Fare thee well: Antonio Daniels appreciation thread

[fishercob]

AD, I'll always appreciate your toughness, effort and leadership. Your good works in the community were not highly publicized, yet are known by many.

You've done right by the memory of your late younger brother. I hope you can wear 33 in New Orleans again. Best of luck to you.

[WizStorm]

100% Pure Class. Fearless in the lane without any regard for his body, which really proved to be his biggest detriment.

Hope AD can take this oppurtinity with good team and make an even bigger name for himself.

[LyricalRico]

Daniels has always played with heart and to the best of his ability. I can't regard him as anything other than a consumate professional and a decent human being. He's going to the perfect situation for him at this point in his career and I hope he helps the Hornets win a title.

Take care, Antonio!

[MJG]

During his first year here, we was my favorite player on the team. The way he played, you couldn't help but cheer for him. Obviously time has taken its toll, but he can still be a solid veteran backup in limited minutes, which is just the role the Hornets have waiting for him. I'm sure he'll do great there to finish out his contract and they'll be happy to have him.

[DieHardWizFan]

Best wishes AD, you worked your tail off and will be missed.

[WizarDynasty]

I will miss how he tumbled to ground every play and how he would often stand flat footed as his younger counterpart rose in the air on the drive for a easy jay.
He loved to keep a fast paced tempo, often times racing down the court on fast break and forcing fouls. He would often look to the bench with grimacing pain as he rose from the ground..hinting to them what life is like after hitting the ground for 10,000 time..the cracks in your tail bone..the grimace often said..."don't be like me...it looks good but really does hurt after a while..young guys protect your body"..a valuable lesson. We will definitely miss A.D. passing up open threes, and dishing to the next man on the perimeter...knowing that the man he would pass to was not open yet. But all in all, this was a man who enjoyed earning his three points the hard way..before the wooden planks of the bball court finally got tired of feeling his tailbone crash..i bet those planks said "Ahh come on man....... not again..he barely touched you?"

[nate33]

The guy was always dependable. He got thrust into a starter's role last year and more than held his own until injuries wore him down. He was always a pretty good fit alongside Arenas during crunch time because he helped calm things down when Arenas got a little to crazy with the quick shots.

It's a shame he's had to play hurt so much lately. It sort of tainted our perception of his performance. When he was healthy, he was a good player - an efficient shooter, a selfless passer, and he never turned the ball over.

[JWizmentality]

True professional. Unfortunate that he was the first to get axed even when there are individuals on this team who were more deserving. Much much more deserving.

But alas, will miss seeing him work his arse off and subsequently breaking said arse in same game. Will enjoy watching him flourish in a real offense, under a competent coach.

[cwb3]

Tough, gritty, classy guy. Did lots of good things for us and ALWAYS played hard and thru pain.
I hope and would expect the New Orleans will be an ideal gig for him. Limited minutes as backup to Chris Paul, running a classic pick and roll offense on a contending team.

He deserves this opprotunity.

Farewell AD, I'll watch for you on League Pass.

[W. Unseld]

AD, you will be missed. True pro, always played hard, played injured and always classy. Good luck sir.

[Wizards2Lottery]

Their is no way anybody could dislike AD. One of the most genuinely nice and hard working guys on this team. He will be sorely missed.

Thanks for the years AD and good luck with the rest of your career.

[miller31time]

I'll echo the sentiments expressed in this thread. AD was the consummate professional, one of the classier players in this league, smart and tough, and had absolutely zero regard for his health and well-being.

On some of those drives he made in years past, I swear that a normal person would have broken their back. Yet AD just got right on up and took his free throws.

Sad to see him go, but I certainly wish him the best in NOLA. I know he'll be an excellent addition to their team.

[BigA]

I'll add my concurrence to all the nice things people are writing about AD. It was fun rooting for him. Out of all the contenders, the Hornets are the team I'd probably most like to see win.

[Ruzious]

Probably the best role model on the team - for his young teammates and younger fans. I hope to see AD come back to the Wiz in some capacity after his playing days are over.

[mhd]

AD was an excellent FA signing. Too bad Etan sucks so much that we couldn't trade him instead.

[tkunit]

Later my man, nothing bad to say at all

[daSwami]

I like and will miss AD. Mainly, I will miss his reliability. He could always be counted on to make good decisions at the end of games. He was also fearless taking the ball to the rim. I've never seen a player who played with so little fear of contact. AD routinely got pounded to the floor in ways that made me hurt just watching. AD won a ring in SA, so he got his, I just hope the rest of his career as a player is rewarding for him, a true class act.

My lasting memory of AD will always be how well he played in the '07 playoff series against the Cavs. Both he and AJ came up huge in that series. We were way under-manned (no Gilbert or Butler, iirc). AD played like a star that series, his best games as a Wizard.

[BanndNDC]

hard working smart tough as nails competitor. im truly sorry to see him go.

[bulletproof_32]

During a timeout of one of the recent home games they had some of the Wiz players (Blatche, Wood, Young, Butler) do their best "AD" impression which got some pretty good laughs from both the fans and players, alike. Each player ended their little impression with something along the lines of "AD you're still my man, though".

That sentiment seems to be the general consensus around the league -- AD is a class individual who is respected by fans and players alike for his professionalism and approach to the game.

AD, my man, I wish you the best in NO.

[ZonkertheBrainless]

Man, I remember when Chris died. My senior year at UD, he was just getting started, all arms and legs. '96 was like his junior or senior year and he was really making strides, playing assertively and he had bulked up some and was doing a good job down low. And then BAM! It was such a shock. We went to the next game and they gave out red flyers t-shirts with his number on it and we were all wearing it. I still have it in my closet.

Kind of a shame that all I know about his brother was that he was a good basketball player for my alma mater. Kind of wish I had had a chance to talk to Antonio about it, don't know what I would have said though. Wish he was still with us, I guess.