The Washington Wizards

Washington Post staff writers Ivan Carter and Michael Lee were online Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. ET to field your questions and comments about the latest NBA news.

From The Post:

Wizards Coverage

The transcript follows.

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Fairfax, Va.: What say you on the new gold alternate uniforms? When will they be available for purchase by the masses? Does this foreshadow a permanent uniform change?

Ivan Carter: I've seen them and actually like them thought most people do not. They will be available starting with the night they wear them the first time, at home Nov. 18 against Cleveland.

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Michael Lee: Yo, Ivan, you ready. It's time, man. It's time. The season is finally here and if last night was indicative up the season to come, expect to be surprised every night. Let's not waste anymore time, though. Let's go.

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Keith, D.C.: Be honest -- do you think that Darius Songaila will be back at full strength this season or should we scratch him the season and focus on 2007?

Michael Lee: Calm down, people. Darius Songaila was not the missing piece. He's a good ROLE player, a guy who can knock down a jumper or fight for a rebound, but c'mon dude is not the franchise. If Gilbert goes down with a back injury, or has to miss the next few months, then yes, scratch the season and focus on 2007. But trust me, when you're a veteran like Antawn Jamison or Antonio Daniels, you can never "scratch a season" in the NBA because you don't get them back.

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Washington, D.C.: What ways have the Wizards address defense other adding one or two tenacious defensive players?

Ivan Carter: This question goes to the heart of the matter as far as I'm concerned. The Wizards have talked extensively about playing better defense and the entire organization has made it a focus, including Abe Pollin. However, how do you get better defensively without adding true defensive players a la Ben Wallace, Tyson Chandler, etc.? That's why I am taking the wait-and-see approach. I've heard the rhetoric before and several players have acknowledged that they must "do" rather than just "talk." Adding DeShawn Stevenson should help and Caron Butler made great strides last season but when it comes to the team as a whole I'm like this: I lived in Missouri for five years and have adopted that state's motto when it comes to the Wizards: "Show me"

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Washington, D.C.: My biggest concern going into the season is Jamison's comment that he feels as tired as if it were midseason. Tiredness leads to injury or just tired play. How is the team going to give him some rest? Songaila could have played more minutes to give Jamison more rest, but what are they going to do now?

Ivan Carter: Besides the never ending Brendan Haywood/Etan Thomas/inside presence issue, Antawn Jamison's health/energy will be the thing to track this season. That was a long summer for a guy who played all 82 games last season and the playoffs. Now, the good news is that Antawn does feel spry. He even tried to throw down a 360-degree dunk the other day at the end of practice. Also, Antawn takes care of his body. He doesn't carry extra weight, he puts his time in the weight room and he's not out on the town for all kinds of crazy hours doing damage to himself. Still, it's a long season and he'll have to be monitored for wear and tear. I'll be tracking it in the paper all season.

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Williamsport, Md.: After reading all the preseason discussion about which team is going to end up where, the Wizards aren't even mentioned. Heat, Bulls, Cavs, Pistons and Nets are the only ones mentioned. Is it fair to assume that the Wizards stand no chance of contending and moving farther than the second round?

Michael Lee: It is fair to assume that anything can happen in the Eastern Conference this season. Granted, you can say that Miami and Detroit have the best chance of winning the division, with Cleveland and Chicago right behind, followed by the Wizards, Nets and pick two other teams from this list (Orlando, Milwaukee, Indiana, Toronto).

That being said, you still don't know if Miami has enough fresh legs to make it through the season. You don't know how the loss of Ben Wallace will impact Detroit as the season progresses. You don't know if the Cavaliers and Bulls are too young to be taken seriously. And, we've just started playing games and we don't know who is going to get hurt, who is going to get traded or who is going to get fired.

The Wizards believe they can win 50 games and get to the conference finals. What I'm trying to say is, until they play the games, Washington has just as much chance as anybody in the East to get to the conference finals. Nobody in the East is especially frightening. It's not like the past two seasons when Detroit and Miami were heads and shoulders above everybody else. There is going to be a lot of parity in the NBA this season.

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Bowling Green, Ohio: Don't you think it would serve our Wizards well if we could acquire some rebounders? I mean, I take a look around at teams like the Utah Jazz, who have three players capable of averaging 10 rebounds per game (Boozer, Okur, Kirilenko) and also play some decent defense in the post, thus, making up for their lack of a legit post threat on offense. In other words, can Antawn Jamison continue to put up the rebounding numbers he did last season? If not, how do we fix that problem?

Ivan Carter: To me, rebounding and the opposing team's shooting percentage will be two of the most important stats to track with this team this season. They were outrebounded in the preseason but we all know how important that can be. Even though he wasn't a true 6-foot-11 type, Jared Jeffries did get a solid number of offensive rebounds last season and that kept possessions alive. Losing Songaila for three months doesn't help either. Then again, Jarvis Hayes is an above average rebounder and Caron Butler turned into a beast on the boards as last season went on. Much of this comes back to the two big men, Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood. Can they and will they get down and grimy and provide a true physical presence for this team? We're all waiting to see.

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Ollie, Md.: Mike and Ivan -- Can you give me the "real" reason why Ramos was cut (other than Lang beat him out) and do you think the Wizards might be interested in signing Nick Van Exel as an insurance policy? Thanks...

Michael Lee: The "real" reason Ramos got cut? He wasn't going to play. Eddie Jordan had seen enough of him last season and this summer to know that he wouldn't fit in the rotation.

And no, Nick Van Exel said he planned on retiring after last season with San Antonio. Although I haven't heard him say anything officially, it doesn't appear that he will play again -- not that the Wizards need him, anyway.

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Richmond, Va.: Look, I am not saying that the Bullets (I refuse to call them by their fake name) should trade Brendan Haywood, but maybe they should trade Brendan Haywood. My point is this, you don't want to give away 7-footers with talent, especially in a conference that requires some sort of center play. However, the fact that Haywood's agent would come out and say that Eddie Jordan's decision to start Thomas over Haywood was based on personal issues points to a much larger and more divisive problem. It is bad enough that he has underachieved talent-wise, but now it seems that he and his agent have decided that all of his short-comings as a player are the coach's fault. I see major problems in the not-so-distant future. What do you guys think?

Ivan Carter: Brendan's mental state will be an issue all season. He's not happy about coming off the bench, he believes that he's a true starter and he obviously believes that Eddie Jordan has it out for him. His agent didn't say what he said without Brendan's okay, I can promise you that. However, I don't see Ernie moving Brendan just to move him. The guy is only 26 years old and he has a very reasonable contract figure compared to some of the big men in this league ($4.5 mill this season, $5.0 mill next season, $5.5 mill in 2008-09 and $6.0 mill in 2009-2010). Also, what power does Brendan have if he doesn't go out and prove that he can be a legit night-in, night-out presence in the paint? Few teams are going to offer up a nice package for a guy who is a malcontent and an underachiever. Okay, maybe Kevin McHale but that's about it. Bottom line: This team needs Brendan to go out and play like he can. I personally believe that he has the ability to give you 10 and 10 on a nightly basis, but I have to see it.

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Ricky, Washington, D.C.: So I guess with the Songaila injury that should mean more playing time for Blatche?

Ivan Carter: Not necessarily. Andray really struggled during the preseason with his shot (15 of 56 overall and 1 of 14 from three-point range) and his defense. His ball handling is nice and he flashes some nice open floor skills but Eddie is not going to play a guy who turns the rock over and can't make a shot. Eddie has been very candid in his analysis of Blatche's play and he's going to have to see more. I see this rotation for the early part of the season: Arenas, Stevenson, Butler, Jamison, Thomas, Haywood, Daniels, Hayes, Ruffin and Roger Mason. Blatche and Donell Taylor will get spot duty here and there and must show what they can do.

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Fairfax, Va.: What do you consider will be the biggest surprise of the Wizards' season this year? It seems like we already know what to expect with a lot of the team (i.e., so what if Etan starts over Brendan, we know exactly what each one brings and we know that Brendan will get sourfaced about the whole thing). Will it be DeShawn's steady play? Noted improvement from Caron/Andray? Could James Lang be a dark-horse candidate for center minutes down the road?

Ivan Carter: To me it's this: Caron Butler, 2006-2007 Eastern Conference All Star. Write it down. From what I've seen this preseason, what I heard about his summer and what I pick up by his body language, he's going to be a beast.

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Hyattsville, Md..: Ivachael,

Can the Heat be had? I don't want to make too much of last night's game, but everyone other than Wade looked very, very sloooowwwww. And I don't think it was because those (massive) championship rings were so heavy. I had the Wiz locked into second place in the SE, but do they have a real chance to get the division crown?

Michael Lee: First off, don't call us Ivachael. He's Ivan. I'm Michael. It's bad enough they have us sharing the same space in the photograph for the Wizards Insider. No men should be forced to be THAT close. We like each other, but this isn't Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis.

But to answer your question: I've been afraid to say this for some time because I don't want to sound like a homer - which I am NOT!! -- but if you want my gut feeling, the Wizards can push the Heat for the Southeast crown this season. If you check out my blog, you'll see why I feel that way. Mostly because the Heat is approaching the regular season as if it's an exhibition. I'm not just basing it off the Heat's disgusting 42-point loss last night (the championship hangover was obvious). They don't care until it really counts, in the playoffs. Since they are champs, their mindset is, what do they really have to prove in the regular season?

The Wizards have a lot to prove and they are hungry this season. So, while I see the Heat still winning the division, I wouldn't be shocked if the race is tighter than we expect, especially in the first few months.

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Bay Bridge: Gentlemen,

Its been 12 seasons since the Golden St. Warriors made the playoffs, call it the Curse of Chris Webber. With Don Nelson back, and an emerging star in Jason Richardson, will this finally be the year that the Warriors will return to respectability? Let alone the playoffs?

Ivan Carter: I'll say this and allow Michael to weigh in if he wants: I kind of hope the Warriors break through for no other reason than their fans deserve it. I've been going to games out there off and on over the years, first as a visitor when I covered the NFL and was able to catch the Warriors the night before a Niners or Raiders game, and now as an NBA writer and I swear it is one of the best fan experiences I've seen. Those folks care about that team. They come early, they stay late and when the Warriors even show the slightest signs of life, the place goes bananas. I mentioned that observation to Antawn Jamison when we were out there last season and he agreed. "That's why it hurt so badly not to do what we've done in Washington when we were here," Jamison said. "These are great fans." I like Nellie. I love Richardson and I can see Dunleavy reaching his potential in Nellie's system. However, I've never been a huge fan of Baron Davis's game -- too much dribbling, too many bad shots and he's never in great shape.

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Mt. Pleasant, D.C.: Guys - Thanks for keeping us all up to date over the offseason. Keep up the excellent work.

My question: Have either of you seen real evidence that Etan is going to be able to bring the toughness (making the Wades and Tony Parkers pay for each trip into the lane and laying the wood to LeBron when necessary) that EJ seems to be anticipating? Also -- I'm assuming Brendan is pretty upset and that the agent's comments are actually Brendan's?

Ivan Carter: I'll say this about Etan: he just looks better. More athletic, has played with more fire and bounce and he appears to have a hunger that I did not detect last season. Etan chalked this up to the fact that he had a full summer when he was able to work out and play ball. Last summer, he was still getting back to health with that bad abdominal strain he suffered the previous season. He looks good but again, I have to see it on a nightly basis before I can give the fans hope that this team will be significantly different in the middle.

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19th and L St: In the SI preview mag they listed the young, fast PGs (Hinrich, Telfair, Paul, etc.) but didn't mention Arenas? What's with the lack of love?

Michael Lee: I thought that Gilbert was getting overlooked when I first looked at the magazine, then I realized they were talking about the fast set-up men. Now, Gilbert is fast but he doesn't play the same as Bassy Telfair, Chris Paul, Kirk Hinrich or T.J. Ford. Gilbert is better creating his own shot and breaking his man off the dribble and getting to the basket. Gilbert is a scoring point guard, like Iverson without the (visible) tats. Those other guys are pass-first guards (although I was a bit baffled to see Nate Robinson make that list. I don't know what he is yet, beside the 14-attempt slam dunk champ).

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Paris, France: What bothers me isn't Songaila's injury, it's that he hasn't spent anytime getting acquainted with his teammates, getting acquainted to Eddie Jordan, or doing anything to suggest he is part of the team. His decision to opt for surgery on the eve of the season, immediately after signing a 5-year deal reeks of Jerry Stackhouse when he was here. Is this guy part of the team or is he collecting a paycheck?

Ivan Carter: First of all, thanks for dropping in from Paris. I'm jealous. I'm planning on sitting down and talking to Darius about the whole issue very soon. Here's what I think: He hurt himself this summer while playing for Lithuania and he should have shut it down but, he tried to play through the pain and wound up really hurting himself. Do the Wiz and their fans have a right to be upset about this considering that the team gave him all of that money and need him to be a real contender? Yes. Then again, I've repeatedly heard about how passionate the Lithuanians are about their basketball and I think that as a veteran member of that team, Darius was feeling pressure to suck it up and play. My colleague with the Akron Beacon Journal, Brian Windhorst, was in Asia this summer and noticed that Darius was not himself. He was obviously in pain but Brian also noticed the hundreds of Lithuanians at every game and remarked: "They are nuts about that team." So, I don't think that Darius is simply going for a money grab. He's expressed sincere frustration that he can't be out there playing with this team. However, I think he showed poor judgment in not admitting that his original injury was potentially serious. Put in the same situation, being asked to represent our country on an international stage, who among us would act in a different manner?

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New York via Rockville: Do I recall Taylor having much more of a role last year than everyone is discussing? I seem to remember that he really came on in the rotation to great success but it seems from all the talk that he is last man off the bench before Blatche.

Ivan Carter: I see Donell playing in specific situations when he's not the point guard on offense and can be used to pressure the other team's point guard while he brings the ball up the floor. Perhaps a high-energy, change-of-pace guy. I have no clue what Andray's role will be because his game is still so raw.

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Mt. Pleasant, D.C.: Does EJ really think Etan is the best option at center, or is it possible he's trying to motivate Brendan by making him compete for the starting job?

Ivan Carter: I've sensed since last season that Eddie prefers Etan as a basketball player, period. Also, I'm not sure that Eddie will ever truly get over Brendan's "back injury" late in the season on that must-win West Coast trip. I got the feeling then that Brendan was trying to send a message about his value by exaggerating the extent of an injury during that trip.

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D.C.: How in God's name did Kirk Hinrich just sign a $50 million contract when Steve Blake and Juan Dixon routinely ate his lunch during their run to the NCAA championship? I fail to see how Hinrich is worth anything near that.

Michael Lee: That was college. This is the NBA. That was four years ago. This is now. Have you watched Kirk Hinrich since he left Kansas? He's a much better pro than I thought he'd ever be. The kid is tough and he is the leader of that new, young wave of talented Bulls. Last I checked, he helped lead the Bulls to two playoff appearances in three years and he is on the U.S. Men's National Team. I didn't have a problem with his contract. I thought he got market value for what he provides. He's averaging about 15 points and 5 assists in his career. Dixon's career averages are 9 points and about 2 assists, Blake's averages are 6 and 3. Add that up, you've got Kirk Hinrich.

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Reston, Va.: Until Songaila comes around, who is going to rotate with Jamison at PF?

Ivan Carter: Michael Ruffin will get minutes at the four but I see Eddie going the Phoenix Suns route by playing a ton of "small" ball with Antawn at the 4 and Caron at the 3. This goes back to my general philosophy about this team: everyone's talking about defense and I agree that they must improve there, but hey, why not get out, run and simply blast the other team off the floor with your offense? With Gilbert, Antawn, Caron and Stevenson plus Jarvis Hayes and Antonio Daniels coming off the bench, they can do it. This is a potentially super athletic team with several guys who can get on a roll.

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Washington, D.C.: Do you think Randy Foye will win ROY?

Michael Lee: No. I'm leaning more toward Brandon Roy in Portland or Rudy Gay in Memphis. The reason being that both players will get an opportunity to shine with their respective teams. I like Foye, but he will start the season coming off the bench and I don't know exactly how well Foye will mesh with Mike James and Ricky Davis. Foye had a decent preseason, but Roy and Gay were pretty impressive.

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Washington, D.C.: Ivan: You mentioned Haywood has the potential to be a 10 point/10 rebound guy. If you take Haywood's per minute averages last year, if he had played 40 minutes a game last season he would have averaged 12 and 10. Same exact numbers for Etan if he had played 40 minutes/game.

Ivan Carter: Good point but I have one problem with that: There were simply too many nights when both players gave you three rebounds and two points even though they carried heavy minutes. Too many games in which a Chris Kaman or Dwight Howard had their way down low. Too many nights when a Raef LaFrentz could not be taken advantage of at the offensive end. It's a matter of consistency more than anything else.

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Fort Washington, Md.: Good Afternoon Michael and Ivan,

Did someone forget to remind the Miami Heat that Tuesday night's game wasn't the preseason, or are they still tipsy from the champagne? What an ugly loss (at home no less)!

Michael Lee: I think I got everybody in a Heat-hating mood.

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Alexandria, Va.: Considering how our team's horrible shot selection contributed to our bad defense, by giving up fast breaks, has Jordan changed some of his offensive principles?

Ivan Carter: One concern I have is Antawn's continued morphing into an outside shooter. It's great when he's on and strings together a series of threes along with his usual assortment of runners, flip shots and crafty banks off glass but when he takes that quick three which caroms off and leads to a fast break the other way, the Wiz get into trouble. The one key will be Gilbert continuing to attack the basket rather than settling for the outside jumper. He's good out there but he's flat unstoppable off the dribble and his ability to get to the charity stripe keeps the other team from running back at the Wizards.

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Vienna, Va.: Is it possible for the team to actually score more points with Jared gone, and the additions of DeShawn, a healthy Jarvis, and eventually Darius?

Ivan Carter: Absolutely. Think about it: DeShawn averaged 11 per game while shooting 46 percent from the field. He doesn't take stupid shots and he gets to the free throw line. Jarvis Hayes is career 9.8 points per game scorer and his jump shot looks way better now that his right knee is healthy. Antonio Daniels got off to horrible start last season but averaged 14.2 points 4.4 assists in March and 13.7 points and 4.9 assists in April. He scored in double figures in 22 of the final 26 games, doesn't turn the ball over and gets to the line. Gilbert's only getting better, Antawn shouldn't go through the shooting slump he had last year, Caron is only going to be better and the bench has more scoring punch. That's why I see this team scoring even more efficiently than last season.

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Washington, D.C.: Has Gilbert ever mentioned what LeBron said to him before he was about to take and miss the two crucial free throws in the 6th game of the playoffs last year? And would Gil like some revenge?

Michael Lee: Yeah. He said it that night. James told him, "If you miss both of these free throws, the game is over."

Would Gil like revenge? Does a fish live in water?

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Washington, D.C.: Did Songaila pass his physical with the Wizards?

Ivan Carter: Yes. The back injury came after he signed in July.

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D.C.: Seriously though, I think Eddie wanting to run a Princeton-style offense is wishful thinking, as the personnel he has now is better suited for the one-on-one, individual style play. Even you, Ivan, admitted that Antawn is a poor passer, and in turn, Arenas is not a setup man. There has been no resemblance of any type of Princeton-style offense since Arenas got here so I really hope people stop mentioning those three obsolete words.

Ivan Carter: Good point. I'll say this: it's more of a hybrid than a pure Princeton offense. You will see back-door cuts and things of that nature but it won't look as pure as the system run by JT III at Georgetown for example. There's also the matter of the NBA shot clock. It's shorter than in the college game so you don't get those long possessions where you can spread an opponent out, work the ball around and eventually exploit a weakness. Different game and as you point out, different personnel.

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Ivan Carter: Thanks for stopping in folks. Keep checking the Wizards Insider blog for info on the team. I'm here in Cleveland and will update the blog later prior to tip off between the Cavs and Wiz. Enjoy the game!

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