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| Final - 4.10.2010 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta Hawks
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30 | 22 | 26 | 27 | 105 |
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Washington Wizards
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30 | 20 | 28 | 17 | 95 |
Fourth quarter dooms Wizards in loss to Hawks
by Mike Prada on Apr 10, 2010 9:19 PM EDT
in Recaps
2 comments
Sure, we lost, but on the bright side, Mike Miller actually got to play point guard in an NBA game. The Wizards were outscored by nine points in the two and a half minutes he played there, but it's not about silly little things like stats, it's about guys achieving their dream. Mike Miller achieved his dream tonight.
This one's for you, Mike.
2 comments | 0 recs
Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards: Regular Season Game 80 Open Thread
by Mike Prada on Apr 10, 2010 6:54 PM EDT
in Game Threads
151 comments
Some quick pregame notes:
- When I got on the court at about 5:30, there was only one Wizards player - Cedric Jackson - practicing. By the time Flip Saunders was done with his pregame media session, Cartier Martin, Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee, Nick Young, Shaun Livingston and Earl Boykins were on the court. Throw in the assistant coaches (Sam Cassell, Wes Unseld Jr., Gene Banks, Ryan Saunders and Mike Wells) and the ballboys, and you can see how it gets pretty cramped out there. I've heard more than one player this season complain about how there isn't enough room for him to get into a routine. Here's a tip: try coming out a little earlier.
- Flip Saunders was asked about how the Hawks were able to build themselves up to being a contender. "Because they lost games, they were able to build and get some good young pieces through the draft. They had the patience to let those guys develop and know that they were going to take some hits as they were developing, but in the long run know that it was going to pay off." Hey Ted/Ernie/new GM, you listening?
- Obviously, someone asked about the whole "Andray Blatche trash talking KG" story, i.e. the most overrated thing of the year. Saunders said that he yelled at KG last game for Blatche. I chuckled inside. I think Flip was being serious.
- Sam Cassell's lesson of the day for Livingston? The time to attack a defender in the post is once he sticks out his leg. "As soon as he steps out, go," Cassell told Livingston. To demonstrate, Cassell zipped by Livingston in the post and drained a baby jumper.
- Speaking of Livingston, the 42 minutes he played last night was a career high. I asked Flip whether he was surprised with how well Livingston held up. "No," Saunders said. "When you're playing well, you don't get tired." Saunders did say that he's going to watch for any signs of fatigue from Livingston tonight.
- Livingston's also apparently buddies with Marvin Williams, based on how they said hello to each other before the game. Everyone knows everyone in this league.
- There are a lot of former players doing color commentary these days, but none carry a room like Dominique Wilkins. He honestly looks like he could rip off his suit and go out and play at a high level. I've seen guys like Tom Heinsohn, Clyde Frazier and Sean Elliot this season, but no color commentator has the same aura as Dominique. I'll stop now before I sound any more like Bill Simmons.
151 comments | 0 recs
Briefing: Wizards dominate the first half, hold on for victory
by JakeTheSnake on Apr 10, 2010 8:55 AM EDT
in Briefing
8 comments
One Half Makes All The Difference - Brian Jackson, Fast Break
Washington would close the first quarter on a 15-2 run, 11 of those scored by Nick Young including a buzzer beating three pointer to end the quarter. Young missed his third straight 20-point output by a single point but is nonetheless enjoying his finest stretch of the season.
Wizards Roll Over Celtics - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington
In the first two quarters the Wizards had 18 assists, only turned the ball over three times, and did not allow any points off those turnovers. Andray Blatche, who drew criticism from head coach Flip Saunders for trash talking with Kevin Garnett in a game here last month, stayed cool and led the Wizards with 31 points and 11 rebounds. Livingston calmed the team at critical moments and added a career-high 25 points and 7 assists.
Loose balls: Ray keeps faith, Blatche keeps quiet, Rondo's award - Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston
Blatche connected on 12-of-23 attempts for 31 points, while Boston's Big Three combined for 11-of-35 shooting for 27 points. "The No. 1 thing is I have a lot of respect for my coach [Flip Saunders]," said Blatche. "Last time he said, 'Just don’t say nothing.' So this time I just didn’t say nothing at all. I have respect for my coach."
8 comments | 0 recs |
Wizards hold off epic collapse to beat Celtics
by Mike Prada on Apr 9, 2010 10:09 PM EDT
in Recaps
20 comments
Take that, Buffalo Wild Wings!
20 comments | 0 recs
Washington Wizards vs. Boston Celtics: Regular Season Game 79 Open Thread
by Mike Prada on Apr 9, 2010 6:49 PM EDT
in Game Threads
181 comments
I spent all afternoon competing in a blogger "athletic" competition with the rest of the SBNation.com editorial team (we're going to post video next week). I finished in last place, though I did run a far better mile than I expected. It would be nice for the Wizards to cheer me up a bit tonight.
(I'm kidding - it was just for fun and I had a great time. They got me on the strength events; I got last, last and tied for last in those).
Anyway, our Wizards signed Cartier Martin for the last four games of the season, which was pretty much a formality unless the player's name is Alonzo Gee. Also, Andray Blatche vowed not to talk trash to Kevin Garnett tonight, because doing so is obviously a terrible crime (not). Put it this way, if we created a top ten list of "what are you doing, Dray?" moments, trash talking KG would probably be 325th. Maybe 225th.
Finally, Brian Scalabrine is a goofy dude, but he's also really cool. I know this because Scal came to a Brandeis hoops game my junior year, since one of their assistant coaches also did a lot of work with him on his game. If you come out to a D-III basketball game, you get extra points in my book.
GO WIZARDS!
181 comments | 0 recs
The "Bring Out Your Dead" strategy: Why it's the path the Wizards should take this summer
by Mike Prada on Apr 9, 2010 12:09 PM EDT
in Free Agency
63 comments
Editor's Note: I can't take credit for the name "Bring Out Your Dead," because it comes from the Real GM Wizards board. They have a community of Wizards fans that, along with you guys here, are the smartest and most forward-thinking I've read. They've been talking about this strategy for a while and I figured I'd spell it out more clearly here.
This is going to be a pretty important summer for the Wizards. Obviously, they should have a high draft pick (hopefully #1!), and there's also the whole Gilbert Arenas situation to work through. But really, what makes this summer interesting is the cap space. How much cap space? Depending on what the NBA salary-cap numbers come out to be, the Wizards should have around $18.5 million to play with this summer and only six guys (counting Arenas) who are under contract.
The traditional way to fill this space is to actually sign players. There are definitely a lot of guys out there, whether it's max guys or cheaper players. Another alternative would be to re-sign our own players, most notably Josh Howard, Mike Miller, Randy Foye, Shaun Livingston and James Singleton.
But there's also a third path, which is saving most of that cap space until 2011 and using it then once we have a better idea about the state of the team. This doesn't necessarily mean we completely sit out of the free agent market, because there are guys like Livingston who really need to be re-signed at a decent price. But the general strategy is this: keep your long-term salary commitments minimal until we have more of a structural foundation.
In the meantime - the Wizards still do need to fill out a team for next year. They'll likely get three new players in the draft, and re-signing Livingston pushes the roster to 10, but that still leaves some openings. To fill those, we now turn to the "Bring Out Your Dead" strategy.
63 comments | 0 recs |
2010 NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Ekpe Udoh
by Rook6980 on Apr 9, 2010 6:00 AM EDT
in Draft
3 comments
Contributor's Note, by rook6980:
This is the eleventh installment in a series of regular postings on draft prospects. This series will take a look at the top draft prospects for the 2010 NBA Draft in June. The plan is to have one or two a week, leading up to a flurry of activity the week of the draft. My DVR is crammed full of college games, and I'm watching and writing as fast as I can (between Wizards games).
Ekpe Udoh (pronounced epp-AY YOU-doe)
22 years old
6'10"; 240 lbs.
Baylor, Junior
Udoh's father Sam is only 5-foot-9. He emigrated from Nigeria to the United States to provide a better future for his family, and it appears as though that decision will pay off big time for his son Ekpe. Born and raised in Edmond, OK, Ekpe gets his height from his Grandfather, a 7-foot giant of a man.
Michigan's head coach Tommy Amaker recruited Ekpe Udoh when few other big name schools showed any interest. But when Amaker was fired after Udoh's freshman year, Michigan hired John Beilein. Udoh stuck it out for his Sophomore year, but he never made much progress in Beilein's high-post, perimeter oriented Princeton offense. His statistics and his game stagnated. Udoh didn't think he was going to be able to reach his full potential, so he decided to transfer to Baylor.
Udoh had to sit out the 2008/2009 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules, but he was not just sitting around waiting. He was in the gym every day, working on his game with assistant coaches, team managers, other players, or anyone else that happened to be around. All that work paid off this year when Udoh had a breakout season, averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds, almost three assists and around four blocks for the surprising Baylor Bears, who made it to the Elite 8 before bowing out in a hard fought game against the Dook-ies. Udoh's final line in probably his last college game? 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots.
Not bad Ekpe, not bad.
3 comments | 0 recs |
Briefing: Magic win the game...and Mike Miller's heart?
by JakeTheSnake on Apr 8, 2010 11:01 AM EDT
in Briefing
19 comments
Mike Miller "would love to" go back to Orlando - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider
After scoring 16 points in the Wizards' 121-94 loss to the Magic, Miller was asked about a possible return to Orlando, where he spent his first 2 ½ seasons and won rookie of the year in 2001. "I would love to," Miller said. "Look at what they have. For a shooter, it is a dream come true. It would be exciting to go in there. Not only do they have a big guy who they have a chance to double, but they have shooters around the horn. It would be a fun experience for sure."
Magic Keep Cruising, Roll Past Wizards - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington
Blatche, was held to just 13 points on 5 of 19 shooting from the field. Instead for the second consecutive game the Wizards were led in scoring by Nick Young who scored 21 points on 9 of 15 shooting from the field. "He has played well," Saunders said of Young. "He got a little bit tired defensively and got taken off the dribble a few times by Redick. He has been playing with confidence. He has been trying to play within the system and taking good shots.
Wizards get crushed by steamrolling Magic, 121-94 - Michael Lee, Washington Post
Young continued to play well, as he followed up his season-high 29 point performance against Golden State by scoring a game-high 21 points. It was the first time since late November that Young had consecutive 20-point games. But Blatche had a difficult night from the floor, with Howard and Rashard Lewis combining to fluster him into missing 14 of his 19 field goal attempts. "It was a transition coming from the Nets to the Warriors to Orlando," Blatche said. "They got the most dominant big man in the league. He's good at protecting the rim. That's a great overall team. I don't think we were as aggressive as we should've been. I know I wasn't. I was settling too much when I should've been attacking the rim."
19 comments | 0 recs |
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