Wizards antics (non-Gilbertology edition)

[miller31time]

Yeah about what I expected. Pretty lame non-response. Thanks for the effort miller, that was a mod-quality action right there, looking out for your board's best interests. Shame it was wasted effort.

Yeah, not the response I was looking for either but the good news is that what the admins say does get done eventually. It usually just takes longer than we'd all like....

[doclinkin]

Today's addition to the antics archives, here we have video of Etan Thomas being interviewed while standing in a pool at the Big Man Camp. Random Wizard in a pool video here.

Also: Commentificatin' on the Prez Race here:

Huff Post.

Preseason camp can't arrive soon enough. Can we endure 'til then? Si se puede.

[bulletproof_32]

I didn't want this to get buried in the Random Thoughts thread so I figured I'd post it here.

This season will be my 5th year as a season ticket holder and in recognition of that, the Wiz had a reception tonight for five year season ticket holders.

Wizards/ Wiz related personnel in attendance: Milt Newton, Phil Chenier, JaVale McGee and Dee Brown.

Newton spoke for the majority of the event and even though he basically gave everyone a positive off-season review (Gil's surgery was minor and the knee will be fine, AD/ CB/ AJ are in great shape, Wood's been ballin' in NC all summer and looks great etc), the one guy he mentioned repeatedly was Blatche.

Paraphrasing, here are the things he said about AB:

- His work in the weight room is really starting to show as his body is really maturing especially in his upper body (back/ shoulders/ arms)
- His playing time will definitely increase this year (he didn't say whose minutes he'll be taking, but I'm sure everyone will draw their own conclusions. He did add the caveat though that AB will have to earn the extra minutes)
- While Gil is the best player on the team, AB has the most untapped potential/talent by far but he just needs to work on his mental approach and alluded to his "off court issues" (he said it's something they're on top of but obviously didn't go into specifics)
- They expect big things from him this year/ in the future. He even said that AB should be an All Star in the next 3 years

Team related tidbits:

- The team has gotten off to a slow start the past couple of seasons so this season they're going to give the starters/ rotation players more PT during the tail end of the pre-season games in order to establish some rhythm that will hopefully carry over into the season.
- They're not sure what they're going to do with the extra roster spot and they're always listening to offers/ exploring ways to upgrade the roster
- They've toyed with the idea of moving Gil to the "off guard" spot, but feel he's more effective with the ball in his hands
- Haywood will play at least 35 minutes a night and players and coaches will be held accountable for lack of defense (Just kidding...he didn't say either of those things but I'm sure no one is still reading this...BTW I was too scuurrddd to ask about Wood's minutes/ defending the 3 ball)

By the way, regardless if Dee hangs on to make the team, he's someone I'm going to root for. The guy was just a freaking cool dude (and short too) and you could tell he appreciated the opportunity the Wiz were giving him. He was engaging, personable (hung out afterwards for autographs/pictures/ chatting) and also seemed to enjoy being there (unlike McGee who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there).

Overall, I was pretty happy with the event and while the food was no "Dress Your Dog" it was surprisingly good (Acela club buffet consisting of pastas, crab cakes, roast pork).

[doclinkin]

Thanks for the recap.

Nice to hear their excitement and enthusiasm re: your alias' namesake. I want Dray to improve his lateral footwork and low defensive base more than his upper body strength, but the muscle will certainly give him the strength and confidence to finish in traffic and at the rim. He's ready to start taking those minutes on merit. His development complicates the Brendan equation a little, and again I think he's a better mismatch at Center than power four, but still we can use all the improvement we can get from this kid. He'll get it all at once is my read: and understand you get the big accolades and name recognition when you put in the work and dedication. Then _all_ the nookie follows. Don't even need to buy no discount two-for-one deals with a coupon.

I agree with you on Dee Brown, glad to hear it backed up by an in-person source. He comes off as a quality cat in interviews, and a guy who loves every second he is on the court, lives for the game of basketball. That kind of attitude is infectious, for players as well as spectators.

[nate33]

- Haywood will play at least 35 minutes a night and players and coaches will be held accountable for lack of defense (Just kidding...he didn't say either of those things but I'm sure no one is still reading this...BTW I was too scuurrddd to ask about Wood's minutes/ defending the 3 ball)

Good stuff, bulletproof.

High praise indeed for Blatche. The minutes are definitely there for the taking. Jamison should only play about 24-28 minutes a game at PF (with the rest coming at SF). That leaves 68-72 minutes at PF and C to be split among Haywood, Blatche, Etan and Songaila. Hopefully, Haywood and Blatche will get almost all of them.