Gotta be encouraged by the first game of the season if you're a Wizards fan. Beat the Mavs in Dallas by 11 points, and were pretty much in the lead the entire game. Oh and Jamison isn't even playing for a few weeks. A few other things from the game... Gilbert looks like he hasn't missed a beat. 29 points and 11 assists (EDIT: 9 assists). But the most important thing is you could see his explosiveness was still there. The front court looked strong with the interior defense of Haywood, and they looked especially strong on the boards...Butler and Miller are great rebounders for perimeter players with both grabbing 8 tonight. I think all the experience Blatche got last year was beneficial now that he's in a less pressure-filled situation on a team with several other options. He ended up with 20 points by letting the game come to him rather than forcing it. It looks like he could be a reliable player off the bench this season. They're definitely making a concerted effort to improve their defense this season as evidence by holding the Mavs to 91. I think Foye will be a contender for sixth man of the year. He played 30 minutes off the bench scoring 19 on 8-14 shooting. Bottom line, I think this can be a 50-win team if everyone stays healthy and Jamison comes back from his shoulder sprain. Could be one of the biggest single season turn-arounds ever. Since I follow them fairly closely I'll try to post some updates in this thread as the season progresses.
Well, Arenas looked great. So after 3 major surgeries Mr Grover was still able to get something out of his knee. I know it is only one game but he looked real good. Let's see what he was able to do with McGrady.
DCkid, please keep this thread up to date. Watching them beat the Mavs in Dallas was awesome! I hope they stay healthy so we can all see what their upside is. Flip must teach them how to play smarter defense. They MUST cut down on the dumb fouls. Their personnel dictates the Wizards will not be a good defensive team, but they have to do better. I wouldn't compare Gilbert to McGrady. They are completely different from each other in how they approach basketball.
Gilbert is a fanatic about basketball. Practice, training, shooting, etc. His dedication is fanatical. He's the kind of guy who would die inside if he couldn't play. McGrady is nothing like that. I think basketball is a job to him where he earns money. Gilbert loves the game (almost to a freakish extent). It is truly his passion of passions. If you ask me, the main reason McGrady wants to play this year is mainly to maximize whatever contract he can sign next summer.
I didn't say McGrady has "no passion" for the game. But it isn't a stretch to say he's not one of the most passionate guys in the NBA. Of course it takes a certain amount of passion with talent to be successful. On the other hand, Gilbert is a complete fanatic, borderline nutcase about basketball. His off-court dedication is why he went from 2nd round draft pick to superstar.
What is the forecast on their center rotation? Position and minutes. Haywood 70%, McGee 30%? Did Blatche or whatever play some C? What about Miller/Foye? I didn't see the game and even then 1 game doesn't tell the story.
espn boxscore....... http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=291027006 Foye played excellent off the bench with 19 pts, Miller got a good amount of rebounds.
Get in where you fit in. Different things motivate different athletes, players, men, women, children, students, laborers, people, what have you.. as a whole. I could careless if Mcgrady's ultimate motivation is money. If it is... which I think it is just like how you're thinking.... it's a great bonus for us this year. I'm just glad he's motivated period. You may very well be right in your analysis that Gilbert's naturally motivated to be the best baller in the league. Let's assume Mcgrady wants to get paid like the best baller in the league. In order for that to happen ... he's gotta produce and I think he will. If Mcgrady's healthy and producing he's gonna help us win... worst case scenario he's increasing his trade value. We're in a win-win situation with him.
I'd say their C rotation isn't set yet. It's also hard to tell with Jamison out. Magee barely played at all and Oberto even ended up getting the start at PF, which kind of surprised me. Oberto would slide over to center when Haywood would go out (which was pretty rare). Either way, it's got to be a little disconcerting for Magee's outlook this season to only play 42 seconds in the first game. He made a stupid play where he tried to wildly block a tough running tear drop when he clearly couldn't get there in time, leaving his man completely open for the offensive rebound. It's little dumb things like that which will cost him minutes. Basically, it looks like they'll try to lean on Haywood a lot this year, but I'm not sure he'll be able to take those minutes for very long. If he goes down the Wizards defense gets significantly worse. As for Miller, he got the start and had a pretty quiet game. Hit 2-of-3 open 3-pointers. I'll be perfectly happy with him just making a few threes, racking up a few assists with his good court vision, and out-rebounding some opposing guards. I don't think they need him to do much more. Of course defense could be a problem with him. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Stevenson's minutes increase in games the Wizards play the Lebron's/Kobe's of the world. If the first game is any indication Foye will get the sixth man role, and I think it will fit him nicely. It looks like he'll play about 30 minutes off the bench.
i really like the wizards to surprise people in the east i think they do have what it takes to be "big" teams in the east if they can stay healthy and on the same page. the trade for foye and miller was a great move and getting oberto just gives them some more depth upfront. hopefully when jamison gets back they really take off they have no real inside threat which hurts them but they have enough perimeter talent and some great depth as well. if things go the wizards way i would probably rank them ahead of the cavs and behind magic and celtics at this point. but thats just IMO and dependent on the health of the team of course
Appreciate that insight. I don't recall the new and improved Caron Butler getting much time with Arenas. Does Butler gel well alongside Arenas? From all I can tell it looks like he shot a low %. From a fans perspective would you be open to acquiring Boozer? Is Nick Young a disappointment or just low on Flip's rotation? What is Flip doing differently out there, specifically, when Jamison was still active?
I watched a lot of the game yesterday and was very impressed. Miller has been great in the preseason and in game 1. I think Gilbert is, indeed, back to his old form. But the one who impressed me the most was Foye. he hit some dagger shots at the end of the game to keep the lead. I live in Alexandria but I just bought a house in DC right by the Ft Totten metro station, just a few stops from Verizon Ctr. I will be attending quite a few games this season. Go, Wiz! (unless they're playing the Rox )
