Wizards and the NBA

Post staff writers Ivan Carter and Michael Lee took your questions about the Wizards, their game tonight against the Knicks and the rest of the NBA.

The transcript follows.

Wizards Coverage

Discussion Archive

Latest blog post, about what the Wizards could do with their 2009 draft pick: What Should Grunfeld Do?

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Michael Lee: Happy New Year everybody. It's been a while since we got together, so I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. The last time we chanted, the Wizards had a faint (wishful-thinking) shot at making the playoffs, now they have a great shot at landing the No. 1 pick. Things move fast in the NBA, so let's go. . .

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Ivan Carter: let's get to it.

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Hampton, Va.: Good Afternoon. With the season all but lost, why are we not seeing more of Pecherov? Having him on the floor with Blatche or McGee would create a mismatch down low with a smaller player or draw a bigger body away from the basket, allowing on the of the other 3 players to drive to the hoop. It would not hurt to try.

Ivan Carter: With team's latest injury - to Etan Thomas - you can expecct to see more of JaVale McGee but also look for some Pecherov. He saw some brief run at Chicago and hit a few shots. At 7-30 it's pretty clear that this team needs to know exactly what it does and does not have with the young guys. My personal feel is that Pech can play but I can't be too certain about that because he hasn't had the chance.

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Potomac, Md.: Is it in Agent Zero's personal best interest to return this lost season? What would his agent advise?

Ivan Carter: It all depends on the status of that knee. If it is strong enough for practice runs, start him there and see how he reacts. If it holds, you play him even if it's only here and there (avoiding back-to-back and four-games-in-five-nights situations). If it's not right, you don't play him. It's that simple.

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Philly: Man I like the Crittedon kid, he has some nice handles, but they should call him avaris 'cause that dude has no J at all.

Ivan Carter: That would be the weak spot in his game right now, no doubt but the more he plays, the more opportunity he'll havve to work on it. His shooting motion doesn't look too bad and he is a worker so I could see him developing that shot over time. Remember, Tony Parker couldn't consistently knock down open jumpers as a young guy but has gotten to the point where you have to go over screens on him. Ditto for Rajon Rando.

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Anonymous: Who do you guys see as the Wizards coach next year?

Ivan Carter: Two names to watch: Flip Saunders and Sam Mitchell.

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Columbia, Md.: I work in downtown Baltimore and live in Columbia, but I used to make the treck down to Verizon about 10-12 games a season to watch the Wizards play (half of those times I would drive straight down after work with the other half being weekend games).

This season I went to one game (the Dallas game) and have not had the desire to waste my time or money driving down there to pay and watch this team play. This is a team that looks like they've packed it in. Butler and Jamison look like they want to be told, take the rest of the year off and we'll see you in October.

Have the Wizards begun to feel any economic hits from their play this season? (as I'm sure other fans feel the way I do)

Ivan Carter: Season tickets were sold over the summer so that's not a major issue but walk-ups are plummeting and the stands have been getting thinner by the game. The big hit could come after the season when folks have to decide whether or not to renew.

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Washington, DC: Michael: I wonder what the implications are of your point in your most recent blog posting that the Wizards didn't budget for a high lottery pick this summer. If the Wizards are determined to avoid the luxury tax, that would mean the Wizards need to move the pick, move a player, convince Mike James not to exercise his player option for next year, or buyout a player with sufficient savings to avoid the tax. Which option seems more likely to you?

Michael Lee: As it stands, the Wizards will be well over the cap next season and there is no way on earth that they will be able to convince Mike James not to pick up player option. No team in the league is going to willing to pay him more than $6.5 million next summer. Unless Grunfeld can get really creative - like Denver did when it dumped Marcus Camby on the Clippers last summer - the Wizards will pay the tax next season. They have about $76 million committed to 14 players. A top four pick will cost about three million in the first year.

Further complicating the situation is league-wide speculation that the soft cap will drop next season because revenues will decline. Teams aren't really feeling the crunch of the economic downturn at the turnstyles just yet, but that's only because most people bought tickets before everything crashed.

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Woodbridge, Va.: What is a crab dribble, exactly?

Michael Lee: A travel, right? Seriously, I have a blog item on Wizards Insider this afternoon where I mention it. But actually, a crab dribble is what post players use to back down and get around an opponent in the low block. I guess LeBron considered himself doing a "crab dribble" because he had his back turned to Caron Butler. Problem was, he was out above the free throw line and took three more steps to get to the basket. They don't call travel if you are actually dribbling - last I checked.

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Bullets Fever: Have either of you talked to Eddie Jordan (or Mike O'Koren) since he was terminated by the Wiz? Is he literally sitting at home or has he been "reassigned" a la Isiah Thomas?

Ivan Carter: Both contracts were terminated so they are totally free. Eddie has done a little television, played some golf, followed the Wizards and is waiting for a job to pop up.

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Baltimore: Honest question -- Does Gilbert really care about his teammates and basketball or is he one of those dudes that just cares about money? Because after reading his comments the last two years, I'm thinking it's the latter. He sounds like he is content to chill on the bench, giggle with Juan Dixon and collect his money.

Ivan Carter: I disagree but only because I have an idea of how much basketball means to the guy. It's killing him not to be out there. I go back to a conversation we had when he talked about how everyone hypes Chris Paul and Derron Williams now and it's almost like he never did anything. Believe me, he wants to get back out there but he's feeling hesitant after the two setbacks.

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Washington, D.C.: How has this season impacted the view of Butler and Jamison throughout the league (scouts, GMs, coaches, etc.)? Thanks as always.

Ivan Carter: The scouts I've spoken with see the same players but with a lot less around them. The numbers they are putting up back that up.

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Arlington, Va.: What is really going on with Arenas's knee? I'm no expert but it seems very unusual for someone to take this long to recover from a torn meniscus, unless something unusually bad happened or was discovered. The extra surgeries seem mysterious, and it is curious that the Wizards are providing very little detail. There seems to be a story here that no one has uncovered yet.

Ivan Carter: Agreed. The whole thing has been a frustrating mystery (for a beat writer as well). The thing I know is that he overworked the knee while trying to come back from the first surgery and it hasn't been right ever since.

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1900 L St. : This team is headed to the lottery. When will Coach Tapscott forget about "matchups" and "strategy" and just play McGee 25-35 minutes a game? (silver lining to Thomas's injury: now he's got to play JaVale). Isn't it irresponsible of Tapscott to not see what we've got in the kid?

Ivan Carter: The fallout from the Thomas injury is that Tapscott will have little choice but to play McGee and ride it out. The injury to Stevenson had the same impact on creating opportunity for Nick Young.

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Anonymous: In a recent piece you quoted Tapscott alluding to half his team (the bench) as guys with little NBA playing time or experience. It read like it was a revelation to him and maybe the organization. It seems they did not assess their own talent well, esp. compared to the competition. Are they awakening to fact they are not very competitive, or do they still think they can make a playoff push this year?

Ivan Carter: For a time after Eddie Jordan was fired, the organization clearly felt that a playoff run was possible but it's pretty obvious now that it's not going to happen. I took Tapscott's comments to be him matter-of-factly stating what we all see: this team has a bunch of young guys who are learning how to play at this level.

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Washington, D.C.: Did Tom Thibodeau burn any bridges with Ernie Grunfeld when he bailed out of the coaching position here in less than a week? Or was that more of a blot on Eddie Jordan's record than Thibodeau's?

Ivan Carter: Thibodeau wanted to be the lead assistant but that title and position was held by Mike O'Koren. Also, I heard that Thibodeau was weary of coming in and being viewed by Eddie as his possible replacement. He obviously made the right choice going to Boston.

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Washington, D.C.: Is this team really that bad or it is inexperience? I believe there is talent there: McGee, Young, Blatche, but all of them make a great play one second then turn the ball over for no reason or forget to box out a man, or show a laziness. Butler and Jamison should be rubbing off on them and not the other way around.

Ivan Carter: That is what young guys do: not box out, run the wrong play, get beat etc. That is why teams with young guys playing big minutes don't win in the NBA.

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Milwaukee: Due to the economy, I've read that this summer will be a "nuclear winter" for free agents not named LeBron James. Is that true?

Michael Lee: Well, LeBron isn't going to be a free agent next summer. He might even sign an extension this summer and avoid hitting the market in 2010. If I'm Danny Ferry and the Cavaliers win the championship this June, I'm going to have a bottle of champagne and those extension papers in the locker room after the last game.

But if you read what Thomas Boswell wrote today about baseball, you know that basketball and football will feel the same pinch from the poor econony. Free agents this summer are going to have to lower their expectations because they will get it from two ends - the poor economy and the tightwad GMs who don't want to mess up all the cap room they are going to have in 2010.

But the 2009 class is really, really good. It might not be as young as the 2010 class, but you can find a player. Carlos Boozer, Shawn Marion, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, Mike Bibby, Rasheed Wallace and Andre Miller will be on the market. And, Hedo Turkoglu, Mehmet Okur and Kobe Bryant have player options. Bryant isn't going anywhere, but those other players can help a team go from good to great. There just won't be much money going around.

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washingtonpost.com: Deal Or No Deal (Post, Jan. 14)

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Los Angeles: Ivan and Michael

Juan Dixon is a veteran in the NBA and Coach Tap seems to love to play the vets, so why has Juan yet to play consistent minutes?

Also the Wizards are 28th in the NBA in 1st qtr scoring and have failed to reach 20 pts in the 4th qtr in 19 out of 37 games. Why are we having problems scoring the basketball?

Ivan Carter: Tapscott has obviously made the decision that he needs to play Crittenton and Nick Young bigger minutes. Dixon's value was as an off-the-bench player on a playoff contending team. With all due respect to him, what does this team stand to gain playing him heavy minutes now. Ditto for Mike James. You know what those two are. You don't yet know what the young cats are.

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Washington, D.C.: Eddie Jordan does not get enough credit for the job he did the last couple of years. Do you think the players feel or care that a good man lost his job because of them and lack of effort?

Ivan Carter: I think that the vets: Stevenson, Butler, Jamison, Dixon and Thomas felt for Jordan because he was their coach for so long. The young guys just don't know any better.

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Houston: Ivan and Michael die-hard Bullets/Wiz fan in Houston here. If the Wizards land one of the top 3 spots during the upcoming draft, you think with Arenas and Haywood returning, would that make them contenders for the Eastern Conference championship? Adding Arenas, Haywood and a decent pick to the current group playing now should definitely have them in the running, what you think?

Thanks.

Ivan Carter: The jury is out as to whether any of those potential top picks are going to immediately help a team like the Wizards. Check out the blog Mike wrote today at Wizards insider.

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Future: Ivan and Michael,

I know the coaches will never say but this season is kaput.

So looking into your crystal ball, who do you as the starting five a year from now as well as the top 2 guys off the bench?

Thanks.

Ivan Carter: If the young guys are doing what they should: busting their butt in practice, preparing for games and behaving like pros, I'd go with Crittenton at point, Caron Butler at the two, Dom McGuire at the three, Jamison at the four and Blatche the five with McGee, Young and Songaila see heavy minutes off the bench. Again, as much as it's easy to say: play the young guys and ride it out, they also have to earn it. Otherwise, they're not learning the right way.

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Richmond, Va.: Any update on Brendan Haywood?

Ivan Carter: He recently had the pins removed for his right wrist and will soon start rehab. No real word on whether or when he may come back this season. I can promise you this: he's not rushing back and the team doesn't want him to. If the Wiz were 10-15 games better, differet story.

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Washington, D.C.: Why was Tapscott, a guy with little NBA coaching experience and no head coaching experience for 20-plus years, chosen to become interim coach over Randy Ayers, a former NBA head coach? How does that sit with Ayers?

Ivan Carter: Remember, Ayers was dealing with some health issues at the time. He had to have surgery to repair a disk in his neck and couldn't sit on the bench or make road trips for several weeks. That was a factor in the decision.

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Michigan: Do you think we will see an arms race in the West like we did last year with all the trades?

Michael Lee: No. I don't. I think there will be some players moved but not to the level as last season, when Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol and Jason Kidd got moved. That was a special year.

I just think last year was a time when teams looked around, noticed that the old big three powers (San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix) were showing cracks and there was an opportunity to make a move because the West was sooo wide open.

This season, the Lakers have been unchallenged basically all year. There will be some moves among the teams trapped in that No. 2 and No. 9 spot in the West, but you saw some big, big names changing addresses last year. Those big names aren't out there right now.

Denver already got Chauncey Billups. Phoenix made a great move in getting Jason Richardson and bringing back some of the old, D'Antoni offensive sets. Shawn Marion's name is thrown around a lot, but he would have to find a right fit.

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Alexandria, Va.: The Wiz used to play .500 ball when Arenas was injured. The main difference this year is that Brendan Todd Haywood is also out. I can't believe that Brenda really made that much difference. Help me understand why they just fell off the cliff this year.

Ivan Carter: 1. Not having Haywood killed their team defense. 2. Roger Mason Jr. bailed this team out of at least 8 games last season. (I was at nearly all of them, trust me). 3. Antonio Daniels got very old quickly and his knee killed him early on. 4. DeShawn Stevenson couldn't hit water falling out of a boat. 5. The young fells simply weren't ready to play winning basketball.

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Rockville, Md..: Fellas - Might we have seen the last of Etan Thomas in a Wizards uniform? I know the dude has been through a lot, but to me he just doesn't seem like part of the long term plans here. I personally think his injury will make way for the potential to develop McGee and Blatche as much as possible in this lost season.

Ivan Carter: The problem is that contract. He has another year remaining and a nasty trade kicker so trading him will be tough before the deadline this season and over the summer. Next season, when he's in the final year of his deal, could be a different story. Or, the Wiz could package Etan with the first round pick to entice some team to make a deal.

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Dallas: If you're Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson, do you trade Dirk let JKidd walk and start to blow up the Mavs or do you try to make a move to put yourself in the playoffs? Because I don't think they make the playoffs as presently constructed.

Michael Lee: Why would you trade Dirk? I think the best bet is seeing what kind of market is out there for Josh Howard. His decline is part of the Mavericks' problem. I don't think it's Dirk at all. He wants to be Dallas. He wants to win. He just needs a capable wingman and Howard hasn't given it to him since 2007.

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PG In the house: Are Kevin Durant's number indicative of his talent, or is he yet another in a long line of "decent player putting up inflated numbers on a rotten team"?

Michael Lee: He does get the opportunity to score at his pleasure because Oklahoma City has no options, but the key is, Durant is making a decent percentage of his shots (46.7 percent) even though teams are loaded up on him on a nightly basis. That's how you tell if a guy is really good. It might have been better for Durant to have a mentor who played the same position at this stage in his career, but Scott Brooks is getting through to him. The best thing he did was put Durant at small forward, because Durant is grabbing rebounds now. Makes sense. The guy is 6-9. He's good, though. He's a 20-point scorer in this league, no matter his team's record.

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Washington, D.C.: If the Wizards drafted Blake Griffin, how many minutes do you think he would realistically get with Antawn Jamison on the team? They are both clearly power forwards at this level.

Michael Lee: Antawn Jamison will be 33 next year. He can't play 38-plus minutes a game forerver. If the Wizards somehow get the No. 1 pick and draft Blake Griffin (which I suspect won't happen because wouldn't Oklahoma City need an Oklahoma guy on its roster?), I think they can make it work. They play the same position, but they different games. Jamison is a perimeter player, Griffin is a classic power player.

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Lexington, Va.: Has Nick Young done enough lately to put himself into the Palace of Good Play? Does his recent hot shooting vindicate those who thought that Tapscott was unfairly burying him on the bench?

Michael Lee: Yes, to question No. 1. No, to question No. 2. I think Ed wants to reward the young players with minutes. Notice I used to word reward, not give. I think Young has earned his minutes now with his play. Before, it may have been because of limited options.

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WDC: Thanks for taking my question. Now that Tapscott has some games under his belt, what things do you see where is doing a better job than Eddie Jordan? Vice-versa, what things do you think Eddie did better?

Michael Lee: It isn't fair to compare them because they were in different situations. Ed was forced into a difficult position and his learning as he goes. Eddie led the team to four consecutive playoff appearances, the last two despite injuries to his star player. I don't even want to compare them. It's not as easy as saying, Eddie had one win, Ed has six. This is just a terrible year.

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The Treadmill: Should these guys see me more? In other words, are they running out of gas late in games and that's what leads to so many blown 4th quarter leads?

Michael Lee: The Wizards aren't huffing and puffing in the fourth. I haven't seen guys pass out from fatigue or dehydration. They just aren't good. Endurance would be an issue if this team actually had the talent to win games on a consistent basis. This team doesn't.

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Glover Park, D.C.: I don't understand why Jamison and Caron are playing so much. It's clear this season has been over for some time, but why risk it? I'd rather lose games than players.

Michael Lee: I believe Jamison and Butler are making almost $20 million combined to play basketball this season. When did it get to be okay to get paid for a job and not do it? They are professionals, so they will play.

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Washington DC: What's with all of this "Fire Ernie" stuff? He has been nothing short of a talent magnet. It's not his fault if key players get injured towards the end of the season/entire season. He had to make a tough decision firing Jordan, which I don't agree with, but he has also turned water into wine with the Kwame - Bulter trade. Everyone forget about that one?

Michael Lee: Nobody forgot, but everyone sees the team hit rock bottom and they start pointing the finger. I'm not one who thinks Ernie needs to go, but he certainly needs to fix this. He will have the opportunity to finally hire the coach he wants, and he might even add a nice player in the draft. But Ernie will have to build a team that gets out of the first round. You have to give him some time to make it work. After all, when he got here, this team was bad. Not 7-30 bad. But bad.

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Anonymous: Should Jamison and Butler start taking a couple of games off here and there to help the team? Say that they rolled in ankle in practice or have the flu. Give them a rest every once in a while -- it's not like we are going anywhere anyways.

Michael Lee: Those guys don't want to do that. They really want to set an example for the young guys about what it takes -- and means -- to be a professional. This is their job, people.

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Bonifay, Fla.: Welcome back, I hope this will be weekly. A week or so ago someone wrote about D. Wade spending the summer with a trainer in, I believe, Chicago. Is there any way to get any of the young bigs to invest a summer? Also, in "The Punch," Feinstein detailed the work Kermit Washington put in to improve.

washingtonpost.com: For Wade, Turnaround Took a Show of Strength (Post, Jan. 2)

Michael Lee: The young guys, especially Blatche, have to really put in some work this summer, develop some more definition and strength, because you won't be young forever. They don't necessarily need Tim Grover. They just need to have that inner drive to improve. That's what Wade has. That's why he's back to where he is.

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Washington, D.C.: Despite the fact that there are news reports one day that Gilbert is doing great, and the next that he has had a setback, causing mass hysteria in the streets, I assume that he is just having good days and bad days like with any serious injury, and that the general trend is that he is improving. Am I wrong?

Michael Lee: Wizards fans can only hope that you are right. Until Arenas hits the floor again, in an NBA uniform, nobody can really answer that.

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Jazzville, Md.: Will Gilbert play even a single game this season? Is it a good strategy for him not to? I mean, has any NBA player returned at the pre-injury level of performance after missing two full seasons?

Michael Lee: I cannot think of one. Two years is a lot of time in an athlete's life. It's one thing to play hurt for two seasons - like Wade - but it's another to not play but a handful of games two years in a row. For Gilbert to do it, it would be unprecedented. But I don't think the Wizards ever thought that Gilbert would reach his pre-injury level - even when they gave him $100 million. They expected Arenas at about 95 percent - and that was before this latest setback.

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Dumfries, Va.: How does an NBA team give up 23 3-pointers in a game?

Michael Lee: When you are bad team, good teams usually find startling ways to make you look worse. Sacramento, meet Orlando.

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Detroit: Going into next season, I expect this team to look nothing like this year, give an idea with Gil and Haywood back who might be the starters? And any news on trade rumors about the Wiz? (Chris Wilcox, Larry Hughes?)

Michael Lee: Any trade the Wizards make from this point on would have to be made with the future in mind. A trade for Wilcox or Hughes would make sense if the Wizards could win right now. They can't. So they have to look for deals that either add assets (like the Crittenton trade) or help free up future cap room to get under the luxury tax. And, teams aren't clamoring to help out the Wizards right now. They are trying to help themselves.

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Nantucket, Mass.: Are the Celtics in a panic mode just because their torrid season start has slowed a bit? One rumor is that they are considering signing the unloved Stephon Marbury yet Rajon Rondo is sparkling at the point. Another rumor has them trading for J.J. Redick who, until injuries forced him into the Magic rotation, was nailed to the Orlando bench for the third years in a row. What gives?

Michael Lee: What gives is the Celtics need some help. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are getting older, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins are getting better, but that bench is really suspect. Losing James Posey and P.J. Brown is hurting them now. Eddie House is the only veteran on the bench. They need some veterans to make shots and provide a calming influence when the Big Three sits. Mike Miller might be a good pickup, and Kevin McHale has never been afraid of helping his old team.

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Chevy Chase, Md.: Michael, the Suns are kinda flying under the radar right now but have are 9-3 since trading for Richardson. I know they are old but could they be a sleeper in the West? Shaq & Nash's last rodeo?

Michael Lee: I only see four teams capable of winning a championship right now. The Lakers, Celtics, Cavaliers and Spurs. I like how Phoenix is coming together, but they don't strike me as a championship team. The Suns aren't better than the Lakers or Spurs.

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Annandale, Va.: I went to the Wizards game last Wednesday and watched Andrea Bargnani torch the Wiz, and I was surprised that Coach Tapscott did not use Javale McGee's "length" to put more pressure on Bargnani when he shot. Tapscott said the McGee would not have been a good matchup, but Andray Blatche and Etan Thomas were playing horribly.

Javaris Crittenton provided a huge boost to the back court, but it was ultimately Bosh and Bargnani who won that game for the Raptors. Coming home on a back-to-back, when it was evident that the front line starters were struggling (Blatche - one rebound all night!), why would Tapscott not go to his most athletic big man for a possible bump in effort and intensity?

Michael Lee: It's easy to second guess the man, but you have to realize it's been 20 YEARS since he was on the sideline. And he was coaching at American University! Ed is a sharp man. He really knows basketball. But coaching in the NBA is huge animal. He's learning as he goes. He's not going to get it right all the time. And you will know when he's made mistakes. That's what you should expect from a first-time NBA, interim coach. The Wizards didn't hire Red Auerbach's ghost.

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DC: Does Jamison and/or Butler deserve an all-star spot from the East coaches? In my opinion, neither one has played as well as they did last season. Danny Granger is playing out of his mind, so I think he gets the nod from the coaches. This hurts Antawn and Caron because Granger is also a forward. Any thoughts?

Michael Lee: They are putting up similar numbers as a year ago, but the side contributions from DeShawn Stevenson, Brendan Haywood and Roger Mason have been missing. It's hard to keep it going without much help. I don't think either one of them would want to be in Phoenix with a 7-30 record. Not having at least 10 wins at this point is painful for the two of them. But there have been players from bad teams making all-star teams in the past.

washingtonpost.com: How Bad Is Too Bad for Phoenix? - Wizards Insider

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Michael Lee: Wow. This is a first time in a while that I had to leave so many questions unanswered. I feel bad, but I really have to go get ready for the game tonight. I hope we can do this again. Have a great MLK day. And as my three-year old godson, Robert, likes to say, "Ooo-bama!" Peace.

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