By Patrick Pho
Luke Russert said it best on Twitter: the roster for the Memphis Grizzlies read like an NCAA All-Star Team.
Between a starting line-up that featured O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, and Mike Conley along with Hasheem Thabeet and Acie Law on the bench and I didn’t know if I was watching an NBA game or a March Madness game.
By Patrick Pho
Defense.
We know it makes champions, and it was certainly the key to the Wizards victory against the Rockets this past Wednesday. However defense was also a weak point coming into tonight’s game against the Charlotte Bobcats- the Wiz were 24th in the league allowing 106 points per game to opponents. Charlotte on the other hand entered the game 8th in the NBA in points allowed per game with 95.63.
So who’s defense would match up tonight? Would we see the Wizard’s continue with their tough defense that was displayed against Houston or will Charlotte stifle the Wiz?
The answer was neither.
By Patrick Pho
There was so much about last night’s game that reminded me of last Tuesday’s home opener.
A marquee match-up: this time around it was a Yao vs. Yi Chinese face-off.
A game after a notable embarrassment: a notably terrible practice that caused Coach Saunders to flip out.
An energy about John Wall that excited the crowd.
Well I suspect every game will have that sort of anticipation.
What was also the similar to last Tuesday’s opener was the result: a win for the Wizards and another achievement for rookie John Wall. However that’s where the similarities end.
By Patrick Pho
A view of the Verizon Center prior to the game. (photo by Patrick Pho)
The Wizards fans arrived to the Verizon Center for their home opener eager for a win. After starting the season with losses to Orlando and Atlanta, the crowd was ready for 2010’s first overall pick John Wall to go toe-to-toe with the second overall pick Evan Turner.
That didn’t exactly happen.
While The Wizards finally earned their first W in the home opener, they did so in a nail biting overtime thriller that tested the team’s depth and will to succeed. The evening’s storyline of Wall vs. Turner was soon replaced with Nick Young’s 23 points off the bench, Wall’s double-double that was one steal short of a triple-double, and Cartier Martin’s game tying buzzer-beater to send the game in overtime and allow the Wizards to close out a strong performance that suffered a fourth quarter meltdown.
By Patrick Pho
‘Yi JianLian Juice Box’
courtesy of ‘Wootang01’
The Wizards have another new face to welcome to Chinatown.
Days after the Wizards drafted John Wall, the Wizards continue their rebuilding by acquiring Nets forward Yi Jianlian from the New Jersey Nets for Quinton Ross and cash- lots of cash.
By dealing the sixth pick of the 2007 NBA draft, the Nets clear up cap room as they work to make room for two max contracts. Sounds like somebody wants to be a big suitor for LeBron and company. Jianlian is due to make $4 million this year but the Wizards should only have to pay about $1 million since the Nets are also giving Washington $3 million to complete the deal.
By Dave Levy
‘Arenas lets it fly’
courtesy of ‘afagen’
Yesterday was a little bit of a busy sports day. Landon Donovan, an epic Wimbeldon match (to the point where “epic” doesn’t actually do it justice), Strasmas 3, and, oh yeah, Landon Donovan. Why should the fun stop now? Tonight is the 2010 NBA Draft, and your Washington Wizards carry the first pick.
All signs are pointing towards a selection of John Wall, who played one season as point guard from Kentucky. Wall would be a great boost for a team that has drifted into low relevance in a town that has moved from Redskins quarterback-shuffling to a brief Caps playoff run and along to Strasburg’s heralded debut for the Nationals. When the Wizards lucked into the number one draft pick last month, it represented a pretty banner day for District sports fans, and John Wall would stand as a worthy addition to the Mount Rushmore of prospects that have come to the DC area in the last years.
Coverage for the draft beings at 7 tonight, and you can catch it all on ESPN. The clock will start around 7:30, and Wall very likely will be a Wizard shortly after that.
By Dave Levy
‘Caron Butler at the line’
courtesy of ‘afagen’
A rough sports year will sometimes mean grabbing little victories wherever you can get them. Still, there are definitely some legitimate bounces that will help restore faith that things will indeed get better. Last night was just one of those nights for the Washington Wizards, beating the odds and four other teams with higher probabilities to secure the #1 pick in the 2010 draft. The Wiz may have had the worst of it of any team – controversy around its biggest star and the unfortunate loss of its owner, Abe Pollin – so this was definitely a needed break in their favor.
Smart money suggests that management – which now includes Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis – will likely grab John Wall, the freshmen phenom who spent one year in college before declaring earlier this spring. Aaron Morrissey definitely won the headline war this morning over at DCist (“Great Wall of Chinatown” – well done, sir), but there are many more reasons for Wizards fans to be ecstatic beyond the likely pick of the Kentucky point guard.
Ultimately, when June 24th rolls around, whether it’s John Wall or another top prospect, the Wizards will be adding a third leg to complete DC’s “Big Three” of pro sports. The young, top-pick talent of this pick, Alexander Ovechkin and Stephen Strasburg will hopefully be something sports fans around the District can get excited about for many years to come.
By Rebecca
‘DSC_4085’
courtesy of ‘Ghost_Bear’
It’s been a busy and eventful last two weeks in the Washington DC sports world. The Caps are ON FIRE!!! The Wizards might be getting there. And we’ve had some solid developments for those out-of-season teams, some expected, some not so much.
Capitals
Record: 37-12
Last Two Weeks: 7-0
Place:1st in the Eastern Conference
With yesterday’s win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Capitals are on a 10 game wining streak tying their 1984 franchise record.
Defender Mike Green will be out for the next two games for an elbow to the head of Michael Frolik during Friday night’s game. Green’s absence yesterday was a huge disadvantage for Washington, as Green is the league’s leading defensive scorer. However, with Ovechkin’s third period goal, they managed to pull out the victory.
Over the next two weeks, the Caps are out of town quite a bit, traveling to Boston, Ottawa and Atlanta. Look for a solid match against the Penguins at the Verizon Center on February 7th.
By Tom Bridge
NBC Washington has the video of Verizon Center personnel removing Arenas banner from the side of the building this afternoon. It’s not clear if this is a deliberate move by the Wizards, or by the Verizon Center management, but either way, Agent Zero’s profile is a bit smaller right now.
By Tom Bridge
‘_MG_5524’
courtesy of ‘dbking’
Redskins
Record: 4-12
Last Two Weeks: 0-3
Place: Last in the NFC East
Well, this is one season no one will want to revisit anytime soon. This morning, Jim Zorn was fired (my only surprise was that he rode their plane home), after the Skins put up their worst record since they went 3-13 in the 1994 season. Zorn finishes his tenure with the Redskins at a tremendous 12 and 20 (.375), or, just where Steve Spurrier finished in 2003. He is the sixth coach of the Skins to be fired since Dan Snyder bought the team in 1999, none of whom have an over-.500 record.
There’s little to celebrate at the end of the season. Jason Campbell still isn’t the Quarterback-leader the Skins are hoping for. Chris Cooley is on the mend, this is true, and he’ll be a bright light for 2010/2011, but there’s a lot of rebuilding left t go.
But if the Skins were to do one thing this off-season to engender trust from their fans? Take Dan Snyder away from the reigns of the team. Entirely. Hire Shanahan and then take two years away from the team, Danny boy, and maybe then you’ll be alright. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘Washington Wizards’
courtesy of ‘RMTip21’
The Wizards kick off their season tonight in Dallas against Mark Cuban’s Mavericks. While it seems the Wiz will wait even longer for the holy trinity of Arenas/Jamison/Butler to be united, but since we’ve been waiting since 2007, anyhow, so what’s another 3-5 weeks? This will also mark the Washington debut of coach Flip Saunders, who took over at the helm during the off-season. Saunders’ past success with Detroit and Minnesota make him a candidate to lead the turn-around for the Wizards, but much is dependent at this point on getting everyone healthy and keeping them that way.
The Wizards start of with a brutal first fifteen games. Four of their first five opponents made the playoffs this year, and they’ll be down Antawn Jamison until mid November at the earliest. It’s not exactly the sort of situation you want a team that has so much to prove to be in so early in the season. This is the kind of stretch you want to see much later in the year, once the engine’s running on all cylinders. But, if Saunders can keep the keel even, and can come out of that first fifteen with six or seven wins, then I’d say there’s a fair chance the Wizards might be back to their earlier form. Don’t hold your breath.
Tipoff’s at 8:30 tonight, and the game’s on Comcast Sports Net.