Why can't we ever seem to play good defense?

[dandridge 10]

I don't have any problem starting Blatche over Jamison at this stage. Heck, I don't have a problem with NY in the starting line-up too. At this point, I would actually like to see it because I think it will prove my main point...And that is, no rotation changes are going to turn this team around. Among other things, this team needs better leaders, better two-way players, and more toughness all-around. This team needs roster changes, not rotation changes.

[miller31time]

Dat has been saying it for years now - we will never be a good defensive team with Antawn Jamison on this roster.

It doesn't matter if he's starting or coming off the bench for 30 minutes. He'll be on the court A) for most of the game and B) when it matters the most (ie: key defensive possessions).

I love his offense and versatility. I love his attitude and professionalism. But it's becoming more and more clear that, to be a good defensive squad, we just can't have huge gaps in our starting lineup like Antawn.

Going back to earlier in the year (pre-Jamison), AlohaWiz, I don't think there's any question Andray was playing good defense. He was. When he and Haywood were playing together (which was quite a bit), the lane was effectively shut down. I specifically remember a game against the Heat (which we ultimately lost by a bucket or two) when Miami continually attempted to pound it down low to O'Neal and Beasley and each and every time, they were rejected and dejected. It was a thing'a'beauty.

[DaRealHibachi]

AJ should indeed be traded... or atleast play as fulltime 3 (where his D is masked to a certain extent) with Miller and McGuire as backups... And if the latter is the dealio, CB should be traded for a banging/defensive PF to start or play behind Blatche...

[fishercob]

We rank 20th in defensive rating. While that's certainly not good, it's not terrible either. We were 19th before the Phoenix debacle. As we get better with Flip's schemes, I hope we can get into the mid teens. I can live with a 17th or so defensive ranking on a team that starts Arenas and Jamison.

I can't live with it if we're not an elite offensive team. This mix of players and Flip doesn't allow us to be an elite offensive team (And rip on EJ's D all you want, but under his watch this team could score against anyone). I also can't live with Arenas' defensive effort given his physical abilities and his contract. You can't make all-league money and play one end of the court. Just can't do it. I don't care if you average 35 a game.

Wizards are a bad defensive team because they are comprised of players that either don't take pride in playing good D (e.g., Arenas) or have physical limitations (e.g., Jamison, Miller) which make them bad defenders. And, the few players on this team that do play well defensively are offensive liabilities so its hard to leave them on the court (e.g., Stevenson, McGuire). It is really that simple.

This team is not going to improve defensively until we start drafting/trading for players that can play both ends of the court.

This.

It's just a poorly put together team (and I include the coaching staff in that) right now. I have more faith in Blatche being a long term upgrade over Jamison than D10 does. He definitely needs to improve his rebounding, but I think he can be a much better defender than Jamison. I also haven't seen enough of Miller -- especially defending where he should be, the 3 spot -- to conclude he;s too physically limited to be a good defender. And he's a heck of a rebounder.

Simply put, the Wiz need to move at least one, preferably two, in not all of the supposed "Big 3." That's the path to redemption for this squad.

[nate33]

I agree with the general consensus that Blatche played better as a starter. Blatche is basically a lazy guy who is trying hard to change his ways this year. The whole "7 Day Dray" think was working for a while because he was getting positive reinforcement with minutes and success on the court. But I don't think he is disciplined enough to continue to work hard if his minutes are going to get jerked around.

At this point, I'd prefer to do what's good for Blatche rather than go for short term wins (since it's not really a given that benching Blatche leads to wins in the first place). Earlier this year, our offense suffered without Jamison at PF because Gil and Butler were playing so bad. But with Gil playing better lately, I think the offense can hold it's own without Jamison.

Start Blatche. Let him know he'll play 30+ minutes a game (foul trouble permitting) as long as he plays D and rebounds. I don't know whether we should start Jamison or Butler at SF. A good argument can be made for either. It doesn't really matter to me because I think both guys should be traded anyhow.

[nate33]

We rank 20th in defensive rating. While that's certainly not good, it's not terrible either. We were 19th before the Phoenix debacle. As we get better with Flip's schemes, I hope we can get into the mid teens. I can live with a 17th or so defensive ranking on a team that starts Arenas and Jamison.

I can't live with it if we're not an elite offensive team.

Agreed. The offense needs to improve quite a bit. Fortunately, Arenas is showing signs of turning the corner. Butler might be a lost cause (though at least he has played a little less selfishly lately). I'm just saying that if you told me this summer that we would start Arenas, Young, Butler and Jamison and we'd rank 20th in defensive efficiency, I would be fairly pleased. And I suspect our defensive rating would be even better if we had started Young every game.

[Zerocious]

in the win over GS, was it me, or did butler not pump fake as much? it got him 28, right?

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Dat has been saying it for years now - we will never be a good defensive team with Antawn Jamison on this roster.

It doesn't matter if he's starting or coming off the bench for 30 minutes. He'll be on the court A) for most of the game and B) when it matters the most (ie: key defensive possessions).

To me, the most critical thing is the Jamison NEVER be on the floor on defense in the last 5 minutes of the game. Sub offense for defense, use fewer timeouts earlier in the game... but make sure, in crunch time, there are two bigs on the floor for every important defensive possession

[dobrojim]

I think our defensive problems don't have that much to do with our
forwards specifically. It's a combination of our Gs and possibly our
scheme. The player guarding the PG (Gil) has not done an even
close to decent job on the P&R.

Lately almost every team has had great success by running
a P&R where the PG starts on the wing and gets his pick
coming to the middle where he then has a myriad of
options.

Against the Suns this might not have worked but I would
like to see a hard trap on the PG when the opp does this.
Force the ball either back out or a pass to the picker who
has often been a big who is not a threat from the perimeter.

How were we doing as well as we were doing the first several
weeks defensively only to have the wheels falling off the cart
in that area now?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Dat has been saying it for years now - we will never be a good defensive team with Antawn Jamison on this roster.

It doesn't matter if he's starting or coming off the bench for 30 minutes. He'll be on the court A) for most of the game and B) when it matters the most (ie: key defensive possessions).

To me, the most critical thing is the Jamison NEVER be on the floor on defense in the last 5 minutes of the game. Sub offense for defense, use fewer timeouts earlier in the game... but make sure, in crunch time, there are two bigs on the floor for every important defensive possession

That's it for me, too, lsbf. Jamison's had a productive impact on +/- for years. He's helped the team. It's just at crunch time he hurts the team defensively a lot. He's also not a low post threat in halfcourt. Due to the minutes he plays, he's often outrebounded at the end of games. That's when Jamison hurts the team. The rest of the time Jamison's a baller. His 20 and 8 consistently achieved without plays for him, but with the occassional forced shot makes Antawn an asset most of the time.

Just minimize the times he's a defensive liability late, and also minimize him and Butler as the Fs in most matchups. Jamison, IMO, could be a very good SF in certain matchups in addition to being a stretch PF.

I don't necessarily want Jamison traded as much as I want him properly utilized.

[dobrojim]

Dat has been saying it for years now - we will never be a good defensive team with Antawn Jamison on this roster.

It doesn't matter if he's starting or coming off the bench for 30 minutes. He'll be on the court A) for most of the game and B) when it matters the most (ie: key defensive possessions).

To me, the most critical thing is the Jamison NEVER be on the floor on defense in the last 5 minutes of the game. Sub offense for defense, use fewer timeouts earlier in the game... but make sure, in crunch time, there are two bigs on the floor for every important defensive possession

That's it for me, too, lsbf. Jamison's had a productive impact on +/- for years. He's helped the team. It's just at crunch time he hurts the team defensively a lot. He's also not a low post threat in halfcourt. Due to the minutes he plays, he's often outrebounded at the end of games. That's when Jamison hurts the team. The rest of the time Jamison's a baller. His 20 and 8 consistently achieved without plays for him, but with the occassional forced shot makes Antawn an asset most of the time.

Just minimize the times he's a defensive liability late, and also minimize him and Butler as the Fs in most matchups. Jamison, IMO, could be a very good SF in certain matchups in addition to being a stretch PF.

I don't necessarily want Jamison traded as much as I want him properly utilized.

I can't remember who he came in for but I think it might have been AJ,
but Flip made a nice situational sub last night getting Dom in. And IIRC,
Dom ended up getting a rebound on the possession.