Game Thread: Wizards @ Pistons (11.1.08)

[spaceman_E]

I know I will catch flak for this but the Pistons were also playing a PF at C (Sheed) and a SF at PF (Hermann) down the stretch. Perhaps we just need a better/taller small ball center seeing as coach clearly doesn't trust Blatche yet.

[WizarDynasty]

Look playing with Etan on offense and defense is basically like playing 4 on 5. His basketball awareness and positioning is that poor. Songalia gaves us the ability to play a lil better perimeter defense and he is far better positioning but songalia is basically deshaun stevenson on defense. No shot blocking ability or shot altering ability due to inferior size. If you really look at the wizards, every player outside of nick young and maybe caron butler are sub physical specimens for their positions. Etan undersized and can't even dribble and make a lay up. You have Jamison is who is tweener powerforward with no shot blocking presence or physical strength to man the post. You have caron butler at 6'5 is short armed for small forward when it comes to blocking shots. Deshaun alligator arms stevenson can't block a shot to save his life. Nick Young is transforming into a protytpical small forward with seven foot wingspan and lateral agility. Point guard.. A.D. slow isn't the word. Even caron with his 6'10 wingspan is a poor shot blocker. The teams best shot blocker relative to his position is nick young. Andre Blatche is optimal physical specimen for a powerforward except Jordan is to dumb let blatche grow through error and to dumb to design part of the offense to develop blathche. the same problem might happen with Javale except that Haywood..the optimal physical specimen at center was successful offensively last year and his instruction is Javale's only real hope. Apparently blatche has not been given a chance to develop his post game like chris bosh was given as a rookie. Jordan keeps thinking he is playing for a championship instead of letting these bigs get alot of nba game film to anlayze and improve.
Blache is not going to get any better going against his horribly defensive fellow wizard bigmen. His only hope of getting errors is correcting the live game errors commit against top defensive players and allowing blatche to figure out his mistakes. That might cost JOrdan his job though so that's a tough bid. Develop your bigman and suffer the embarrasing losses or yank them and never develop them but keep your job by just barely getting by due to a hot game by either jamison or butler.

[omarvelous]

Look playing with Etan on offense and defense is basically like playing 4 on 5. His basketball awareness and positioning is that poor. Songalia gaves us the ability to play a lil better perimeter defense and he is far better positioning but songalia is basically deshaun stevenson on defense. No shot blocking ability or shot altering ability due to inferior size. If you really look at the wizards, every player outside of nick young and maybe caron butler are sub physical specimens for their positions. Etan undersized and can't even dribble and make a lay up. You have Jamison is who is tweener powerforward with no shot blocking presence or physical strength to man the post. You have caron butler at 6'5 is short armed for small forward when it comes to blocking shots. Deshaun alligator arms stevenson can't block a shot to save his life. Nick Young is transforming into a protytpical small forward with seven foot wingspan and lateral agility. Point guard.. A.D. slow isn't the word. Even caron with his 6'10 wingspan is a poor shot blocker. The teams best shot blocker relative to his position is nick young. Andre Blatche is optimal physical specimen for a powerforward except Jordan is to dumb let blatche grow through error and to dumb to design part of the offense to develop blathche. the same problem might happen with Javale except that Haywood..the optimal physical specimen at center was successful offensively last year and his instruction is Javale's only real hope. Apparently blatche has not been given a chance to develop his post game like chris bosh was given as a rookie. Jordan keeps thinking he is playing for a championship instead of letting these bigs get alot of nba game film to anlayze and improve.

dude, im going to have to disagree.
etan just didn't get any time, and got a solid 5 points. the 1st game he got 10 & 8. not bad.
songaila is bad. he got 1 rebound in 25 min. not wat u need from ur big man.
it's not all about shot blocking either, a ton of good defensive plays dont include blocking shots. in my opinion, the more important thing on defense is to stop the offense from getting off a good shot so that u dont even have to worry about blocking the shot.
just my opinions.

[WizarDynasty]

Look playing with Etan on offense and defense is basically like playing 4 on 5. His basketball awareness and positioning is that poor. Songalia gaves us the ability to play a lil better perimeter defense and he is far better positioning but songalia is basically deshaun stevenson on defense. No shot blocking ability or shot altering ability due to inferior size. If you really look at the wizards, every player outside of nick young and maybe caron butler are sub physical specimens for their positions. Etan undersized and can't even dribble and make a lay up. You have Jamison is who is tweener powerforward with no shot blocking presence or physical strength to man the post. You have caron butler at 6'5 is short armed for small forward when it comes to blocking shots. Deshaun alligator arms stevenson can't block a shot to save his life. Nick Young is transforming into a protytpical small forward with seven foot wingspan and lateral agility. Point guard.. A.D. slow isn't the word. Even caron with his 6'10 wingspan is a poor shot blocker. The teams best shot blocker relative to his position is nick young. Andre Blatche is optimal physical specimen for a powerforward except Jordan is to dumb let blatche grow through error and to dumb to design part of the offense to develop blathche. the same problem might happen with Javale except that Haywood..the optimal physical specimen at center was successful offensively last year and his instruction is Javale's only real hope. Apparently blatche has not been given a chance to develop his post game like chris bosh was given as a rookie. Jordan keeps thinking he is playing for a championship instead of letting these bigs get alot of nba game film to anlayze and improve.

dude, im going to have to disagree.
etan just didn't get any time, and got a solid 5 points. the 1st game he got 10 & 8. not bad.
songaila is bad. he got 1 rebound in 25 min. not wat u need from ur big man.
it's not all about shot blocking either, a ton of good defensive plays dont include blocking shots. in my opinion, the more important thing on defense is to stop the offense from getting off a good shot so that u dont even have to worry about blocking the shot.
just my opinions.

there is a reason etan didn't play in the second half. Etan is a body builder, he isn't a basketball player. Instead of focusing on building his basketball skills like taking his man off the dribble and finishing at the basket, he was probably in the weight room. I highly doubt if you gave etan a basketball, he could run and dribble full speed down a basketball court. that's how horrible is true basketball skills are. When he jumps to block a shot, he doesn't leave his feet after the defender is in the air and block shots and he doesn't open up the lane because he didn't invest in perimeter skills his entire time as an nba player even though he is undersized. How can you be an undersized center and not have any perimeter dribbling skills. That's should be the warning sign that etan is body builder versus an nba player. Not only that, he was getting thrown around by rasheed wallace and he doesn't even set solid hard picks to free up the offense. If you watch, he almost rarely actually ever physical on the perimeter freeing up someone elses man. Compare a songalia pick to an etan pick to see how terrible etan is and and etan has been playin' with the wiz his entire career.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I know I will catch flak for this but the Pistons were also playing a PF at C (Sheed) and a SF at PF (Hermann) down the stretch. Perhaps we just need a better/taller small ball center seeing as coach clearly doesn't trust Blatche yet.

Brad Miller would be ideal.

The Kings are thrilled with Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes. But Miller eats their minutes at C.

I think if the Wizards gave the Kings cap relief and young talent in a deal involving Etan/Darius/AD and or picks, they might get Miller.

I can dream any way.

[Dat2U]

I know I will catch flak for this but the Pistons were also playing a PF at C (Sheed) and a SF at PF (Hermann) down the stretch. Perhaps we just need a better/taller small ball center seeing as coach clearly doesn't trust Blatche yet.

Small ball can be a fine alternative...with the right players. Andray when properly motivated is actually a good small ball C. He's mobile and relatively athletic for the position with a variety of skills that most C's don't offer.

Songaila on the other hand is a horrible small ball C. Yes, he's a skilled offensive player but he's simply too short to man the position, especially when considering he's not athletic enough to make up for his lack of height & relatively short arms. Opposing teams can attack him at will on the defensive end.

Songaila is also a very poor rebounder for a PF....and yet EJ asks him to play C.

Maybe if you put an athletic leaper next to Songaila you could hide some of his weaknesses defensively. But the only one who fits that mold is McGee, and EJ doesn't even plan to play him much at C.

Instead we trot out a small ball front court of Songaila & Jamison. It's a lineup that will get routinely killed on the boards and offer little resistance on defense.

[dobrojim]

I know I will catch flak for this but the Pistons were also playing a PF at C (Sheed) and a SF at PF (Hermann) down the stretch. Perhaps we just need a better/taller small ball center seeing as coach clearly doesn't trust Blatche yet.

Small ball can be a fine alternative...with the right players. Andray when properly motivated is actually a good small ball C. He's mobile and relatively athletic for the position with a variety of skills that most C's don't offer.

Songaila on the other hand is a horrible small ball C. Yes, he's a skilled offensive player but he's simply too short to man the position, especially when considering he's not athletic enough to make up for his lack of height & relatively short arms. Opposing teams can attack him at will on the defensive end.

Songaila is also a very poor rebounder for a PF....and yet EJ asks him to play C.

Maybe if you put an athletic leaper next to Songaila you could hide some of his weaknesses defensively. But the only one who fits that mold is McGee, and EJ doesn't even plan to play him much at C.

Instead we trot out a small ball front court of Songaila & Jamison. It's a lineup that will get routinely killed on the boards and offer little resistance on defense.

furthermore, Sheed can play C even if his natural position is PF. And Herrman could play
PF, esp in a small ball lineup. This was more than amply demonstrated Sat night. Herrman
is about the same size as AJ (or maybe even a tad bigger).

I think the worst news I've seen lately was the apparent optimism that was reported
in the paper on the part of EJ etal re how well the small ball worked. They clearly lost
sight of the fact we lost and in the second half when we played small ball extensively,
we lost. Getting out-rebounded by a factor of 2 is ALWAYS going to make it really hard
to win.

[LyricalRico]

I think the worst news I've seen lately was the apparent optimism that was reported
in the paper on the part of EJ etal re how well the small ball worked. They clearly lost
sight of the fact we lost and in the second half when we played small ball extensively,
we lost. Getting out-rebounded by a factor of 2 is ALWAYS going to make it really hard
to win.

Exactly the point I've been making.