court. That would be too easy. How about some locker-room dissension? Yes! It almost needs no introduction, with Michael Lee covering it not only in today's Post, but also in a blog entry we posted last night. Be sure to vote in the poll that comes with said post. Here's the view from Mike Jones of the Washington Times. If nothing else, at least Gilbert Arenas isn't shooting at the wrong basket. Yet. (TwitVid courtesy of @jose3030) (Speaking of the Nets, our Norman Chad wrote a column in which he says New Jersey should aim high: 0-82) In other Wizards news, Mike Prada of Bullets Forever weighs in

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Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:45:49 -0500

Agent ego?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:25:48 -0500

I wasn't able to completely delve into the rising dissension in the Wizards' locker room, but I decided to use this forum to go a little deeper than what I could in the newspaper. You already know by now that Brendan Haywood and Gilbert Arenas made some interesting comments after the team suffered a 22-point loss in San Antonio. Haywood talked about how "ego" is standing in the way of the Wizards' success this season. He didn't single out anyone, but he spoke of the need for the players to humble themselves, stop worrying about statistics and glory and play basketball. "Check your ego at the door. Let's try and win," Haywood said. "I watch the Celtics, and that's what they do. Paul Pierce can have 12 in the fourth quarter if they're up, he don't care. That's what we gotta do. Check your ego at the door, move the

Morning brew, Sunday brunch edition (UPDATED)

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:35:20 -0500

The ugliness continued for the Wizards Saturday night against the Spurs. And based on the scenes Michael Lee witnessed during Washington's 106-84 loss to San Antonio, it's not going to get better any time soon. All of this ended too late to make many dead-tree versions of The Post (thank you, 8:30 start) but Mr. Lee covers it in his postgame thoughts. UPDATE: NBA.com posted some comments made by Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood after the game, which Mr. Lee will cover in his off-day story. Here's the game story from Mike Jones of The Washington Times. And the short and not-so-sweet observations from Bullets Forever. As usual, highlights courtesy of NBA.com: Around the league... Nine games on the slate Saturday, including one matinee. The Nets are still winless. LeBron James is still pretty good. Brandon Jennings can still fill it up. And the Hawks don't always win. For the

Spurs 106, Wizards 84

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:13:35 -0500

Sorry about the delay on the video and the blog. Similar to the Washington Wizards, I was experiencing some technical difficulties at the AT&T Center. How can you have jacked up wireless service at a building named after a phone company? As for the game, there was one image from the game that really stood out for me. No, it wasn't the sight of Tony Parker weaving into the Wizards' defense; Tim Duncan nearly having a triple double by halftime; the Wizards clanking contested jumper after contesting jumper; Theo Ratliff greeting Randy Foye's drives to the basket with vicious swats, or even Roger Mason Jr. finally finding his shooting stroke as the Wizards conceded in the fourth quarter. What stood out for me was the sight of Mike Miller being carried off the court, leaning on teammate Dominic McGuire and head athletic trainer Eric Waters. Only a few moments

Wizards (3-8) at Spurs (4-6)

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:31:39 -0500

Wizards starters: Gilbert Arenas, Mike Miller, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood Spurs: Tony Parker, Keith Bogans, Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess Line: Spurs by 7.5. Back in San Antonio, where he spent his first four years in the NBA, Fabricio Oberto also returned to the Wizards after missing the past two games with a sore left hamstring. To make room for Oberto, Nick Young was moved to the inactive list (That might not sound like a big deal, but Young was the only player to all 82 games during that injury-riddled, 19-63 campaign last season). Oberto used his short time at the AT&T Center to catch with some former teammates and other members of the Spurs' staff. He also spent time in the visiting team locker room for the first time. Oberto said that he wouldn't get too caught up the emotion on Saturday. "It's weird because I

The Other Side: San Antonio Spurs

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:07:11 -0500

You thought the Wizards were having a rough start? Okay, they are pretty bad right now. But what about the San Antonio Spurs? After electing to pay the luxury tax for the first time in franchise history, the Spurs are just 4-6 and off to their worst 10-game start since Tim Duncan joined the team in 1997. What? I didn't kill a bat! Wasn't me. Really. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) The Spurs have lost three in a row, including a 90-83 loss to the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. They haven't lost four in a row since March 2008. Here's what else you need to know about the Spurs: 1. Manu Ginobili showed tremendous reflexes when he slapped a bat down to the ground on Halloween. But the Spurs really just need him to be healthy. Unfortunately for San Antonio, that is easier said than done. He's out for

Morning brew, weekend edition

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:55:39 -0500

There was plenty of offense Friday night on both sides (69 combined points for the Wizards' big three; 35 points by District native Kevin Durant). But that doesn't make up for how poor the Wizards looked on defense. Just when it seems like the offense is showing signs of life and Gilbert Arenas is taking better care of the ball (only 5 turnovers total the last two games), the defense allows a season high for points while the Thunder shoots 52.4 percent from three and 53 percent overall. Michael Lee delves into all this in his late-night postgame thoughts. The Wizards have to shake it off quickly because they have to play at San Antonio on Saturday. Mike Jones of The Washington Times was also on hand. We wonder if the headline writer had this little Garth Brooks ditty on the brain when piecing that together. Here's the recap from