A Knee for A Knee

For those of you who haven't heard, Wizards traded for more (less?) than a bad contract and an over-the-hill player in in Rashard Lewis. Nagging tendinitis is not the worst thing in the world, but Rashard's contract is looking heavier than ever.

The good news is that Rashard sitting might actually be a good thing to let the young Wizards play and improve our draft position. The even better news? Gilbert Arenas' knee is ruined.

The man formerly known as Agent Zero already had the worst contract in the NBA, and we knew he lacked the explosion of his pre-surgery days, but the confirmation that the knee is giving him trouble, even in limited minutes, is sad. Stan Van Gundy wants him to rehab the knee, but seriously, the guy played about half a season's worth of games over the past 3 years - he has had plenty of time to rehab. It appears that Hibachi/Zero Hero/Agent Zero is no more.


When the Lewis-Arenas trade was made, my feeling was that we had to get rid of Gil and his contract any way possible, so it was a good move. My only hesitation was that I thought Gil would get a little healthier, play a little better, and improve his value. The news of the condition of his knee reveals that the Wizards actually sold high.

This is a sad revelation for all of us who enjoyed Zero Hero in his glory days. Perhaps it is only fitting that the aftermath of Gilbert Arenas in DC is bittersweet. 

(Image courtesy of blogs.orlandosentinel.com)

Gilbert Arenas Tribute Day

I will write something more extensive about Gilbert Arenas, likely tomorrow. But am belated because I spent a lot of time working on the Gilbert Arenas Tribute Day for Bullets Forever, which has been all over the web. I had the pleasure of writing on his top 5 buzzer beaters, but all of the posts are must-read.

I won't say too much now, but despite my constant negativity towards his awful contract, I won't forget how he led a pathetic franchise back to some kind of relevance. Gil made me, and probably many of you, passionately care about the Wizards/Bullets for the first time.

(Image courtesy of dcprosportsreport.com)

The Wizards' Black Santa

Chanukah may have come a few hours early when word leaked that the Wizards and Magic are still discussing a trade involving Gilbert Arenas, aka the (2nd) worst contract in the league.

The Magic are tied for the best record in the East at 13-4 and appear to be a title contender as currently constructed, without making.......wait, I'll stop. Orlando feels the need to add another playmaker and apparently are leaving no stone unturned if they are considering a guy coming off of 2 knee surgeries and with 4 years and over $80 million left on his contract. Gil put on nice show against the Magic last week in what could have been his audition.

 Black Santa (aka Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith)

Let's be clear, the Wizards are in last place in the Eastern Conference, starting a rebuilding process, and need to get rid of Agent Zero Six Shooter Gilbert Arenas. Gil is not part of the future, is not a great mentor and/or leader for the youngsters, and his massive contract is a huge handicap. The problem is finding someone to take this albatross off of our hands. Almost any trade that involves Gil leaving DC would be a good one, as there is no contract (other than Joe Johnson's) that I wouldn't take back for his. 'Locker room cancer' Vince Carter and his contract with 1 year remaining for Gil? - Where do I sign up!?!

The rumored deal involves Gil and Andray Blatche from the Wiz, and some combination of Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, and Daniel Orton from the Magic. VC and Lewis cannot be in the trade together, as the Wiz have almost no way of matching both of their bloated salaries. The Wiz could take one of those 2 in any deal involving Arenas. Both have similar salaries, with the main difference being that VC has 1 year left on his deal, and Lewis has 3.

VC for Gil is a no-brainer. VC could be the worst possible player to put on a young team, and I would consider just sending VC home for the season to keep him away from the youngsters and then creating a pool of coins in the summer with the 3 years of savings from Gil's contract.

Lewis for Gil is a closer match, but again, something the Wizards have to do as it cuts 1 year off of Gil's contract. I do hesitate here though, as Gil is the superior player and Lewis is aging quickly so may be impossible to move before his contract is up in 3 years, whereas Gil actually could play well enough that we could get rid of him in under 3 seasons.

Then there is the twist with the Magic wanting Andray Blatche. 7 Day Dray hasn't had a great season, not taking the step forward we'd hoped for, and saying his defense has been disinterested would be kind. That said, he is still only 24 and has a very reasonable contract that runs for 5 more years. He does not look like a long term answer for the Wizards, but he still has trade value. Not only that, but his value is about as low as it can be right now.

Orton would be a nice young guy to add in the deal (I also would like Ryan Anderson), but Blatche is more valuable. If the deal is Gil and Blatche for Lewis and Orton, then we are basically giving up Blatche for 1 less year of Gil's contract, and I think that is a steep price. VC and Orton for Gil and Blatche is a much tougher call, with the bottom line being whether the Wiz are willing to give up Blatche to cut 3 years off of Gil's contract.

I think the Wizards have to make the VC deal, as there may not be many other chances to get rid of Gil's contract. But I hope the Wiz can find a way to do this without including Andray. From the perspective of the Magic, the extra years on Gil's deal may not matter much, as their roster is relatively set for the next few years. They also have little use for Blatche. Grunfeld will need to do some smooth talking to make this happen, or Black Santa will have to feel particularly giving.

While I wait for Black Santa to make my holiday season, I will do the rest of my shopping in Allen Iverson's eBay shop. 

(Image courtesy of www.cbc.ca, salary info courtesy of ESPN's NBA Trade Machine)

Agent Zero Avoids Jail, but Wiz Fans Do Not

Now that Gilbert Arenas is a free man, he has put a stranglehold on the title of 'Worst Contract in the NBA', and Wizards fans must suffer through 5 years of being in 'fan jail'. While Gil is likely ecstatic that he miraculously avoided being locked in a cell, he is now going to hold the Wizards and their fans for the next 5 years in a place I like to call 'not in the playoffs'. This experience will be nothing new to us Bullets fans, but just because you've been kicked in the balls before, doesn't mean it won't hurt getting kicked again.

Don't get me wrong, I still support the rebuilding process while Gil is here, because it will at least give us a shot at an elite player in the draft and allow us to develop some young players - I just can't wait until the day we are free of the contract and fully move forward.

I think we should all basically try to pretend Gil doesn't exist. Even though I realize Gil plays the same position as the #1 prospect in the draft, don't tell me I'm the only one who played espn.com's lottery+mock draft at least 27 times to get the Wiz to 'win' John Wall (but maybe I'm the only one who printed that screen and put it on my wall.......framed....).

In the meantime, the only excitement we are getting will be during the draft lottery (which, given my lack of success with the espn.com simulator, already looks like a night of drinking myself into a stupor). We can also at least hope for some new Agent Zero antics in the form of Six Shooter, like dumps in teammates' shoes; a wise man once told me, pooping in sneakers is always funny. I am now dreaming of a Wiz team comprised of Six Shooter, Young Sushi, and Josh Howard, for pure entertainment sake, as well as John Wall.......as long as Six Shooter keeps his guns and turds away from our prized possession.

(Image courtesy of media.nj.com)

Nick Young Interview: Talking to Agent Zero, Andray Blatche's Braces, and Wizards Dunk Contest Competition

In lieu of analysis on yesterday's miserable trade, and with the All-Star break upon us, I thought it was high time to check-in with DCLS 'Wizards Correspondent' Nick Young. As before, this interview has been broken into installments, with the other 3 parts being posted later this week. This first installment covers Nick's thoughts on some of his teammates.

DCLS: So your boy Andray Blatche has braces, please tell me you have some great names or a great story about him.
NY: Aww...yeah, yeah...We don't have no particular names, we just talk about 'em. At the beginning, he was a little sensitive about 'em, then he kinda warmed up as we kept going on him, you know, can't get mad at everybody.

DCLS: I mean he wears them on national TV, what's he gonna do? You can't hide those things. Don't they have invisible ones? He didn't even get the invisible ones.
NY: Haha, they probably couldn't get a fit for his teeth.

DCLS: So you really can't give me any good nicknames to put out there for Andray and his braces?
NY: I can't, that's my dog, that's my dog. Can't get mad at him, I can't go all national on the blog.

DCLS: Do you guys talk about Gil in the locker room? What's the feeling about whether he's coming back? Anyone talk to him?
NY: Yeah, I talk to him all the time. Gil was surprised (by the issues stemming from the gun incident), but didn't want to surprise people when the day comes (about a decision to stay with or leave the team).

DCLS: We need a new nickname for your buddy Javale McGee. The one out there now is Epic Vale, and that sucks. The City is way better than Epic Vale, and I'm not a big fan of The City.
NY: I dunno, what can you call him? Javale is a tough name in itself. You (the DCLS) need to come out with somethin' for him, come up with somethin' for him. It's hard to come up with names for a big man though.

DCLS: We'll work on that, but you don't have any good names for Javale?
NY: His username and stuff on like Twitter is like Big Daddy Wookie, but I can't be callin' nobody Big Daddy.

DCLS: Those are 3 words I don't wanna call him, so he's not getting that. Speaking of Javale, he did that Axe commercial, how come he didn't get in the dunk contest?
NY: Just because of the situation he was in, it didn't take off.



DCLS: You should've made a video like that to get yourself into the dunk contest, maybe dunking over Earl Boykins would do it.
NY: Javale was kinda sneaky and did that video behind my back cuz he didn't want me to know as his competition.

DCLS: So what are you gonna do next year to get into the dunk contest? You gotta do something new, because whatever you are doing now is not working. You didn't even sniff the dunk contest. You didn't even get into the dunk-off for the dunk contest.
NY: Man, I didn't even get a look. I dunno, I gotta do something.

DCLS: That's what I'm saying, you and Javale need to put a video together of you 2 doing some crazy dunks.
NY: Man, I don't wanna hate on him and be in competition. I just want a clear path for me to this dunk contest. Actually, I want us both to get in, cuz I think I can beat Javale, I definitely think I can beat him, I'm positive. He can jump, but I don't think he can do no moves.

DCLS: You were a lot more confident about beating him before the season, but don't tell me the 'double pits to chesty' dunk didn't worry you? Did he just do that on his own? There is no way Axe paid him for that; no one is going out and buying Axe deodorant because Javale McGee used it in a dunk.
NY: He just did that on his own! Maybe they'd pay Lebron, Wade, Kobe or somebody else, even Nate Robinson!

(Image courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

Confessions of a Half-Hearted Wizards Fan

So Gilbert Arenas has been suspended for the remainder of the 2009-2010 NBA season. Who cares?

I might have had a different response had this news dropped between the year 2005 and October 27, 2009 which was the last time I was hopeful about the Wizards as a playoff caliber team. Man did they look good that day. Teamwork, ball movement, defense, scoring depth, consistency and, most importantly, a dominant Alpha Dog: Agent Zero looked like he was back!

In the modern NBA, if you don't have that, you have nothing. I've painstakingly constructed this Rico Fantastic-style chart* of NBA squads over the last 20 years who have won it all without a top-5 player:

Team Season
Pistons 2003-2004

*Chart not scientific.

I thought Gilbert could be that top-5 guy the Wizards never had. Due to some freakish psychosis, Gil has always been at his best when he is pissed, which he's found reason to be throughout his career. He was knocking on that top-5 door before his injury; I was certain as of October that he would emerge from his latest bout of adversity ready to knock that door down for good. I took his media silence to mean quiet determination.

He seemed pissed at the world, didn't he? Am I alone on this? I was ready to witness (pardon the term) his final leap from shoot-first All-Star to transcendent team player: the guy who made everyone around him better, unafraid to put away the slow-bleeders with a 3-point dagger, game winning steal, or to sink those 4th quarter foul shots courtesy of the NBA's star-treatment system. If for no other reason than to show us wrong.

The days when hope reigned. *sigh*

That same freakish psychosis I hoped would mature him into the best instead manifested itself as immaturity that has made him, frankly, the worst. The worst teammate, the worst defensive player in the league, the worst franchise player in a league riddled with terrible ones, and now the worst contract. Instead of taking advantage of the deepest roster and best coach he has ever had, he let his weakest of his teammates bring out his dark side. Even before the guns it was clear this season that I'd be wrong. The gun incident confirmed it; this suspension is just another drop in the bucket.

Without that hope, I can't bring myself to care about the Wizards anymore. It's the nature of the NBA. Any other sport there is always hope for next year. Without LeBron or Kobe or Wade or Duncan there is none in basketball. With the Caps currently bludgeoning the league into submission, I've got enough to occupy my fan energy, anyways. I'm drooling like a Pavlovian dog at the latest Redskins off-season hire previous negativity notwithstanding. I'm busy. So someone wake me when the Wizards luck into the next NBA Superstar. Until then...yawn.

Try to Block This Out

I have been trying to think happy thoughts about Agent Zero's contract, but have been hearing from several sources that it is extremely unlikely the Wiz can get out from the Arenas albatross. Hearsay, I say, but then I read this piece from ESPN's legal writer, Lester Munson. As he states,

"The constitutional provision specifically limits commissioner David Stern's powers over gun violations. He can suspend a player for a "definite or indefinite" period, and he can fine a player as much as $50,000. But that's it. That is the beginning and the end of any punishment for a gun violation. There is no provision for terminating the player's contract."

Cockandballs
(Image courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

Worst Wizards Jerseys Ever

Welcome to the long-awaited 4th part in this painful series of worst jerseys for all of our beloved professional DC-area teams. The Redskin and Oriole lists were painful but maybe slightly therapeutic, while the Nats list was just pathetic.

With the Wizards season beyond the point of anger and bordering on disinterest, I think it is an appropriate time to reflect on the horrendous history of this franchise by ranking the worst Bullets/Wizards jerseys that a 'fan' can own today. Once again, here is the criteria for the list:
The jersey must be one that would make fellow fans either:

1. Angry
2. Disgusted
3. Think the guy wearing the jersey is an idiot

Please note that any jerseys that are funny bad are not included, and with the pathetic history of the Bullets/Wizards, there are a lot of jerseys that are more humorous than anger inducing. Without further ado, our bottom 10 in reverse order (least terrible to most terrible):

10) Michael Ruffin #51 - In addition to being a bad NBA player who probably should not have been in the league, all he reminds me of is this play against the Raptors.

9) Ben Wallace #30 - The talent that has passed through the Wizards/Bullets in the past 20 years is startling and infuriating; here is the first example of several on this list. In his years with the Wiz, he was a fan favorite as an energy guy, and was a rotation player with the potential to be more because he was so athletic and had great defenseive metrics. So why did we give him up? To acquire Ike freakingAustin! Not only that, but Big Ben was not the centerpiece of that deal by any means, so it is hard to believe the Wiz couldn't have held onto him while still acquiring Austin. Frustrating in1999, and infuriating now. He would be higher, but he was such a likable player when he was here.

8) Rasheed Wallace #30 - Amazing, we drafted him #4 overall, gave him 1 year at the ripe old age of 21, and then, in one of Wes Unseld's first moves as GM, traded him for Rod Strickland and Harvey Grant. Wes, we'll get back to you, so let's move on.....

7) Jerry Stackhouse #42 - He was a big name when we acquired him, but was really just an inefficient high volume scorer. More importantly we continue the trend here of trading a great young player, Rip Hamilton, to obtain an older overrated player. Thanks MJ.

6) Ike Austin #8 - And now the waste of space who cost us Big Ben Wallace and was somehow supposed to solve all of our problems at center. I have no idea what Wes Unseld saw in a guy who averaged under 10 ppg and 5 rpg while shooting about 40% from the field as a center! He would have still made this list if Ben Wallace hadn't been involved in the trade, but that just puts him over the top. I bet he is ridiculously fat now.

5) Juwan Howard #5 - Is this the first guy to definitely hold the title of worst contract in the NBA? Sure, he gave us some nice years, but his ridiculous beyond ridiculous contract courtesy of Wes Unseld was an albatross. Imagine if that money had been spent on C-Webb? My liver is squirming.....

4) Mitch Richmond #2 - Now the worst of Unseld's moves, trading C-Webb for a 33 yr old shooter. Trading young for old? check. Big for small? check. Multi-talented for pure scorer? check. Tremendous future potential for minimal if any current gains? check.

3) Michael Jordan #23 - Maybe we shouldn't have been sucked-in, but he brought so much false hope and as we now know, is a complete asshole. If you haven't read Michael Leahy's When Nothing Else Matters: Michael Jordan's Last Comeback, you should. The book shows Jordan's true side that we all saw during his HOF induction speech.

The one instance where this jersey is acceptable

2) Kwame Brown #5 - Labradford Smith and Tom Gugliotta jerseys are funny, Kwame's is not. Every time I get a glimmer of hope we will get the top pick and draft a franchise-changer, I feel feverish eyes thanks to memories/stories of Kwame crying in the locker room.

1) Gilbert Arenas #0 - I hope you aren't surprised. Where to begin? He isn't an all-star anymore, and will never be, dropped the fun personality, and is now the proud owner of the worst contract in the league.

Dishonorable Mention:
-Peter John Ramos #34
-Samaki Walker #52
-Courtney Alexander #4 - He should have been awesome after scoring 17 ppg as a 23 yr old, but was not.
-Jarvis Hayes #24 - I always hated him. Just a shooter who we wasted a pick and lot of minutes on. He missed making the top-10 by thismuch.

Gil is #1, hands-down, but what does everyone else think? Trust me, once you dig into the ugly memories, you will come out better, or at least not as pissed off about the current season.

(Images courtesy of washingtonpost.com and si.com)

So You're Sayin' There's a Chance?

The whole world already knows the news about the artist formerly known as Agent Zero, and Wizards fans, myself included, immediately went from 6 to 9. The more that comes out about Gil, the worse this looks for him, and the better it looks for Wiz fans. Not only has the moron had a prior gun charge, but owns hundreds of guns. Sure, a felony charge doesn't mean anything is determined yet, and Arenas will plead guilty to avoid jail time today, and the Pacers couldn't void Ron Artest's contract after he nearly started a riot, but Gil being guilty of a relatively severe charge keeps hope alive.

Two Teams Headed in Opposite Directions

What a trying week it's been for the Washington Wizards; what a wonderful week it's been for the Washington Capitals.

On the one hand, a team's biggest star was suspended indefinitely.

On the other, a team's (and league's) brightest star was named captain indefinitely.

The NBA works tirelessly to distance itself from infamous pranksters and 3-point locker room image assassins such as Gilbert Arenas.

The NHL loves nothing more than to showcase lovable personalities and generational talents such as Alexander Ovechkin.

Get used to these faces.

But who really cares what anyone else thinks? I certainly don't. After all, as fans, love for our favorite teams is usually unconditional and only increases with time. The longer you spend following a team, the more you grow to love it. Often times, the more you suffer, the stronger the bond. And, as DC sports fans, we've grown accustomed to the agony of defeat.

As is the case with every other sports junkie, my general, everyday disposition fluctuates based on the performances of my favorite teams. I win some. I lose some. My fanaticism is my peril.

Which brings me back to the Verizon Center's top dogs - and no, I'm not talking about the Mystics and Hoyas.

The Wizards and Capitals have been headed in opposite directions for a long while, and it has become a reality this year more than ever before.

Below are the results of the Wizards' and Capitals' last 10 seasons (excluding the the canceled 2004-4005 NHL season), with above-.500 seasons in green, sub-.500 seasons in red, and trends and playoff performances noted for your viewing pleasure.

[Note: 2009-2010 has been projected based on current records.]

As you can see, the Caps and Wizards have both been above .500 in the same season just once (2007-2008) in the last ten years. Coincidentally, they've both been under .500 in the same season only once (2003-2004) in that same time period.

The trend column, however, is the most troubling to me. The Capitals have improved just about every season since the lockout in 2004-2005. In the same period, the Wizards have improved just twice based on sheer numbers, but numbers don't really tell the whole story there.

2007-2008: Are two extra wins and another first round loss at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers an improvement? Not to me.

2009-2010: Even if you disregard the Gilbert Arenas disaster, a potential nine extra victories but still lottery-bound-and-hopelessly-over-the-luxury-tax squad will never be considered an improvement from the prior season. No matter how bad that prior season was.

What we have here is a classic case of two teams headed in opposite directions. The Capitals have a home-grown, talented but gritty, determined yet boisterous, young but adequately experienced club that is vying for their first ever Stanley Cup and the right to put DC back on the map as a respectable sports town.

The Wizards? Well, no need to elaborate...

Hoping for a Felony

A few days ago, I was about to write something on how it is time to give up on the season and this team, and start the rebuilding process. I have actually been calling for a rebuilding for the past 2 seasons, and the run of close losses to bad teams had put us at a record of 10-20, which was only 3-4 games out of a playoff spot, but about 14 games from being in contention to do anything in the playoffs.

I am of the 'championship or bust mentality' and as many of you know, the Wiz are in an awkward situation because we need to rebuild to have a chance for a championship, but have 1 albatross of a contract that is preventing us from doing so. That 1 contract, of course, belongs to a nut-job named Gilbert Arenas, aka Hibachi, aka Agent Zero (as I said, nut-job).

Outside of the Pistons a few years ago, and the Celtics a couple years ago, every NBA championship team and contender has a top-5 or top-10 player. These elite players are generally acquired at the very top of the draft, so a team stuck in mediocrity is unlikely to ever get one of these guys. My opinion has thus been that the Wiz should trade away all of the other players on the team and try to get a few pieces in place before Arenas's contract expires in 4.5 years. This method is certainly unorthodox, but at least the rebuilding effort will have started. We will have a few bad seasons and thus lottery picks through this method, and maybe will hit the jackpot in the draft lottery in the next 3 years. This rationale is why I freaked out when the Wiz essentially gave up Ricky Rubio and Dajuan Blair in the draft. Sure, we'd have some veterans, but I think Rubio and Blair could combine with Blatche, McGuire, Young, and McGee to give us a few parts of an elite rotation. When you consider that we could get even more young talent from trading Jamison, Tough Juice, and Haywood, the idea suddenly gets very exciting.

That problem is that this young core would have to play with Agent Zero, who in addition to his atrocious contract, also poses the issue of preventing the team from truly tanking enough to likely get a top draft pick. My theory/hope was that there is always the slight chance that the Wiz will somehow be able to rid themselves of Agent Zero's contract, hopefully through him playing well enough to attract anybody to take him in a trade. Now, everyone has seen the news, and I don't want to jinx anything, but Gil might actually be so stupid that after duping the Wiz into giving him this $111 million contract, he's giving us a way to get out from under all that money. You want to know my first thoughts after reading that it was Gil involved in that 'standoff'? First, I thought, 'what an idiot, this team is a train wreck', and then I thought, 'hey, will this allow us to somehow get out of Gil's contract?'

I don't exactly have a law degree, but it has been well-reported that if Gil can be pinned with a felony, then the Wiz can void his contract and jumpstart the rebuilding process. A felony seems to be a stretch, but Gil has already been in trouble with the league and law for possessing a gun, and I can always dream.

Gil has been a light in the dark of DC sports for a few years, and even provided hope while injured, but I can't help but root against him here. Not only is his performance undeserving of that contract, but anyone stupid enough to put 4 guns in public view does not deserve that kind of money. A misdemeanor seems likely, but will not be enough to change the fortunes of this team. Call me an asshole, but I'm rooting for the worst for Gil, which will be the best for the Wizards.

(Image courtesy of www.sitv.com)

The Wizards nearing the Quarter Pole: A Pattern I Don't Like

The Wiz season is following a depressing pattern. I projected the Wiz to win 45 games, that is until we outplayed a 50-win team from last year, on the road, in the season opener. 50 wins definitely looked like a distinct possibility. Eh, not so much..........we then won only 1 of our next 8, and that 1 win was over the Nets, who may end up as the worst team in history. Those 9 games were the ones where we were without Cybertawn.

The Cybertawn portion of the season commenced with a win over the Cavs in game #10, so all is good again right? As in the season opener, it turned out to just be a tease, because since that win, we have gone 4-5 and currently stand at 7-12. So what's the problem and what does the rest of the season hold?

Bullets Forever beat me to it with this nice article, but the problem is that the star players aren't performing. Jamison has been good, so has Haywood, Blatche, Miller, but Agent-0 and Tough Juice have not been good enough. Yeah, they've been good, but we need them to be All-Stars. As I wrote in my season preview, "As much as I'd like to talk about X-factors and other improvements, this team will only go as far as Agent Zero will take it." There have been a lot of positives this season, but the poor performance is on the shoulder of Gil and Caron, that's the end of the discussion as to what the problem is. How to fix it or why this problem exists is a different story.

I think the reason for the struggle is the new coach/system and that these guys have not played together for awhile (remember, Gil has missed almost 2 full seasons). Caron is clearly struggling to find his role in this offense; he understood his job as the #1 guy the past couple years, but is having trouble being as efficient and productive as a #2. Gil, meanwhile, seems to be lacking some of his aggressiveness. I understand that Flip Saunders wants him to be more of a pure PG, and Gil is making an effort to curtail his boyish personality, but I don't like it. A hobo in Chinatown once told me, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Who cares if he is a fun-loving guy with a big mouth? I don't know who told Gil that 'acting mature' would make him a more valuable player, but right now that advice is looking terrible. I want the blogging, aggressive, Hibachi-calling locker room prankster back, and the Wiz are probably thinking the same thing too.

Gil and Caron have never been great defenders, but it is actually on the offensive end where they are struggling. John Hollinger has us ranked 20th in defensive efficiency, and 24th in offensive efficiency. Although the 20th best defense is nothing to brag about, we are certainly improved on that end of the floor, and enough so that if we had the offensive efficiency of the healthy Hibachi years, we'd be looking at a dangerously good team. As a comparison, Atlanta is ranked 4th in offensive and 17th in defensive efficiency and have been one of the top-5 teams in the league thus far.

As for the bright spots other than the defense, let's start and end with Young Sushi. After writing him off early in the season, he was given a 2nd chance and has clearly thrust himself back into the rotation. The Wiz are 4-3 with him as a starter, although I will say that the good record probably has more to do with Jamison being back than Young Sushi in the starting lineup. The highlights of these 7 games include 3 20-point performances and, more importantly, great defensive performances. He's held Andre Iguadala to 2-10 from the field, D-Wade to 6-19, and Stephen Jackson to 4-12. The defense is particularly interesting because his metrics have indicated that Nick is an above-average defender, but the 'eyeball test' has said otherwise. Well, maybe our eyeballs are deceiving us; just because he doesn't have a mean streak and isn't pesky like Bruce Bowen does not mean he is not performing at a high level. Nick isn't a defensive stopper by any means, but is proving that the metrics are right.

Nick still needs to learn to pass a little more often, holding a 10:11 assist to turnover ratio in these 7 games, but Deshawn Stevenson should not leave the bench for anything other than garbage time at this point. I don't think Nick's a versatile defender, but against perimeter shooters and slashers, he can be effective enough to take some of Mike Miller's minutes. The interesting thing now is that with the Wiz needing offensive help more than defensive, Miller may actually be the better fit. Even if Nick does lose some minutes in the near future, he can still provide moments like this:

So where is this team headed? John Hollinger thinks we will be shedding salary at the trade deadline, but I'm not so sure. After the top-4 teams in the East, the 5th seed in the East is a mere 3.5 games ahead of us, standing at 11-9, and may never be that far ahead of us. That said, we will need to win at least 43 games to get that 5th seed, and we are already 2.5 games under .500. With 63 games left, that means we will need to win at least 36 of those (36-27) to be .500. Even though we look like a .500 team since Jamison's return, and certainly have room for improvement, going 36-27 the rest of the way is not realistic at this point. A more realistic 40-41 wins will likely get us into the playoffs, but just make us first-round cannon fodder for the Celtics, Magic, or Cavs. Ummmm, I'll just pretend I didn't do that math and replay the belt slap video a few times........

(Image courtesy of media.nowpublic.net/)

Nick Young Exclusive Interview: His Standup Comedy and Rap Careers, Rookie Hazing, and Chicken and Waffles

Before writing my Wizards preview, I spoke with DCLS favorite Nick "Young Sushi" Young, 48 hours before the opening tipoff, about several topics, including the upcoming season, his entourage, DC late night food, and rookie hazing. Part 1 is posted here, about Nick's prediction for the team, and thoughts about his role in the rotation. This portion covers all the fun stuff.....

DCLS: So Young Sushi won our nickname contest, what do you think?
Nick Young: I've been saying Young Sushi all summer, so I'm not too surprised. It's a kitchy little name............everyone likes sushi.

DCLS: Please tell me you asked Gil about you wanting your nickname to be Agent-Double-0.
NY: Aw, naw, I haven't had a chance to talk about it. Did you put it out there yet? Yeah I forgot, I got to tell him that.

DCLS: Just don't get your clothes cut up or whatever, but do tell us what he says about the nickname. Staying on the subject of Gil, I think his lack of media interaction is opening the door for you to the be the biggest personality on the Wizards.
NY: Yeah, you know, he always funny. Gil been Gil, he hasn't been talking since ya know.

DCLS: Not even any good locker room pranks?
NY: I dunno, I don't wanna give out his secret. I dunno what he got up his sleeve..........I dunno, I don’t want Gil mad at me right now. He always saying he’s not gonna pass me the ball, so I want him on my side.

DCLS: Don't let him lull you into a sense of security. So we saw how you got hypnotized this summer at training camp and galloped around the stage and did a James Brown impersonation.
NY: It was crazy, I dunno, I was going along with it because I didn’t want him to feel bad onstage, but I think it worked a little bit........

DCLS: And you did a standup routine that went so-so….
NY: We had the rookies sing their school song and stuff, and I never got a chance to do all that. They didn’t take us like that to go somewhere and make us sing happy birthday or something.

DCLS: What about picking up the check for the vets?
NY: Oh I had to do that, I had to do that. But I never had a chance to sing and do all that, so I did the standup instead of singing this year. They gave me a choice (between singing and standup). It was little jokes here and there. Everybody was laughing, but I was kinda nervous, there was more than just our team in there, there were a lot of people in there and I knew they’d try to boo me real quick just to be funny.

DCLS: So you're nervous doing the standup but have no problem playing basketball in front of 20,000 people live and 1,000s more watching on tv?
NY: No problem, no problem. I got other people out there messing up too (in basketball).

DCLS: Any jokes you can tell us from the standup?
NY: All of it was in-person, I gotta re-act it out. I had ‘em going, I killed it, I killed it. You know I think that might be my next, my calling, standup.

DCLS: So tell us a bit about your entourage.
NY: I have a decent entourage. In DC, I have 2 or 3 people including my brother John and Adrian “Fat Boy”, people may know him as “Fat Daddy”. But I can’ t have them living with me here. In LA, I have everyone I grew up with really, you know it’s cool, it’s like a circus act when I come out man. I got my circus crew with me.

DCLS: I probably met that crew when we initially met at a late night food place in LA; have you ever been DC ‘s Ben’s Chili Bowl?
NY: That’s a big thing out here in DC, it’s like our Roscoe’s in LA, that’s your Ben’s Chili Bowl. I haven’t been yet, but I wanna go, where’s it at?

DCLS: It’s near Adams Morgan and Dupont, and nowhere near where you live in Upper Marlboro.
NY: How far is it from the arena?

DCLS: Like 3 metro stops..
NY: What time it close? I’ll go tonight!

DCLS: I’m gonna guess you’ve never heard of the like 1 chicken and waffle place around here, called Marvin, it’s right near Ben’s Chili Bowl.
NY: Marvin? Aw man, yeah you gotta text me the address or something. Let’s go there. I think I need a chef or something. I was barbecuing today, but I miss having Dom(inic McGuire) as my chef cooking for me and all that.

DCLS: Anything else you wanna say to the world?
NY: Look out for my CD coming out, I gotta CD coming out, I’m about to be a rapper......

DCLS: Wait, seriously? You have a CD coming out? Are you going Artest on us?
NY: Yeah look out for my mixtape, Javale’s gonna be my producer, he adds a fire, haha................................................................................naw I’m just playing!

(Image courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

What I Learned From One Glorious Wizards Game

We have a long season ahead of us, but I am having trouble containing my woody after watching the Wiz beatup a 50-win team from last year, on the road no less! With the team undergoing so many changes from last season, there were a lot of questions going into this opener, but I think we already have a few answers. It is never too early to pass judgment, so I will go through my list of 10 burning questions and see where we already stand.

10) Will Gilbert Arenas return to his All-Star form?

Agent Zero is back, and close to fully healthy. The only reservation I have after one game is that he did this against a geriatric defender in Jason Kidd and a midget in JJ Barea. His burst looked pretty good, and more importantly, his passing and distribution looked great. Gil is clearly going to play at an all-star level, but how great he plays will determine how far we go.

9) Can Gilbert Arenas change his ways and be a leader in more than name?

As stated, his distribution and passing were great, indicating that he has become a more true PG. Floor leadership will only be a small part of the battle though and the off-the-court leadership will be hard to determine for a while.

8) Can Flip Saunders get this team to play defense?

I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but the answer in game one was a resounding, "yes'. We held a team below 40% from the field that averaged over 46% last season. Maybe Dallas was a bit rusty, but so far so good here.


7) Can Caron Butler fit in with Arenas after being the alpha-dog for 2 years?

Still not sure on this one. Tough Juice had a 'quiet' 16-8 while shooting 6-17. I kept looking for the offense to run through him whenever Agent Zero was on the bench, but it seems that Flip is set on having his guards initiate. Despite the change in offense, if a few more shots had fallen for Caron, he would have been over his averages from a year ago of 20.8 ppg and 6.2 rpg.


6) Are Mike Miller and Randy Foye what the Wizards really need?


Both had great games, with Miller extremely efficient and fitting in nicely with his teammates. Foye was a pleasant surprise, shooting 8-14 and finishing with 19 points. I wouldn't fire up the Foye bandwagon just yet though, as he had a hot shooting night and only managed 1 assist in 30 minutes despite doing a lot of ball handling. Yes, Foye was good, but I don't think he'll be this good in every game. Miller, however, can clearly be the glue guy that this team desperately needs.

5) Who will be the odd men out in Saunders' rotation?

Flip seems to already have his 8-man rotation set, with Arenas, Miller, Butler, Haywood, Blatche, Foye, Stevenson, and Oberto soaking up all but 3 minutes of PT. It is unclear what will happen when Jamison returns - will this be a 9-man rotation, or will Oberto sit? I like that Oberto brought some grit amongst our offensive talent, so would like to see him in the rotation when Jamison is back.

As assumed, Mike James, Javaris Crittendon, Dominic McGuire, and Javale McGee saw limited or no action. The big surprise here was DCLS friend Nick Young (aka Young Sushi), who did not leave the bench after averaging over 22 minutes a game last season. I expected Young Sushi to get 10-15 mins per game and split or even take the role being played by Deshawn Stevenson. I spoke with Nick on Sunday night and he didn't mention any health issues or problems going into Dallas, so this looks like Flip's decision. I was not impressed with Stevenson though, and would like to see Young Sushi get a shot given that he has some upside.


4) Will the Wizards make another big trade?

With Mike James' expiring contract and a collection of young talent riding the pine last night, it appears that the Wiz definitely have pieces of value they would be willing to deal. Maybe Grunfeld wants to hold onto some of the young guys, but last night should only give ammunition to any trade rumors.

3) Can the team stay injury-free this season?

So far so good.......bang head on wood....


2) Will any of the team's young players step-up?

The only one given a chance last night was Blatche, and he was great. On athletic talent alone, he could average 16-7 with 30+ minutes (after an efficient 20-7 last night). I also thought he moved well off the ball, which, combined with his athleticism, will make for a lot of easy buckets. Once Jamison returns, his minutes will drop, but he should be playing ahead of Oberto.

1) What is the ceiling for this team?

I think I undershot this with a 45-win prediction. I heard Mark Cuban on 106.7 yesterday say that he thinks the Wiz can win 50 games this year. Well, after beating Cuban's 50-win team convincingly, I think he's right. The game at Atlanta on Friday night will be a big indicator about the race for the 4th spot in the East.

(Image courtesy of the AP via espn.com)

Washington Beats Philly, Dallas...IN THE SAME DAY

Tricked ya! The Redskins don't win games anymore. This post's title refers to professionally operated franchises in DC, namely the Capitals and Wizards, who beat the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Mavericks, respectively, on Tuesday. Two wins for DC in the same day? The last time that happened, fat guys were stealing lunch money from Dan Snyder, instead of the other way around.

The Caps played a solid game for nearly 60 minutes, which has happened only 4 times by my count in 11 games so far. Ovechkin's late empty-netter sealed the 4-2 win, and Backstrom led the way with 1 G, 3A. The Caps are now 7-2-2, off to their best start in 14 years, and haven't even played their best hockey yet. Winning games with overwhelming talent...imagine that.

Good signs included: Semin back and healthy, whipping a filthy wrister over Emery's shoulder for the GWG. Team defense locking it down in the final minutes. Theodore playing outstanding, with 39 saves on the evening. Ovechkin destroying Mike Richards along the boards in the second period.

Meanwhile, out Texas way, the Wiz looked damn good for 48 minutes in handling the Mavericks 102-91. Flip Saunders relied heavily on an 8-man rotation featuring a lot of Gilbert (29 Points, 9 assists), who appears to be a man on a mission. The thought of a determined and focused Agent Zero has me absolutely giddy.

Other good signs included: not-sluggish offense. Good ball movement. Steady and solid contributions from newcomers Mike Miller, Randy Foye, and Fabricio Oberto. Blatche looking dominant (20 points, 7 rebs, 2 blocks, 0 turnovers). The head coach calling the plays.

It's early, and rationality is not my strongest suit, but the way these two teams are looking, and being led by their respective stars, we just might have a veeeerrry interesting spring on our hands. Please, dear sporting gods, let this not be a tease.

[Images via ESPN.com]

Ten Burning Questions for the Wizards in 2009-10

April 4th, 2007.

That was the date when Agent-0 injured his knee in a first-quarter collision with Gerald Wallace. With that knee went the Wizards chances of being anything more than 1st round cannon fodder for the elite teams in the Eastern Conference.

2 years, 6 months, 3 weeks, 2 days.

Ever since that fateful night, the Wizards have been stuck in mediocorty. You can do worse than a core of Tough Juice and Antwan Jamison, but they alone will never be enough to take a team further than the 1st round of the playoffs. If a team isn't gunning for a title or rebuilding, then what exactly is there to pique our interest? We needed Gil, and we still need him.

This is not just any season opener for the Wizards, this is a return to relevance. I would not say that I feel excitement as much as relief that Agent Zero, and the Wizards, are back.

With opening tipoff about 24 hours away in Dallas, here are the 10 burning questions for the Wizards this season.

10) Will Gilbert Arenas return to his All-Star form?

The answer is looking like "yes". By all accounts, the knee is back to what it was and the bigger issue is looking like rust and adapting to a new role. I hate to put a lot of stock in the preseason, and a knee injury for a guy whose game revolves around quickness is particularly concerning, but it looks like we still have a superstar on our hands. Maybe the better question now is whether Gil will be able to become a more valuable player and carry this team beyond the first round of the playoffs, which is something he could not do before the injuries. As much I'd like to talk about X-factors and other improvements, this team will only go as far as Agent Zero will take it.

9) Can Gilbert Arenas change his ways and be a leader in more than name?

We may never learn the answer to this question. Stopping his blog and avoiding the media look like steps in the right direction, but what he does behind the scenes will be what matters. I would like to say that Gil should be himself while taking a leadership role, but look at the best leaders around the league: Lebron, Garnett, Kobe, Duncan, and D-Wade, all of those guys have achieved a level of maturity that Agent Zero has not. Lebron looks like he was at the same point last year as Gil is this year. Lebron still has a playful side, but clearly made the decision to be the leader of that team, which comes with being the dominant player on a team.

8) Can Flip Saunders get this team to play defense?

This Wizards group will likely always be offense first, but tightening-up the defense could be the difference between another first-round playoff exit, and having some hope of going deep in the playoffs. Arenas, Jamison, and Butler are great offensive talents who have never been great defenders, so Saunders is fighting an uphill battle and surely realizes that this group is best suited to playing a fast-paced system. I realize that if Rip Hamilton became an okay defender in Detroit, then there is hope for everyone, but that was while surrounded by great defenders on a slow-paced team. The Wizards have one guy and one guy only who is a great NBA defender: Brendan Haywood. You want to know the difference between winning 19 games last year and 43 in 07-08? Brendan Haywood. He has quietly been one of the better defensive players in the NBA for awhile, and partly covered for the deficiencies of the big name players on this team. With Deshawn Stevenson losing playing time, Saunders' job will begin with Arenas, Butler, and Jamison, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the starting SG spot eventually be determined by Mike Miller, Randy Foye, or Young Sushi becoming a good defensive player.

7) Can Caron Butler fit-in with Arenas after being the alpha-dog for 2 years?

Gil is making every effort to be more of a pure PG by passing more often, which should help him integrate back into the team, but who knows what will happen once the regular season starts and the competitive juices get going. Would it shock anyone to see Gil go back to being a shoot-first guy once he feels confident in his knee? Meanwhile, Butler will have to take a slight step back to a co-starring role regardless of what Arenas does. Tough Juice was better when the offense ran through him, so his effectiveness may be diminished. The awesomeness of his nickname, however, remains intact.

6) Are Mike Miller and Randy Foye what the Wizards really need?

(Image courtesy of reclinergm.com)

I posted about this when the trade happened, but clearly these two improve the Wizards. The question is how much do they improve the Wizards, and is that improvement worth the price we paid? The issue for me is that this trade moved the Wizards upside from 2nd round of the playoffs to.....the Eastern Conference finals? With the Big Three signed to big deals, rebuilding would have been difficult to achieve, but if you are going for a championship, swing for the fences, don't settle for hitting a double. Vince Carter was had for a similar/lesser package, and T-Mac would have been available for less. Do either of those guys make me excited? No, but at least the upside of the team with another all-star would have given us some kind of hope to win a championship. I just think this move wasn't enough.

5) Who will be the odd men out in Saunders' rotation?

The starting lineup will likely be Arenas, Miller, Butler, Jamison, and Haywood. After that, it gets very foggy. Saunders is known for using an 8-man rotation, but given the depth of this team, I would not put money on 8 being a magic number. The preseason didn't provide much in the way of clues, as the starters rotated every game. In the front-court, Blatche, McGee, and Oberto appear to be fighting for two spots. In the back-court, Foye, Young Sushi, and Deshawn Stevenson look to be fighting for two spots. Right now it looks like Blatche, Oberto, Foye, and Stevenson will all be in the rotation.

4) Will the Wizards make another big trade?

Let's see, lots of depth, established players likely to be underutilized in a short rotation, young players, one veteran with an expiring contract, obvious holes in the front court and at SG............this sounds like a team in need of a trade. Except, we just made one, so what gives? The big trade brought depth to our deepest position, which begs the question of whether this was the first of more than one trade. The team sorely lacks front-court grit and still lacks the upside to compete with the Celtics, Cavs, and Magic, so should be looking to make a move. If we could somehow package Foye, Miller, and something else into a star SG, then this trade would make a lot more sense. Grunfeld's history shows that he is great at turning around teams, but not great at getting them to make the final step to championship contender. I can assure everyone that I will be mercilessly pounding the refresh key on hoopshype rumors, hoping that a big move is coming.

3) Can the team stay injury-free this season?

(Image courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

That picture is definitely worth 1,000 words, and with Jamison already out for 10 games or more, the answer already appears to be "no". The team is the deepest it has been in recent memory, but the four guys who have to stay healthy are Agent Zero, Tough Juice, Jamison, and Haywood. Everyone else is relatively replaceable, but those four need to stay on the floor, something they have never accomplished for a full season. If Jamison missing 10-15 games is the worst of our injuries, then we will be in for a great season.

2) Will any of the team's young players step-up?

The Wizards have spent the offseason adding veterans to compete immediately, but this has come at the expense of developing our young players. Some of the honus is on the players, but the biggest problem this year will be playing time. Fortunately for Javale McGee and Andray Blatche, almost all of the offseason additions were in the backcourt, so those two are guaranteed at least some playing time in the rotation. McGee, however, does not appear to be a favorite of Saunders, and may only be a bit player this season. Javaris Crittenton and Dominic McGuire are not in the rotation right now either. The one guy who has made a leap forward and claimed some playing time is DCLS friend and favorite, Young Sushi. Coming into the offseason, it looked like he had zero chance to beat-out either Foye or Stevenson to earn almost any PT. Well, Young Sushi became a different player this offseason and in addition to making us look smart and outgrowing his new nickname, has forced Saunders to include him in the rotation. In the meantime, regardless of how much they play, enjoy the personalities of Epic Vale and Young Sushi, who have together taken the mantle of best personality from Agent Zero.

1) What is the ceiling for this team?

I've said it already, but the ceiling for this team currently looks like the 2nd round of the playoffs. I think the Magic will win our division, which leaves us battling for the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. With the Cavs, Celtics, and Magic looking head and shoulders above the rest of the conference, getting the 5th seed or better is crucial if the Wiz are to have a chance of getting out of the 1st round. Chicago, Philly, and Atlanta will compete with us, but I think we can get a top-5 seed. Vegas has our over/under at 41.5 wins, and as the 8th most likely team to win the East, both of which indicate the Wiz are being underrated. I believe we will eclipse those projections with 45 wins earning us the 5th seed in the East, but getting beyond the 2nd round would likely require an injury to Lebron, Dwight Howard, or one of the key Celtics, while we stay healthy. This Wizard team may well be the best we've had in awhile, the problem is that the competition is also the best it's been.

Despite these competitive hurdles, the Wizards are back both literally and figuratively, and not a moment too soon.

DCLS Exclusive Interview with Washington Wizard Nick Young: Nicknames, The Dunk Contest, and Locker Room Pranks

Finally, here is the final installment of The DCLS exclusive interview with Nick Young, who we will be checking-in with throughout the season. For those of you who missed part 1, and part 2, the interview has been broken into 3 installments, with this being the final portion. This part is my favorite, as Nick and I covered locker room pranks, his nickname, and the dunk contest.

(Note: edited to add a couple questions after a brief conversation with Nick tonight)

DC Landing Strip: Your nickname is The City, but it took me awhile to figure out that that came from your initials, because you’re not from New York. Who came up with that nickname? Do you even like it?
Nick Young: The City, yeah, yeah, it’s a cool nickname. You know I think the Post or someone (came up with it). I grew up in LA, from LA, born in LA. I’ve just got the NY initials.

DCLS: Do you have one of those I Love New York shirts? Because that would be awesome.
NY: Hell yeah (that would be awesome), and even make some of those with my picture in it. We gotta sell those.

1st Product of the DCLS T-Shirt Store?

DCLS: So what do you think of the DC Landing Strip nickname we created for you, Young Eazy, versus The City, which one is better?
NY: Aw, I dunno. I like Young Eazy, you know it’s kinda got that Weazy kind Eazy feel to it.

DCLS: How are we gonna spell it?
NY: I dunno, I like the ZY, I’m gonna go ZY, gonna make it look funky.

DCLS: Done and done. How about Agent Double-0, cuz you're twice the man Gil is?
NY: Yeah it's cool, it's cool, I wanna let Gil think about it, I'd do that just to be funny with him, cuz I'm the bigger man. It's up there, I like Double-Zero because I wanna get a response from everybody, but I still like Young Eazy too.

DCLS: Any other nicknames we should consider?
NY: Young Sushi, because I'm raw. Sometimes people say that when I'm in the gym.

DCLS: What's the best locker room prank you’ve ever seen?
NY: Probably Gil, he gotta do it all the way. Tearing people’s clothes up, and having nothing to wear home but your uniform. Oh man, jumping us and throwin’ us in the cold pool. It’s a lot you know, all I have to say is probably ripping your clothes up and having to go home in your uniform.

DCLS: He rips them up? He doesn’t just steal, he rips them?
NY: Yeah yeah, just cuts ‘em up. You know you have a nice suit, and he just cut it up.

DCLS: Speaking of Gil, what do you think of what he said last week about the team not holding him back from training?
NY: Wait, what'd he say? I seriously dunno, I didn't have the internet. What'd he say?

DCLS: Either you just sit and read a book all day, or the Wiz PR staff has trained you well. Who would win a Wizards team dunk contest? You gotta be the heavy favorite, but who do you think would at least compete with you?
NY: Probably gonna say McGee. The (tall guys) don’t look so good when they compete. So I’d come out on top, probably Dominic, and depending on how Gil feels, he got a little sneaky bounce to him. Oh and Javaris, Javaris can jump a little bit.

DCLS: So you would be first and who would be 2nd?
NY: I have to go McGee.

DCLS: McGee? I woulda gone Andray. He’s a good athlete, and I feel like he can throw some between the legs kinda thing.
NY: Who, Andray?!? Naw, naw, naw, naw. He can (jump), but he ain’t that creative. He can jump though.

DCLS: You know what you need to do, you guys should have a team dunk contest and put it on youtube and get you in the dunk contest when you win.
NY: That’d be good. I’m down, I’m down, I wanna get in.

DCLS: Do you have any personal goals for the season, stats?
NY: Just winnin’ the dunk contest!

Ed. Note: Feel free to leave any nickname ideas in the comments section.

(Image courtesy of awfulannouncing.blogspot.com)

DCLS Exclusive Interview with Washington Wizard Nick Young: Part 2 of 3

I apologize for keeping everyone waiting, but here is part 2 of The DCLS exclusive interview with Nick Young, who we will be checking-in with throughout the season. For those of you who missed part 1, the interview has been broken into 3 installments. In this portion, we discussed Nick's thoughts on the upcoming season.

DC Landing Strip: Who is the X-Factor for the Wizards this season? And let’s pretend that the DCLS didn’t already bestow this honor upon you….
Nick Young: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m gonna say I have to be the X-Factor, cuz I think they need me right now. If I’m doing my shine on, everything’s flowin’, we lookin’ good right now, you know, I’m gonna be that little sparkplug, I should be alright........I come with a highlight dunk that get the whole gym going, it should be good you know.

DCLS: I like that, calling Verizon Center “The Gym”, they usually save that for high school and college courts. So after summer league, who do you think the most improved or surprising player on the team is going to be this season?
NY: Probably just Gil coming back 100%. He’s been looking great (this summer). So I think he’d be the most improved and what everybody's been looking for.

DCLS: Does Gil still talk as much smack?
NY: Yeah, he’s still Gil. He got even worse now in the summer. He’s calling me every day and telling me about a move he did on somebody and how they feel and all that, so it sounds like he’s back.

DCLS: What is your prediction for the Wizards this year or what is your goal?
NY: Playoffs you know, its gonna be a big turnaround from last year you know. I see us going deep in the playoffs if not making it to the finals. It depends on how well we jell, if everyone jell together, we gonna be great. In the finals, anything can happen in there….If we jellin’, if we jellin’. If we playing like everybody getting long and no complexes, we gonna be good.

DCLS: Any thoughts on Flip Saunders?
NY: He was out there on summer league with us, so we practiced and all that stuff. He’s lookin’ like a great coach, just working with us and trying to get everybody better. Being in everybody’s mind, same mind, you know, makes a big difference. Every other week he’s texting us, motivating us, there’s a lot of good ones on the playoffs.

DCLS: What is your career highlight? College, pro…..
NY: I’d probably have to say the 33 back-to-back. Also, in college, just making it to the tournament, the whole atmosphere was fun for me. You know, probably getting drafted, getting drafted was like a dream.

DCLS: So what is your career goal?
NY: Just to be remembered really. You know, I just wanna get in there, get my name out there. Small kids be like “I’m doin the Nick Young” you know. Just probably being remembered.

Ed. note: Check back later this week for the conclusive Part 3 of the interview. Locker room hijinks, Nick's preferred nickname, and of course his thoughts on the dunk contest.

(Image courtesy of MisterIrrelevant.com)

NBA Draft Review

We could have had Rubio................

I would like to give a big middle finger to Grunfeld for that stupid trade, Agent-0 for having a fat contract that is preventing a rebuild, and Agent-0 again for refusing to shift to SG for the good of the team. I would then like to give a 2nd middle finger to Grunfeld for creating a giant hole at the rugged-PF-rebounder spot, then passing on Dejuan Blair in the 2nd round for "cash considerations". The Spurs ended up grabbing Blair, and which is why they are the best drafting team of the last 15 or so years; this is not always rocket science.

The Wiz could have walked away from this night with Ricky Rubio and Dejuan Blair if we had stayed pat. Thanks to the general league stupidity, we could have had 2 of our 5 future starters and been well on our way to a good rebuilding effort, unbelievable. Hey, at least we didn't draft 4 point guards. My mood was also slightly brightened by my sister's observation that Rubio looked like "the guy from the new 90210"; as you can see in the pictures above, she is absolutely right. This makes me feel slightly better about not drafting Rubio.

The worst draft ever (WDE) lived down to expectations, with a relatively predictable top-15 from Chad Ford's latest reports, no big trades, and no ridiculous suits. Hasheem Thabeet ran away with the worst suit award for that silver number that made him look like a wet hippopotamus, in addition to his $2 million yellow diamond earings.

I thought the night could be saved by the draft's most entertaining prospect, Brandon Jennings, aka Young Money. This only led to me getting even angrier when I discovered that Young Money backed out of attending the draft when he was not guaranteed a lottery spot, which meant I would miss both his suit and interview. I actually yelled for joy when he was picked #10, then angrily cursed-out Fran Fraschila when I realized Young Money wasn't at MSG. Oh, but my man didn't totally dissapoint, making a grand entrance 4 picks later, totally upstaging the current selection thanks to David Stern's intro, and blowing a kiss to the draft audience. Given that Young Money got to MSG within about 10 minutes of being selected, he clearly had the suit on and ready should a lottery team have selected him, and planned on making that grand entrance, what a guy. That said, the suit was lame, which was probably because he wasn't sure he was going to be at the draft, and his interview was also short and underwhelming.

As if all of that wasn't enough, Dejuan "Hot Stuff" Summers slipped into the 2nd round, where he is not guaranteed an NBA contract. What an idiot, he passed on being a 2nd round pick last year, then left GTown after an okay season because of the WDE, thinking that this was his best shot at getting a guaranteed 1st round deal, and then falls to the 2nd round anyway. The worst-case for him after playing another year in college was the 2nd round, and he would have had a chance to boost his stock and play for what should have been a top-10 Hoya team. I hate my life almost as much as Summers hates his right now.

I was also wrong about Jordan Hill's profile reading "Must improve: Offensive game". Although I still think his offense sucks, I now think the profile should read "Must improve: Ability to speak english". His interview with Mark Jones was the highlight of the night, no question.

Maybe things will get better, as there should be some trades in the next few days, possibly including the Wiz dealing for a veteran big man. In the meantime, I am going to pour some boiling water down my throat.

(Photos via imdb.com and njnysports.blogspot.com)

Wizards Trade the #5 Pick for Mediocrity

I know I mentioned this trade as a possibility, but what the fuck?!? For those of you living in a cave, the Wiz traded the #5 overall pick and 3 garbage contracts for Mike Miller and Randy Foye, who both have 1 year remaining on their contract; in other words, the Wizards traded the #5 overall pick for 1 year of Mike Miller and Randy Foye (and some cap room in 2011). Why make a move so far before the draft? With Chad Ford now reporting that the dreamy one, Tyreke Evans, and Thabeet will all be gone by the #5 pick, our leverage was dropping by the minute, so Grunfeld may have been forced to pull the trigger before other teams lost interest.

Ernie might as well have pulled the trigger on the gun pointed at the Wiz fanbase. I can't link this post enough from Bullets Forever, it gives a great statistical analysis of the ideal backcourt mate for Agent-0 and finds Mike Miller as a great fit, as he is an almost ideal offensive compliment. Even so, a team whose 3 stars are all bad to horrible defenders decides to fill-in the role players around that core with more guys who can't play defense? Haven't we seen this movie before from the Phoenix Suns, except with a much better group of talent? Yes, the Wizards are a better team than they were yesterday, but not better enough to contend for anything more than the Eastern Conference finals if we catch a few breaks.

First and foremost, I think the Wizards should tear down and rebuild. Even though we have a lot of money tied-up in our 'big-3', I still like the idea of stockpiling young talent, either with the #5 pick, or trading for a young player already in the league who could develop. That said, given that Gil isn't going anywhere for awhile, we are almost forced to find someone who pairs well with him and try to make a run with our current group for 2 more years (until Jamison becomes Jamison's expiring contract).

The big problem is that we are far away from competing with the Cavs, Magic, and Celtics. Even if Arenas is back to his old self and everyone can stay healthy, we are still not as good as the top-3 in the East, let alone the the best in the West. In order to have any chance to compete, we needed to do something drastic; if we are not rebuilding, then swing for the fences with this trade. Mike Miller is a fine player, but does he really put us over the top? Foye is a nice backup to have, and gives us a backcourt with insane depth, but this team is still short on defense and too dependent on Agent-0 returning to form. That is why, I believe, a better course of action would have been to trade for, drum roll please.........T-Mac! That's right, he hogs the ball, his team improved after he was injured last year, and he looks like he is high all the time (nothing new to the Wiz after Rod Strickland), but he has everything to play for this year and gives us a legitimate all-star who can pickup Agent-0's slack. Maybe the team falls flat on its face with T-Mac, or even Jesus Shuttlesworth, but at least we have a higher ceiling than with Mike Miller and Randy Foye.

The Wiz are not done trading, as we have too many guards and too few big-men, so there will be another trade, possibly during the draft, and likely for a veteran big-man. Maybe Grunfeld will pull a rabbit out of his ass with some decent young guards and Mike James' contract as trade chips, but the upside on this team is just not high enough. For one mediocre season, we traded a potentially valuable young player who could be with this team for years.

How is that supposed to make me happy?

(Image via cbcsports.ca)