I was just reminiscing over my most recent celebrity sighting...

It was just a few weeks back when I was sitting at the Chicago Midway terminal on my way back from Kansas City (they love company!), marveling at how people in such close proximity are simulateously in a thousand different places. Then I saw him... Adrian Dantley! Eye contact followed and I was sure he knew I knew who he was - a surprisingly satisfying feeling.


Now, what if I sat next to AD? How should I play it? I can't imagine Dantley gets hounded on the regular, so he might be up for some roundball discourse. I could show off by marginalizing the talent he was traded for. After all, who wouldn't be game for trashing Tripucka? I would most def make it very clear to Adrian Dantley that I'm appalled he's not in the Hall. (I've discovered since that he would have replied: "I am.")

But then it hit me... there's no way the great Adrian Dantley is flying Southwest. And just like that, he walked off.

Fast forward to my plane entrance. As I boarded, the flight attendant pegged me as a candidate for a nice front row seat since I didn't have any carry-on. "Walk right off the plane," she said. Of course the front row seat was between one grown man and another extra-grown man... 400 lbs minimum. I took one for the team and wedged myself into "first-class."

Next I learned that I don't need a functioning left side of my body to notice ADRIAN DANTLEY boarding my plane. Ol' #4(5) shook off the flight attendant's concern over space for his bag and went right ahead and flew Southwest. Who will Dantley sit next to? What will they discuss?

Frustrated that I couldn't spit game with Adrian Dantley, I must say things got worse when normally sized man requested "tomato" to quench his thirst. Then he cycled PAST Mike Tyson's Punch-out to play Berzerk on his DS. What? There's Hall-of-Fame talent on the plane and I'm stuck between the offensive line and a V8?

Labels: NBA, road-trips

In the midst of an unprecedented string of playoff wins, the Portland Trailblazers replaced head coach Mike Shuler in 1989 with Rick Adelman. Under Adelman that season, the Blazers went from 3 games over .500 to 4 games under, squeaked into the playoffs, then lost in the first round for the fourth straight season.


The franchise took a giant leap forward under a fully entrenched Adelman in the following campaigns, experiencing their greatest 4-year run in franchise history. Portland netted 4 consecutive 50+ win seasons and 2 trips to the NBA finals (Mike shrugs shoulders). Their 63 wins in '90/'91 are the most in team history.

The Sacramento Kings franchise was fresh off 15 sub-.500 seasons in a row when Rick Adelman took over the reins in 1998. Following his arrival, the fevered fans of Sac-town were rewarded with 8 straight winning seasons, each of which resulted in postseason appearances.


Most cowbell rung in '01/'02, when the Kings notched the only 60+ win season in franchise history. Still fresh is their playoff run that season as Adelman's crew were an ill-advised Vlade Divac tipped ball away from reaching the NBA Finals.

With team and franchise player playoff performances being sketchy of late, the Houston Rockets welcomed Rick Adelman as new head coach this season. In the stacked Western Conference, Houston's postseason life was hardly a certainty.

But as the season progressed, and the cast of characters evolved regularly, the Rockets found themselves making regular-season history. Having surpassed the '70/'71 Milwaukee Bucks - that's Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's world-champion Bucks - this Rocket team has notched the second longest winning streak in NBA history. Only the Laker team of '71/'72 - and that's a Chamberlain/West/Goodrich world-champion Laker team - has tallied more consecutive victories.


I have a feeling if Houston was led by a rookie or younger coach, perhaps a former player from recent memory or a college convert, a 7-11 Slurpee flavor would have been named after him by now. But it's just old Rick Adelman... and all of this is nothing new.

Amazing Trivia Learned From Researching This Post

Name the 2 Bucks players in franchise history to have led the team in points, rebounds and assists in the same season.

• Sidney Moncrief ('80/'81)
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ('74/'75)

Labels: NBA

You know what Jordan, how 'bout you look ME in the eye and tell me the tag really says $185. Become legendary? Maybe. Become stone-broke? Yessir. Why do you think Sprewell's strapped for cash? He wanted to be like Mike. Hello XXIII's, bon-voyage yacht! And look at the cast of characters lining up to peddle Jumpman's: Jeter, T.O. 'Melo, Rip, Jesus Shuttlesworth... all veterans of the underbelly. But now The Tongue's got Joe Johnson hawking these? Oh well, it's not about the shoes, it's about what you do in them. Mainly, walk like a turkey.

Labels: commercials, NBA, tv

"They just sent jump-shooting back 100 years."
-Reggie Miller, on the fact that 7-footers David Robinson and Tim Duncan (and much shorter Becky Hammond) claimed victory in the Shooting Stars competition

"That's cool."
-Me, in regards to the $50,000 winners' checks going to local organizations, rather than the players.

"Did you guys get a chance to see his (Daniel Gibson) shooting performance last night?"
-Kevin Harlan, to Charles and Kenny, who happened to be calling the Rookie/Sophomore Challenge Friday night for TNT

"Sager had plans?"
-Me, in response to Cheryl Miller's performance as on-court emcee, where sponsor executive's names were butchered regularly

"Rudy Gay should be asking YouTube for tips on getting into a defensive stance."
-Jeff Van Gundy, during Thursday night's TNT broadcast in response to Rudy Gay's YouTube video asking fans for dunk ideas

"They need to start playing him more, he's got too much time on his hands."
-Charles Barkley, after Gerald Green drug a ladder on the court again for his follow-up to the Birthday Cake


"He's a video game, not a real person!"
-Kenny Smith, after Dwight Howard's sick toss/jump/catch left/throw off backboard/catch right/throwdown

"That was fun."
-Me, realizing I never laughed so much during a dunk contest and only saw two as good or better

* This is asking a lot from my memory... so actual quotes may vary.

Labels: All-Star games, NBA

Since the morning drive goofys won't touch on anything outside of a courtroom, I thought I'd delve into the Shaq-to-the-Suns development. Whether or not this was a good move for PHX has been debated ad nauseam on this 411-Freeway over the last two days. I believe the following to be the most important things to consider:

#1 - The Suns have won a ton of ball games over the last 4 seasons and have nothing at all to show for it in the postseason. Just because this is an obvious point doesn't mean we should look past it. Something's got to change during the tournament, and Shaq Diesel, excuse me, Solar Shaq knows something about tournaments.

#2 - Shaq's sluggishness won't terminate the Suns fast break. I remember running 3-on-2 and 2-on-1 fast break drills during basketball tryouts (it's called "potential" coach Wildasin!) at SGHS, never 5-on-anything. You may remember a fast breaking Lakers team dubbed "Showtime" (112 ppg) featuring 40 year old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the middle. And the '90-'91 run-and-gun Nuggets (119 ppg!), although terrible, were not hampered by 7-0, 250 lbs. behemoth Blair Rasmussen, their 4th leading scorer.

#3 - Shaq won't play heavy minutes. This opens up opportunity for Boris Diaw to run in the Matrix Unloaded's place. The French Army Knife's only getting 28 minutes per this season, 7 less than his average 2 season's ago. Brian Skinner (14 mpg) is no doubt licking his chops as well.

Now, back to the redesign.

Labels: Blair Rasmussen wants to be on my blog more, NBA

I like to wear short socks but only have high Starbury’s. So after weeks of sporting a questionable look, the family decided to take a road-trip to the Town Mall of Westminster, home of the nearest Steve and Barry’s.

Fifty bucks at the S&B got us one collared shirt (Starbury line), two long-sleeve tees, one pair of mesh athletic pants, two women’s shirts, one Cutie Pie kid’s tee and one pair of women’s Starbury’s. Fifty bucks at the Air Jordan rack gets you a pair of Jumpman socks and a key chain.

Needless to say, we’re big fans of Steve and Barry’s and the mall as a whole. I found out the hard way though that the Westminster S&B store is a “level 4” store and it’s Starbury supply is often depleted, as it was this past weekend. I guess I’ll be a fashion misfit a while longer.

As for the Movement, Steph’s kept busy:

• Stephon Marbury Calls Out Michael Jordan (Loose interpretation of "calls out")
• Marbury Shocker: I'll Play in Italy (What's with these headlines?)
• Big Ben Joins the Movement

Labels: NBA, road-trips

It's rarely a positive thing to be Deadspin fodder, which was the case today as Scottie Pippen was featured on the cynical sports blog. The foundation of the post wasn't really anything new, but the entry allowed the Deadspin community to dip into their stash of SP pot-shots. Admittedly, some were funny:

Stev D says:
You could make good money doing the opposite of whatever Scottie Pippen does.

Camp Tiger Claw says:
The only reason he can grow anything is because Michael Jordan owns a farm next door and fertilizes everything.

Get Him A Body Bag, Yeah! says:
I heard that he got into the farming life so much that he joined a country band. He's the second fiddler.
Sorry.

As for the Toni Kukoc/sidelines/pouting themed cracks... too soon! Those are some deep wounds. I mean it was finally Pip's team and the Master of the Zeniverse decoyed him. Treacherous!

Labels: NBA, Pip

Wow. What a performance by Lebron James tonight in the Cavs 2-OT win. This was Marv's recap:

• Lebron scored the Cavs last 25 points;
• 29 of last 30 points;
• Last 11 field goals made

This includes 2 unheard of dunks within the final minute of regulation and bombs from various spots on the Palace floor. Reggie was getting beat-up by the Jet and Chuck post-game, but I think he had a point. Many of Lebron's shots down the stretch were well-contested including those drifting 3s he drained.

Still Detroit had to throw more aggressive double and triple teams at him to force more of those awkward Sasha Pavlovic moments. Lost in going bonkers for the King is how Flip Saunders further cemented his standing as an awful playoff coach.

But the story was The Lebrons, and it's a development that I certainly welcome. I was prepared for and accepting of a Spurs/Pistons final, but that's up in the air now. This Cleveland team has provided the drama TNT craves - I think it is important to highlight the word team as it was an incredibly effective team effort on the defensive end. And knowing your roles on the offensive end demonstrates teamwork as well in my opinion.

Now I don't watch the ESPN around here, but I imagine the hype following this game is going to get out of hand. I beg you GSW bandwagoners not to re-hitch to these Cavs. Except Todd, because he wore a Cavaliers tee to my birthday party. Also except Witt, because he has a John Bagley rookie card. If you were too busy watching "1 vs. 100" before the Lebron James game, then you should stay busy watching "1 vs. 100" after the Lebron James game.

I'll continue to witness.

Labels: NBA

• First off... the Wiz. Playing short-handed in round one against Cleveland was definitely a worst-case scenario. They learned absolutely nothing about their ball club and will undoubtedly move forward with the same make-up and strategy that they've had the past few seasons. The run-and-gun/no defense thing just can't work, which leads me to my next bullet...
  
  
• I'm actually pleased the wheels fell off the Warriors and Suns bandwagons last round. Their brand of ball may have made Bo Kimble a lottery pick, but it ain't gonna win championships. Sure it was exciting and oftentimes well-played, but at some point you've got to play some D. Good riddance small-ball!
  
  
• If there were to ever be a sequel to "Eight Men Out", the Spurs game 3 performance against the Jazz could easily be your storyline. I don't know who pulled those strings, but that was a giveaway. Each Tim Duncan foul was like Eddie grooving one in the movie. Jazz fans crying about flops today should just be happy the series wasn't allowed to be over yet.
  
  
• Also: Gilbert breaks down the Blazers and Sam Vincent is once again linked to Michael Jordan

Labels: NBA, WashWiz

Labels: NBA

Let last night's bottom two of Stephanie Edwards and Chris Richardson serve as a reminder of who's Idol this is. I get the feeling the creators of this show, known as "Pop Idol" in other countries, knew exactly what they were doing when they made the name change for the United States version. After all, we're a land of cynics, pranksters and racists... and they were putting us in charge of a talent show?

This call-out isn't a direct response to my AI6 pick getting the boot 10 weeks earlier than predicted. I realize Stephanie has steadily regressed since her round of 24 effort and I have since admitted that she might be hard-pressed to last longer than a 7th place finish. Of course had she not been eliminated before several less-impressive contestants, she might have once again found her groove and began to regain the momentum she had lost. But probably not, since it appeared that she was just a bit out of her league.

Rather my disappointment lies in the fact that the combination of Stephanie AND Chris represented the 2 lowest vote-getters this week. For one or the other to slip through the cracks and potentially be sent home early has become a standard of the show... the bottom 3 has its surprises. But to think that the motley crew of Malakar, Stacy, Scarnato, Sligh & Glockson (get your tour tickets now!) were comfortably seated while either standing contestant wasn't even going to crack the top 10 is a farce. Shame on a country.

The good news is the Wizards are in the middle of a west-coast swing and "all that is right with the world" aired on Comcast Sports Net shortly after Idol. The WashWiz/SuperSonics tilt had its ups and downs, its highlights and lulls. But at the contest's close, with less than fractions of time remaining on the game-clock and the scoreboard's dueling focal points harmoniously exact, Agent 0's floating essay embraced Key Arena's northern window and incontrovertibly caromed through the goal for a two point basket. Wizards win. No strings attached.

Labels: AI, Holy Thesaurus, NBA, WashWiz

After our candid logo discussions earlier in the week, I was pleased to come across the artwork above representing the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League. Now this is the way to depict a Wizard. The WashWiz would creep opponents right out of the phone booth with this graphic emblazoning center court.

Dakota's eye for design, plus a certain something I've washed my hands clean of that's captivating hoops fans at the moment, has sparked my interest in taking a closer look at the NBA's D-League. I got my first real taste a few weeks ago while watching the D-League All-Star game as part of the NBA's All-Star Weekend. The most familiar name to me was Bakersfield Jam guard Gerry McNamera, but game MVP Pops Mensah-Bonsu has made the most of the occasion having recently been called up by the Dallas Mavericks. Here are a few links to open your eyes to the D.L.:

• The league's created a nice little promotion with Gatorade, calling players acquired by NBA franchises Gatorade Call-Ups. Luke Schenscher's the latest Gatorade Call-Up.
  
  
• Randy Livingston proves the D-League ain't just for rookies.
  
  
• In true minor league tradition, the Arkansas RimRockers are giving away Bill Clinton bobbleheads tomorrow night.
  
  
• While few D-Leaguers have yet to make a major impact in the NBA, there have been a few to latch on and play prominent roles.
  
  
• Looks like tomorrow night's Jam/Flyers tilt will feature more than one Syracuse alum.
  
  
• And don't miss this opportunity to get a tee with a real Wizards logo on it.

Labels: logos, NBA, WashWiz

Choose your favorite from the Steve Buckhantz lexicon: Backbreaker! Dagger! How do you like that?!? They all applied unfavorably to the Washington Wizards this weekend after consecutive buzzer-beating losses. Here are a few observations after a weekend with the Wiz:

• Add Steve Francis (remember him?) and Udonis Haslem to the long list of players to unexpectedly torch the Wizards. It's been happening all year from the likes of Ryan Gomes, Zaza Pachulia, Devin Brown, so on and so on.
  
  
• Not to beat up Fast Eddie Jordan, but two coaching decisions played a big role in last night's loss. First, Jordan decided not to foul Shaq within the final 3 minutes of a close game, rather opted to double-team him and allow Shaq to use his passing skills, finding teammates for easy buckets. Pat Riley's play-call with 3 seconds to go was great. He drafted a play for the player facing Washington's worst defender rather than automatically going with one of Miami's top offensive players.
  
  
• The Wizards are great entertainment. Everytime I think I've got a clear thought about them, the opposite happens. Plus, darned near all of their games go down to the wire.
  
  
• Gilbert Arenas has to be the most clutch offensive player in the game today. Prior to Haslem's heroics last night, "Keep Shootin'" canned all 3 of his free throws with 3 seconds left to tie up the game. He also hit a running 3 at the halftime buzzer. Agent Icewater!
  
  
• The Wizards still aren't a complete enough team to be taken too seriously, and a lot of that goes back to the drafting board. Watching Jared Jeffries suddenly become an aggressive force against the Wiz on Saturday got me to thinking of how the Wizards haven't drafted a player to have a significant impact on the team since Juwan Howard was drafted in '94. The few "names" they've drafted in the last 15 years such as Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace were traded away for veterans before an impact was made. Others that could fill roles such as Devin Harris, Jared Jeffries and Kwame Brown weren't kept around long enough to develop. The point is this - elite teams build through the draft (save for the '04 Pistons).
  
  
• Looking at that draft list, Washington does clean up on drafting future NBA coaching legends. Doug Moe, Don Nelson and Larry Brown and Jerry Sloan were all selected in their first 4 drafts.
  
  
• Quite frankly, we've got the worst logo in all of sport.

Labels: NBA, WashWiz

There hasn’t been a team in the String Bean Basketball 3 who hasn’t dealt with a rash of injuries. The '06/'07 edition of the Association has been riddled with torn patella tendons and bruised shoulders. But my Papertown Shakes squad is reeling right now, for the most part due to games lost by the walking wounded. The players below would give a starting crew in this month's all-star game a good run. The players below would flat out win a 12-team fantasy league. The players below are all injured Shakes.

PG Baron Davis
SG Michael Redd
SF Paul Pierce
PF Antawn Jamison
C Marcus Camby

Obviously, two of these players are grants (players who are injured every season) and I shouldn't be surprised they’re once again sporting the business casual. But Redd, Pierce and Jamison have been durable players over the years. The hope is to get 3 players back in time to hold down the league's 2^nd seed, and all 5 back to run with Gil, Dre, Marion-Lite and Shaq in the Finals.

Labels: fantasy basketball, NBA

Gilbert Arenas celebrated MLK-day with another game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer. It's not too late to join the fan club. Membership includes, but is by no means limited to:

• Agent Zero tees in all shapes and colors
• Get a 16" by 20" photo of Gil's most clutch jumper
• Earn your degree in Gilbertology
• Fire up a Hibachi BBQ Grill
• Learn to create your own Gilbert Arenas ice sculpture

Labels: NBA, WashWiz

• Remember the NBA Beat with Jackie McMullen during Sportscenter in the early/mid 90's?
  
  
• Hey, I got blockquoted on Bullets Fever! I guess I should have sured up my tenses before publishing that comment.
  
  
• Should an Ejections category be added to the String Bean Basketball III fantasy league?
  
  
• Watch out for this Saturday's Wizards/Celtics tilt. There seems to be some bad blood there and Gilbert is looking to bounce back from a poor shooting night.
  
  
• Papertown Shakes' Shawn Marion Lite, Gerald Wallace, opened the season in typical Gerald Wallace fashion: little of this, little of that, left with an injury (a pretty nasty spill actually).
  
  
• My sister hooked me up with some Starbury's and I played in them for the first time last night. They treated me pretty well, but I have to say that I was a little self-conscious wearing them. Stupid Phil Knight... you won't stop the movement!

Labels: fantasy basketball, NBA

The team had another successful string of wins in the late 80s/early 90s with the high scoring trio of point guard Tim Hardaway, guard Mitch Richmond, and forward Chris Mullin (collectively known as "Run T-M-C" after the rap group Run-D.M.C.). However, with then coach Don Nelson wishing to go with a bigger lineup, he made a trade that broke up the Run T-M-C core by sending Richmond to the Sacramento Kings for draft-day bust Billy Owens while bypassing Dikembe Mutombo, who was selected next by the Denver Nuggets.

- Answers.com

But Nelson saw an opportunity in Golden State big enough to lure him out of a comfortable routine at his home in Hawaii and his sports bar in downtown Dallas. With his unorthodox coaching methods -- and a vow to improve his team's defense, just as he promised every season with the high-scoring Mavericks -- he's ready to fix another moribund club.

"I still have the passion, and I think we have the talent here," Nelson said. "I like this team. There's nobody better at playing small-ball than me. I know how to do that. There's a lot of positives here, and many of them happen to be smaller players."

- Boston.com

So everything has come full-circle for Nellie in Golden State. 12 seasons after breaking up a diminutive, running-and-gunning roster in favor of size and defense, he's returned to the bay promising a smaller, faster, higher-scoring Warriors lineup. Will the new Run T.M.C. fare as well as the originals and make an impact in the Pacific?

Then…

• Tim Hardaway - Couldn't wear jersey number 10 until his second season, after veteran Manute Bol left the team
• Mitch Richmond - 1 of 6 players in NBA history to average at least 21 ppg for his first 10 seasons
• Chris Mullin - Only player to have been named Big East Player of the Year 3 times, thanks to sharing 2 Co-Player of the Year Awards with Patrick Ewing

Now…

• Baron Davis - Straight outta Compton, Baron like chewing Juicy Fruit gum during games
• Jason Richardson - Along with Michael Jordan, 1 of 2 players to have won consecutive NBA Slam Dunk Contests
• Troy Murphy - Funds an AAU team in his New Jersey hometown called the Jersey Shore Warriors

And Always…

• Don Nelson - "I ain't no messiah, that's for sure," Nelson says. "But I am a good coach, and I'll do a good job here. I will get the team headed in the right direction. A lot of good things are going to happen." - USA Today

Pacific Division Forecast

1. LA Lakers
2. Phoenix Suns
3. LA Clippers
4. Golden State Warriors
5. Sacramento Kings

Labels: NBA, rank and file

1. I had the Summer League's highest single-game scoring output of 35 points against the Suns. Am I Foye or Roy?
2. I originally entered my name into the 2002 NBA draft following my senior season in high school. Am I Foye or Roy?
3. I have situs inversive, which means all of my organs are mirrored, making my heart on my right side. Am I Foye or Roy?
4. I ranked #2 in my collegiate conference in shooting percentage as a junior by connecting on 56.5% of my field goal attempts. Am I Foye or Roy?
5. I was traded twice on draft day. Am I Foye or Roy?
6. I was voted by NBA General Managers most likely to be NBA rookie of the year. Am I Foye or Roy?
   
7. I am a former New Jersey player of the year. Am I Foye or Roy?
8. I was named MVP of the Las Vegas Summer league. Am I Foye or Roy?

After impressive summer league showings following the lottery selections of T-Wolves guard Randy Foye and Blazers guard Brandon Roy, their respective clubs are buzzing about their potential impact. Can either of these pre-season R.O.Y. candidates make enough difference to help propel their teams from the Northwest division's basement? Foye or Roy?

Northwest Division Forecast

1. Denver Nuggets
2. Seattle Supersonics
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Utah Jazz
5. Portland Trailblazers

Labels: NBA, rank and file

Atlantic     Central     Southeast
1.Nets       1.Bulls     1.Heat
2.Knicks     2.Pistons   2.Wizards
3.Celtics    3.Cavs      3.Magic
4.76ers      4.Pacers    4.Bobcats
5.Raptors    5.Bucks     5.Hawks

First, I'm not sure the Bulls are a lock to win the Central, but did you know that they scored more points per game than anyone else in the division. That's important since they enter this season considered a defensive-minded ball club.

Second, can the Knicks really jump all the way from last to second in the Atlantic? Keys to making such an improvement in my opinion are: 1) Stephon Marbury performing at or near an all-star caliber level again; 2) Steve Francis finding his niche as a reserve and being among the league leaders in points and assists per minute; 3) Eddie Curry playing a more normalized center… no more 1st and 3rd quarters only with no defensive rebounding.

Third, the Orlando Magic just might be able to overtake Washington in the Southeast and challenge for a playoff spot this season. If rookie JJ Reddick is any sort of player, they have a very balanced looking offensive attack. Dwight Howard's foul situation and team 3-point shooting percentages might be the daily factors that make or break this team of potential.

Fourth, is there a less-interesting team in the NBA than the Sixers right now? There is absolutely nothing different about this team right now than their 38-44 club from last season. With Webber and A.I. just another year older, this team is going to go through some tough stretches.

Fifth, the Hawks are becoming the Arizona Cardinals of the NBA, or the LA Clippers of your father's NBA of the NBA. I don't like their mix of talent and think they dropped the ball big-time when they passed on true-point guard and playmaker Chris Paul in last year's draft. Maybe Marvin Williams will show us something this year, but he's just been shelved for 6-8 weeks. Joe Johnson is the ATL's only bright spot.

Weekend Reading

• The Lenovo Stat: Computes the most effective player combinations during games.
• Stern: Shoot threes, not firearms.
• Let The Truth Be Told: Jay-Z will be all over your TNT Thursday nights.
• Jason Maxiell: NBA Sleeper

Labels: NBA

If you’ve been reading the countless features on Gilbert Arenas this preseason, you might have heard that the Wizards new marketing pitch is “Go All In.” I propose to you, Wash Wiz brass, that you “Go All Out” for a change.

Another offseason has passed without the Wizards making any fan-base energizing roster adjustments. I was critical of last season’s offseason, claiming the Kwame Brown/Caron Butler trade dealt away the Wizards only promise of establishing an inside presence and wouldn’t make them a better team. Maybe Butler was slightly better than a dime-a-dozen 15-5-3 guy, but the Wiz dropped from 45 wins to 42 wins, from a 5 seed to a 6 seed, and a 1st round playoff exit. Granted, the Larry Hughes departure had more to do with that than the loss of Brown, but the team’s makeup sorely lacked the tough defensive rebounder and back-to-the-basket scorer that Kwame could very well have become.

Prior to this preseason, Washington’s free agent additions have been: DeShawn Stevenson, a starting guard; Darius Songaila, a key reserve forward; and Calvin Booth, a 3^rd-string center. Without any rookie additions competing to crack the top 10, the Wizards are counting on these players to help them remain a +.500 team. That’s difficult to get excited about.

But I’ll try…

Shooting guard Stevenson is a 6-year NBA vet at age 25. In his 2 seasons as a starter, he averaged about 11 ppg, similar to the numbers reserve SG Antonio Daniels gave the Wizards last season. DeShawn Stevenson gives you more rebounds but fewer assists than Daniels. There are 2 key differences between them that may indicate an upgrade to the Wizards lineup: 1) Stevenson shot 46% from the floor last season (not bad these days) and took only 15 3-point shots, which tells me he can effectively drive the lane and get to the rim despite his 6-5 frame; 2) Stevenson is a physical defender rather that can make up for the loss of the only thing current Knick Jared Jeffries brought to the team last season.

4^th year pro Darius Songaila is a 6-8 power forward and may challenge for that starting position in Washington despite only having started 7 games in his career. A career 50% shooter, he had a deadly spot-up shot that can pull his defender away from the basket. There are mixed reviews on his defensive and rebounding prowess, which may explain why teams haven’t been willing to allow him to crack their starting 5.

These acquisitions, combined with the return from injury of Jarvis Hayes and the possible insertion of Etan Thomas into the starting center slot, have convinced Gilbert Arenas that the Wiz will be better. Are you willing to “Go All In”?

Notes:

• New alternate home jersey
• Wizards TV Schedule
  

Southeast Division Forecast (or Recast in this case)

1. Miami Heat
2. Washington Wizards
3. Orlando Magic
   
4. Charlotte Bobcats
5. Atlanta Hawks
   

Labels: NBA, rank and file, WashWiz