Wizards Insider

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

Thunder 127, Wizards 108

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:22:22 -0500

Whose fault is it now? Who is going to have to take the brunt of the criticism for this 3-8 start? The Wizards had an easy target last season, placing the blame on their miserable start with a group of not-ready-for-prime-time players because Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood, among others, were out with injuries. But on Friday night, the Wizards sent a veteran lineup, featuring their dream starting five of Arenas, Haywood, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Mike Miller, on the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder and got completely outplayed and outworked. The young guys --- JaVale McGee, Nick Young and Dominic McGuire -- sat for all but the final minute of an embarrassing 127-108 loss. The Wizards never led at any point in the game and allowed three players on the Thunder to score 25 or more points, including Kevin Durant, the local kid who scored a

Wizards (3-7) at Thunder (6-6)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:50:45 -0500

Wizards starters: Gilbert Arenas, Mike Miller, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood Thunder: Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic Line: Thunder by 4. The Wizards are 0-for-Oklahoma City. They've never won at Ford Center, losing to the Thunder, 88-83, last season and twice against the New Orleans Hornets, who spent two seasons in Oklahoma following Hurricane Katrina. And, I know it doesn't count, but they also lost a preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers here in 2005 in which Eddie Jordan was ejected. Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood certainly had their history together, but Haywood might want to give Thomas a hug for what he did this summer. Thomas was the only possible holdup on the Wizards' deal with Minnesota last June. By declaring that he wouldn't opt out of the final year of his contract, Thomas cleared the way for Mike Miller and Randy

The Other Side: Oklahoma City Thunder

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:07:51 -0500

The Oklahoma City Thunder had the makings of a disaster at the start of last season, when it won just three of its first 32 games. But the Thunder was a second-half surprise under Coach Scott Brooks, going 20-30 the rest of the way -- including an 88-83 win over the Wizards last March -- and has continued to improve. The Thunder is already 6-6, with wins over Orlando, Miami and San Antonio and it is coming off a 108-94 loss in Orlando on Wednesday. Here's what else you need to know about the Thunder: We don't stink anymore! (AP Photo/J Pat Carter) 1. Folks in Washington already know that Kevin Durant is a budding but low-key star, but few realize that he is also in pursuit of his college degree -- so are Russell Westbrook and fellow D.C. area native Jeff Green. He ranks sixth in the NBA in

Morning brew

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:02:07 -0500

Center Brendan Haywood is having a stellar season, which has been nearly overshadowed by the Wizards' slow start. Michael Lee writes about that -- and previews the game against Etan Thomas and the Oklahoma City Thunder -- for today's newspaper. On the blog, he recounts how DeShawn Stevenson got inside LeBron James's head on Wednesday night. Dan Steinberg examines Earl Boykins's role in the return of Agent Zero and Boykins's uncanny strength. Not to mention the fact that Gilbert tweeted last night. At the Washington Times, Mike Jones says the team hopes the win can serve as a building block to a turnaround. Bullets Forever's Mike Prada offers a final wrap-up of Wednesday's win over the Cavaliers. Truth About it reminds us: Don't call it a statement. Around the League ... The New York Times and Newsday are reporting that the Knicks have dropped their pursuit of Allen Iverson. Last