Wizards/NBA

Post staff writers Ivan Carter and Michael Lee were online Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the Washington Wizards this season and what stories to follow from around the NBA.

From The Post:

Wizards Coverage

The transcript follows.

Discussion Archive

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Rockville, Md.: Who's going to return to the court earlier, Gilbert Arenas or Caron Butler?

Ivan Carter: My money would be on Caron Butler but that's just a gut feeling. Caron didn't make the trip but Gilbert did. However, Gilbert still hasn't gone through a full practice and doesn't look 100 percent on that knee from what I've seen.

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Michael Lee: We're back. Yao Ming might be done for the season, but we're not. We're down to the final 20-something games and nothing has been settled, not even the race for the best record, with the Pistons slowly creeping up on Boston. The West is best, the East is least, blah, blah, blah. But there is a lot going on. I want to talk. Let's go. . .

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Washington, D.C.: Ivan and Michael, thanks for the chats. If Detroit and Boston are the NBA East's equivalent of the NFC's Cowboys and Packers, as one of your non-chatting colleagues recently opined, who are the NBA East's equivalent of the NY Giants? I'm going with the Cavs.

Michael Lee: I have to disagree with you that Detroit and Boston are like Dallas and Green Bay. Detroit and Boston have the two best records in the NBA - and it has nothing to do with beating up on Eastern Conference teams. Boston is 18-3 against the West. Detroit is 14-7. Those teams are legit. You have to consider them among the best teams in the league. Every other team in the East? Eh.

But I will agree that if any team other than Detroit or Boston can make it to the NBA Finals, it's Cleveland. But you have remember, they aren't exactly the Giants. The Cavs are defending conference champs!

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Rockville, Md.: Guys, what's the real deal with Caron's left hip flexor? He's been day-to-day for two weeks. He is not going to Chicago. Will he practice Thursday? Will he practice Saturday? More and more, it looks like the team's training staff really has no idea when he will be back.

Ivan Carter: He's not here in Chicago so you can rule him out for Friday's game against the Bulls. What happened was this: Caron pushed himself to come back too quickly so this week, the decision was made to have him back off the rehab and shut it down completely so the hip can heal. He just wasn't getting to the point where it was getting better through rehab work.

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Fairfax, Va.: How does Eddie Jordan typically respond to a game like last night's debacle? Will he chalk it up to four games in five nights and just move on?

Ivan Carter: Yeah, he acknowledged the four games in five nights reality but he'll also point out where they went wrong, particularly at the offensive end, where the shot selection and ball movement was awful. He'll probably use some of what happened as a teaching moment, especially for a guy like Andray Blatche who was flustered early and never got going.

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Detroit: Have the Pistons become the Buffalo Bills of the NBA? Granted they have won an NBA Championship and almost repeated in the last four years. As a fan, this team is so frustrating to me. As we saw on Sunday against Phoenix, this team has the ability to dominate any team, East or West, when they take their opponent seriously and don't jerk around. Why have they had a hard time focusing over the last several years? They should have at least 2 or 3 titles in the last 5 years.

Michael Lee: Well, they aren't Buffalo because they have one ring and they haven't been to four straight NBA Finals. The reason they haven't advanced the past two years isn't because of a lack of focus, it's been because of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and a lack of depth. The year Detroit won the title, the bench chipped in for 27 points a game. This year, the bench is producing at a similar clip.

The fact remains, though, that it's really hard to win a championship. San Antonio has won three of the past five, but it has failed to get out of the conference semis in those two other years. That has worked out well for them, because they were rested and ready for the next season. You have to remember, the Pistons have played more games than any team the past five years. Those guys got tired.

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Annapolis, Md.: Water under the bridge now, but wouldn't Antwan and our number one pick next year been more enticing to Memphis than what they got from LA? It seems like a no-brainer for the Wiz too...

Ivan Carter: Yes. And I have to think that other teams would have lined up with better offers than the one the Lakers made as well. That's what seems so fishy about the whole Jerry West/Lakers angle. It seems that Chris Walllace made that deal without shopping Gasol anywhere. Also, he didn't even make the Lakers take Brian Cardinal's horrible contract. Huh? The whole thing was iffy and that's why Popovich and others came out and make some noise about it.

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annapolis,md: Love your coverage of the Wiz! Thanks for the great work...I am a season ticket holder and I have been asked numerous times why the Wiz choose the opposite basket in the second half. It would seem to be advantageous to be on the same side of the court as the coach and the bench and it seems most other teams choose the same end as the bench in the second half...Any ideas? Thanks

Ivan Carter: I have no idea but I'll ask. Maybe they want to coach defense at their end.

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Savannah, Ga.: I see The Washington Post box scores now have a column with a plus or minus number for each player. Can you explain how that is determined?

Ivan Carter: Say a player plays 10 minutes and in those 10 minutes, the Wizards outscore the opponent by 10 points. The player's plus/minus is plus 10.

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Bobcats season ticket owner (a very small population): The more I watch the bobcats either live her in Charlotte or on the road on TV judging by the players body movements and expression it just seems like they have checked out on Sam Vincent. Will MJ have to fire one of his boys after only one year?

Michael Lee: It's a possibility. I walked into that locker room after the game on Saturday and it had a really weird vibe. They had just gotten drilled by a depleted Wizards team and guys were eating cheeseburgers and cracking jokes. I've heard from a lot of people that the players have tuned him out. You know one way to tell? The Bobcats have lost 10 of their past 11 games and eight of those losses have been by at least 14 points. When Bernie Bickerstaff was the coach, you could always count on that team playing hard every night. You can't do that anymore.

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Annapolis, Md.: Hi guys,

First off, I want to give huge props to Brendan Haywood. I will never call him Brenda again. He has dramatically improved his game by catching tough passes in the lane, draining jumpers, and vaulting his free throw percentage from 55 percent last year to 76 percent this year.

But my question is about the draft. When Nick Young was selected, Al Thornton was still on the board. I was screaming at the TV for Ernie to take the big forward. Now Nick is still a bashful kid, and Al is starting and leading his team. Mistake?

Ivan Carter: Right now, Al Thornton is the more consistent player. We'll have to see down the road. One thing to remember is that the Wiz had a need for a young shooting guard after letting Jarvis Hayes walk and Nick has flashed some talent. Then again, he's also been up and down. It would be interesting to see where Thornton would go if the draft were held today however.

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SU: Unless there is a total collapse, the 'zards are gonna get into the playoffs. So who do they want in the first round? Would a matchup against Orlando be all that bad?

Ivan Carter: No. They would match up better with Orlando than Cleveland, Detroit or Boston (though the Celtics would have to be at least a little nervous wouldn't they?) Staying in the sixth spot would be a good thing.

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Washington, D.C.: Why should the Clips buy out SamC assell? That is, why shouldn't they say to Sam, "sorry, but we couldn't trade you before the deadline. If you want to give up the rest of the money you have coming to you, that's fine by us. But we will not pay you to go away." Does the CBA prohibit this? Heck, maybe the Clips should make Sam pay them for his release, since Sam will likely go to a better, if less lucrative, situation, in Boston.

Michael Lee: I agree with you. The only time I understand a buyout is if the organization had a bunch of veteran players in hopes of winning then decided to go in a different direction and started rebuilding.

But I've often wondered why so many teams settle for these buyouts with players and let them go somewhere else - to beat up on them. I mean, the player signed a contract. If they want out of it, they should have to eat it somehow. But that's just me. A favor for a favor. You want to leave? Pay me. It shouldn't be the other way around.

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Arlington, Va.: I recently read the ESPN Mag piece about the NBA's image problem. My complaint is that the article did everything but call people who don't like the game racists. I find the NBA games to have no attitude (music is pumped in, fans are told when to cheer) compared to a college game and the name on the back of the jersey matters more than the name on the front. Also there are far too many players who just don't seem to try even though they make millions with laughable guaranteed contracts. Are these not legitimate complaints?

Michael Lee: Arlington, you have every right to complain about the NBA. I just have a problem with many of the complaints that I hear about the NBA. Most of the complaints don't have much merit and frankly, have veiled racial undertones - sometimes the tones are blatantly racist.

I often get upset when people compare the pro game to the college game. Look, the college game is not better. The talent and the overall product is inferior. Is the NCAA Tournament great? Yes, it is. But you cannot compare one month of basketball to an entire season with 82 games. The reason the fans are more animated is because the college arenas are filled more exciteable college kids. NBA arenas are filled with grown ups who can afford $100 tickets and just want to watch a game. You won't find NBA fans running onto the court after the Spurs beat the Mavericks, but it's not because the fans weren't entertained. College rivalries and loyalties are deeper.

Some people act like college basketball is the game at its purest, when really it's just a means for the NCAA, big schools and big-name coaches to handsomely profit off of unpaid talent.

I always hear talk about how NBA players don't play with a hunger and passion every night. Well, you know what, every profession - basketball, law, medicine, journalism, etc. - has people who don't have a passion for what they do. But I challenge anyone to tell me that Kobe Bryant mails it in, or Steve Nash is just happy to get a paycheck. Imagine if some of the folks at your job had guaranteed money - how hard do you think they'd work? The ones who want to be great will keep pushing. The ones who are happy to have a job will do just enough to get by.

Baseball players have been caught using performing enhancing drugs, but are people complaining that the game is filled with cheaters? Do fathers stop taking their sons to games and build up these guys as heroes? No, baseball stadiums continue to sell out and fans cheer their lungs out.

You don't have to be an NBA fan. But you cannot deny that the league has an image problem. Whenever one NBA player makes a mistake, the entire league - all 450 players - have to get clumped into one negative stereotype.

During all-star weekend, I wrote a story about how the players volunteered to do charity work around New Orleans and mostly all of the comments were about how these guys were thugs. Huh? You try to dismiss this stuff, but there are people who let their negative prejudices get in the way of rooting for multi-million dollar, pro basketball players. It's sad but true.

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Washington, DC: Ivan:

I've got to follow up on your comment that "What happened was this: Caron pushed himself to come back too quickly." You also said that Gilbert pushed himself too hard and too quickly.

Did Caron ignore the Wizards' doctors advice? Were they telling him to not push so hard, and he ignored them? Was he working out off-site so that the Wizards were not aware that he was doing?

Did the Wizards' medical staff agree that he was ready to go against the Lakers? Where is the Wizards' medical staff responsibility in all of this? Or is it "all Caron's fault"?

Ivan Carter: I don't think it's anyone's "fault" Injuries happen and sometimes, injuries linger. Caron took three games off after originally hurting himself, practiced and played a full game against the Lakers. Then, he aggravated the injury two days later at Philly and hasn't played since. The strained left hip flexor thing is a tricky injury to begin with. The way Caron described it to me, it felt good for the Lakers game but then he made a certain movement in the Philly game and it popped on him. As for Gilbert, he flat admitted that he didn't listen to the trainers and doctors this summer and overworked the knee.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi guys, thanks for chatting!

I wanted to ask you about Gilbert Arenas. Since he still plans on opting out of his contract, the Wizards can offer him a max of six years and other teams can offer him five. First, is that true, and if so, why can the Wizards offer him more money than other teams?

Ivan Carter: Yes, the Wiz can offer six years while other teams can offer five. Also, the Wiz can offer more money. That's why I see Gilbert being in a Wiz uniform next season. The other factor to consider is that right now, only two years will likely have big money to spend in free agency: Philly and Memphis. I don't see him going to either of those places.

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Songaila: Ivan and Michael,

In your opinion, was Songaila been the guy that Ernie thought he was getting a couple of years ago?

In my opinion, I thought we were going to get about 8-10 PPG and 5-6 RPG (at the minimal). But he just doesn't seem to fit into Eddie's offense.

Michael Lee: You know what's funny? I remember talking with a scout after the Wizards signed Songaila. The scout didn't think that Songaila was going to fit because the Wizards were loaded with athletes and Songaila doesn't have much athleticism. I'm sure Ernie was hoping for more - He was supposed to be the rugged banger - but that back injury last year may have set him back some. Songaila is having a rough year.

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washingtonpost.com: We're having some technical problems and will continue the discussion as soon as we can.

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DC: Pistons as the Buffalo Bills? Pistons have a recent championship, and two more from the late 1980s/early 1990s. Don't make this comparison around any bitter Bills fans. I don't think they'll smile and move on.

Michael Lee: There you go. I agree.

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Will from Rockville: Do Houston Rockets fans have to worry about Yao Ming's future in terms of his health? It seems to get worse every year.

Michael Lee: Yes, they do. After playing at least 80 games his first three years, Yao has lost time because of major problems on his legs and feet. It's really amazing that this guy can do what he does at his size. He's 7-6. Big guys often have problems carrying that kind of weight on their feet. Look at how Gheorge Muresan's career ended. The reason why they shut him down so swiftly is because they want Yao to be healthy down the road. They have to be crossing their fingers that his commitment to the Chinese national team won't cause any future damage.

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Washington, D.C.: After watching the Pistons dismantle the Suns last weekend, it occurred to me that they are a really unique team. It doesn't really seem like other clubs are trying to match what has been a successful formula for how to create a team.

And, it doesn't seem like there is any heir apparent to Rasheed Wallace's highly productive game. Why not?

Michael Lee: Are you talking about someone to follow Rasheed in Detroit? Because the closest thing to become a Rasheed-type player in the NBA is LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland. He has a very 'Sheed-like skill set without the technicals.

The Pistons are rare, though. The last nine years, only three teams without a former No. 1 pick on the roster advanced to the NBA Finals. Of those teams - Dallas and Indiana are the others - Detroit is the only one with a ring. Impressive.

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Anonymous: Am I the only one who sees the Yao-National team thing playing out to the possible ruin of Yao's career? Are we going to look back on the pressure to play in the Olympics as the reason his career as the most dominating pivot between Shaq and Dwight never cam about? Big men and foot problems are bad news. Just ask Brad Daugherty.

Michael Lee: It could. But I totally understand why Yao wants to play. If there ever was a year that a player should do everything he can to play for his country, it's this year. China is trying to make a statement to the world with these games, and Yao is a shining example for that country, a symbol of pride. He told me recently that he has been looking forward to playing for China in these Olympics from the moment Beijing was announced as the host.

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Washington, D.C.: Al Thorton was picked before Nick Young.

Michael Lee: You're right. I saw that and wanted to jump in, because the Wizards would've loved to have Thornton is he was available. Thornton went 14, Rodney Stuckey went 15 to Detroit and Young went 16.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: Do you think the rookies will be better next year because of the experience they got this year?

Michael Lee: I don't see how they can worse off for it. Experience is the best teacher.

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New York: Don't know if you're following it, but back in my hometown of Houston there is a PR problem for the Rockets in terms of Yao's injury. Yao himself has been focused on the impact this might have on his participation in the Olympics, not for his employer paying him $20 million/year. In fact, a conspiracy theory exists, and is being widely parroted about, that Yao shut it down now to be treated in time for the Olympics. Thoughts?

Michael Lee: Well some would argue that his employer wouldn't be paying him $20 million if the Chinese government hadn't invested so much in developing Yao into an NBA star. Yao has a commitment to both his country and his team, but this season, playing for his country is more important, frankly, than the Rockets - if he really had to choose one over the other. But he didn't really have a choice - the man has a broken foot. Why would want him to play on it?

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Phoenix: In your opinion, how have the new look Suns fared since the Shaq trade? They sure had a lot of problems with Memphis in their last game.

I think we're starting to see what a really good player Shawn Marion was...

Michael Lee: I never liked the deal. Not because I don't think it will work. I just loved the Suns with Marion. I thought they made a big mistake by giving Kurt Thomas to Seattle. They really missed what Thomas brought them defensively. I don't think they needed Shaq. They just needed an interior defender. This deal was like spraying yourself in a water hose because you're thirsty. Losing Marion won't help the Suns defend against Ginobili, Tony Parker, Kobe, Chris Paul, McGrady, Iverson, Carmelo, Dirk. It might work, but I just think this was a way over-the-top move that might not put them over the top.

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Bridgewater, Va.: Frankly, I thought Chicago did great in the trade with Cleveland. The seem to be a more talented team with Gooden and Huges, and, with our injury situation, a better team than the Wiz right now.

Michael Lee: You know, I'm in the minority that I like this deal for Chicago. The Bulls definitely won on the talent scale, I just don't know how all of those pieces will fit yet.

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Michael Lee: Sorry about the technical problems today folks. I've got to go. We'll be back for more next week. Peace.

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