Disturbing Wizards Tweets from their Weekend in Philly

Philly just outscored the Wizards 223-179 in back to back wins. Here's what the players have to say...

I can go for a steakRT @jordanchill43: headin to DC today...@Trevor_Booker where we eatin tonite?

— Trevor Booker (@Trevor_Booker) January 15, 2012

Booker, one of my favorite players on the team is looking forward to his steak dinner.

“@H__Strong: That looks wild funRT @JaValeMcGee34: They go hard! twitter.com/JaValeMcGee34/…”right

— Pierre McGee (@JaValeMcGee34) January 15, 2012

Javale McGee is looking at hilarious pictures online.

What's da name of the shoe store in Philly that be selling all them Js.... Sell clothes too? Need help

— Jordan Crawford (@jcraw55) January 13, 2012

Jordan Crawford is trying to expand his wardrobe. I really hope someone was able to help him out...

Gotta work over time if I wanna b better then my idol

— Nick Young (@NickSwagyYoung) December 13, 2011

And there's Nick Young, finally someone saying they need to work harder. But where's the team unity?


John Wall didn't tweet it, but he's carrying the weight of the loss on his back, "I feel like I lost the game." His season high 8 turnovers definitely didn't help, but there are a ton of problems here. This team does not have any foundation to build off. This team needs yet another restart. Lewis, Blatche and maybe even Nick Young need to go. I like Nick Young as a person, but if I'm being honest, he'd be better off playing under a veteran and learning how to win. The Wizards need their own London Fletcher. Until then, they'll keep piling on the losses and as Flip Saunders so deftly stated yesterday, "playing like Space Jam."

Very glad I didn't continue my season ticket contract this year...



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You're Welcome, Flip!

I'm not going to sit here and take all the credit for the Wizards win last night...actually, yes I am. I wrote "Starting Insanity" almost a week ago basically begging for Flip Saunders to input Chris Singleton & Trevor Booker into the starting five.

After losing 2 more games Flip finally came to his senses. My guess is that he & Ernie Grunfeld sat down and read my article together. No need to thank me boys, just don't F*ck it up by putting Rashard Lewis or Andray Blatche back into the lineup tonight vs. Chicago...or EVER! Those 2 bring a scoring punch off the bench, albeit, it was only one game. But Hell, if it's not broke..don't fix it.

Book & Singleton bring that much needed energy right off the bat, and they can basically guard every single player on the court. Loving these young bucks so far! And how about Jan Vesely bringing down the house last night?! Not to mention he led the team with 5 steals. Jimmy Wall facilitated the sh!t out of the offense last night, and our team defense was straight up vicious. I'm still expecting some bumps along the road, but I'd rather it be with this group than with the 22 million $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Rashard Lewis, & Andray Blatche in the starting lineup...yes, that's a dollar sign for each million Lewis is making this year.

Playing the Bulls & playing for the 2nd straight night isn't going to help this (1-8) squad. But look for this starting group to set the tone again, and hopefully we can make a few shots to keep this thing close.

Fight on Wizards!

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Losing: Up Close & Personal

I was headed down to the Wizards game last night after work, taking the Red Line for my first Zards game of the year knowing I'll be about 30 minutes late for the game. Little did I know that I was missing the best quarter and a half that Washington had played all year. After we made it to our seats, the boys, if not right on cue started to go down hill...forgetting how to play defense, throwing up bricks, & missing breakaway dunks.

With a "Pro-Knicks" crowd, halftime couldn't come soon enough. I needed to chug a couple beers before watching anymore. After Halftime we got back to our seats having a pretty solid buzz going when Wall & company started to pick things up. The Wiz showed a lot of heart down the line diving for loose balls, and not backing down to the likes of Melo, Amare, or Tyson.

My biggest issue with the game last night was the play of Andray Blatche, & Rashard Lewis. I've been on these guys' backs for over a week now and their play last night did nothing to change my mind. Dray talks about how he's not a pick & pop type of player, yet he settles for lazy jump shots? Makes no sense. And where do I even start with Lewis? The whole crowd was on this dude last night everytime he made a mistake...which was about every 2 minutes, literally. I realized that Rashard was making more in 5 minutes of playing time than I'll be making all year. The guy may be a veteran, but a player like this can easily be a cancer on your team. Is he a bad guy? No. Is he an Arenas type? Hell no. But for a guy making more than $21 million this year alone and putting up no more than 7 points and 5 boards a night can easily set teammates off. Would you be pissed if one of your co-workers was taking it easy while you're busting your ass on a daily basis? Oh, and they're making 20 times what you are?! Absolutely. He's here to collect a pay check, and that's fine..but he's not starting on my team.

Chris Singleton & Trevor Booker were studs again last night. They're young and raw, but they're hungry! These dudes play with a lot of passion and they both should get a chance at starting over Blatche & Lewis, like I've said before!

Booker was playing some tight D on Carmelo throughout the 4th quarter, and if it weren't for Anthony throwing a smack/punch in Booker's face...he would've never gotten an easy shot off to win the game. Let's be real though, it's not the first cheapshot Melo has thrown in his career. At least he didn't back-peddle all the way to locker room this time.

Overall, here were the best parts of the game in order:

5. Catching a shirt from the cannon in the "t-shirt toss' ...wrestled it away from a hysterical 9yr old
4. The continued improvement from Singleton & Booker
3. Jimmy Wall willing to take the winning shot toward the end...even though he missed
2. Sitting behind Wolf Blitzer, and seeing him just as mad as I was
1. Ordering "Carmelo Shots" at Rocket Bar after the game...it's just 1 shot and then you run away

Fight On Wiz!

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Starting Insanity

We all know what the definition of insanity is right? It doesn't seem like Flip Saunders understands the concept. The biggest issue for the Wizards this year isn't how they play down the stretch, it isn't that they're getting completely outrebounded...anybody who watches the game can tell you that they don't come ready to play at tip-off. This team has been consistently getting themselves into holes in every game (outside of being hyped for the home opener vs. NJ & jumping on a Boston team who's average age is about 52yrs old. Of the other 4 losses so far this year the Wizards have been outscored in the 1st quarter 121-72..that's an average of 30-18 per game. Let's face it, this team doesn't have the fire power to overcome that type of deficit..especially on the road! In those same 4 games they've only been outscored by an average of 23-22 over the next 3 quarters. HELLOOOOO?!?!?! Am I the crazy one? Or does it seem like we need to change up the starting rotation? Our starting 5 is a straight up joke, and pretty much a punch line in every locker room throughout the NBA. A starting 5 that includes underachievers such as Rashard Lewis & Andray Blatche is just embarrassing. I don't care how much money they're making..they don't deserve that starting spot until they start playing like they want it!

I have to remind myself that John Wall is only 21, and would be equivalent to a Junior in College. Derrick Rose is 2yrs older (surrounded by much better players), Rajon Rondo is 4yrs older (surrounded by Hall of Famers), & Chris Paul is 5yrs older with way more experience. If we continue to compare Wall to these players at this point, then we will continue to be disappointed. He's young, growing, maturing, & we need to stay patient (or get him Dwight Howard). I read Jason Reid's article this morning about John Wall being somewhat depressed with the situation he is in here..which is a losing one. I know this is a lot to ask of a 21yr old kid, but he needs to realize that this is his team (no matter what Dray says into a mic). We're all looking to him to band this thing together. It's hard to want leadership out of a player where you also realize that he needs time to grow. But hell, this is DC baby..and if anything came easy we'd call this town Boston or LA.

If Flip can't see past the end of his nose that things are quickly unraveling, then maybe he should be the first to go. But the first change should be the starting line-up tomorrow night vs. NYK at Verizon Center. Here's my hopeful starting 5:




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What the Flip is Going On?

The NBA was locked out for what seemed like minutes? Or days? Months? I'm not really sure because I didn't think about it all that much. I honestly didn't think we would have a season this year. But, alas we will have a season, and the Wizards' start on December 26th. Training camp began a couple weeks ago and I followed along. Michael Lee reported what seemed to be every minute of camp. Players told him there was a huge buzz at camp. Their in house scrimmages were off the charts. I couldn't believe the hype that was building around this team. This hype built an anticipation for their opening preseason game against Philly. Fans expected an improved John Wall, a dedicated Andrey Blatche, and a focused JaVale McGee. Well, sometime expectations can be a set up for disappointment. The Wizards do not look poised to make a splash this season. If anything, it seems like they are taking a step back. Jordan Crawford has looked abysmal, taking quick jump shots before any kind of offense has time to function. The silver lining? This team has a ton of potential. McGee has a frame like Kevin Garnett and can jump out of the building. John Wall just might be the fastest player in the NBA, and we resigned Nick Young for the year. And guess what? Those damn jerseys look SEXY. I love the old school look. So at least I have something good to look at. I'll just put a sticky note over the scoreboard on my TV this season.

Anyway, I'm a little off track, but here's the point of this article. I'm wondering if Flip has the ability to motivate these guys. Can he get these guys going? This is a team FULL of young talent. They are in a critical moment for their development as players. They need a coach that pushes them and drives them to reach their full potential. Right now, it's sloppy. Let's just hope it's the short training camp that has them in a bit of a funk. If not, Flip Saunders will have some 'splaining to do. And I think it's beginning to look like we could have 2 new head coaches in the Verizon Center by the end of this season. I'm rooting for you Flip, but I want to see these young studs develop.

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Great Wall to Superman? I'm Down!

With all of these "super teams" in the NBA now, and the proposed Chris Paul to LA deal...it got me thinking. I know the Paul deal was shutdown, but another big name that's been floating around as of late is Dwight Howard. He's been linked in trades to LA, NY, & NJ. With a 95% chance that he won't be coming back to Orlando, the Magic are absolutely entertaining offers before the season starts.
The Wizards have a solid core of young players surrounded around their franchise cornerstone in John "Jimmy" Wall. But how about this...trade some of our young talent for the best big man in the game (and only 26..birthday was yesterday). The dude is a freak of nature, but you may ask yourself why would he ever want to come to DC?? One reason...John Wall. There are only a handful of point guards in this league as dynamic as Wall, and we're lucky enough to have him.
Players like Dwight Howard aren't dangled out there for a trade very often. So Ernie Grunfeld, PLEASE consider your options here. Giving up some of our young talent for the best center in the game is well worth the trade off for me! This trade would immediately make us contenders. Rebuild over...

Here is my proposal:

Wizards Trade:
-Nick Young (sign & trade)
-JaVale Mcgee
-Jan Vesely
-Two 1st round draft picks

Magic Trade:
-Dwight Howard (agreement to sign extension with Wiz)
-Hedo Turkoglu

New Starting Line-up:

PG John Wall
SG Jordan Crawford
SF Hedo Turkoglu
PF Andray Blatche
C Dwight Howard

Bench:
PF Trevor Booker
PG Shelvin Mack
SF Chris Singleton
C Kevin Seraphin

You now amnesty Rashard Lewis' over $21million/yr contract, and go get reliable veteran free agents such as:

-J.J. Barea
-Roger Mason
-Kurt Thomas
-Josh Howard (reduced contract!)

Am I crazy? What do you all think??

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End the Lockout!!!

Two nights ago at the Juliet Supper Club on West 21st Street in Manhattan, there was a shooting that killed one man, and injured another. Pro athletes at the club that night included Kemba Walker, Russell Westbrook, Victor Cruz, Chris Canty, Chris Duhon, Carlos Boozer, & Antrel Rolle among others when the shooting broke out. Usually this wouldn't be a headline in local sports news..but here's the issue...John Wall was there. For an area that is still trying to cope with the passing of the late great Sean Taylor, I can't even begin to think of what we'd be feeling if something were to happen to Wall.

I understand that this type of event can happen at any place and any time, but I would rather it not involve Jimmy Wall! He's the best thing the Wizards have going right now, and he's a hell of a kid. If this damn lockout would end we'd be able to get back to watching him shine, and not escaping situations like this.

Besides, doing "The John Wall" dance without basketball is just getting me weird looks around town.

FIGHT ON DMV!

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John Wall's New Kicks

There may be an NBA lockout but there is still a new John Wall shoe this year. Introducing the Reebok Zig Encore. Don't let Gilbert Arenas, or his poop anywhere near these! Scoop 'em up on Eastbay.com for $114.99.

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