So a lot has happened over the last few days. A strange victory over Oklahoma City. JaVale's mama airs her greivances. Flip gets fired. Randy Wittman moves into the head spot as interim coach. Vesely starts! Two wins versus the Bobcats. A road victory! Let's get it!
Flip got flipped. It was just a matter of time. By the looks of the rotations since Randy Wittman has been coaching, the idea that Ernie Grunfeld was directing Flip on how to assign minutes was just untrue. We've been through this over and over so I'll just say that I wish Flip the best in all of his future endeavors.
John Wall is ballin. It took a while, but he's been playing much better over the last couple of weeks. Since the Martin Luther King Day game, the Franchise has been averaging 17.7 points (45% from the field), 6.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists (he could have way more with scorers and shooters). He seems to have slowed down a bit, and he is beginning to show the promise that got us so excited last season. Unstoppable in the open court, and he just has the ability to fly around at a level above everyone else on the floor, as evidenced by this sequence against Houston. He's still not much of a jump shooter (understatement, although he did hit a three tonight), but if he ever gets some help he's definitely going to average 10 assists a night. Faith has been restored.
The enigma that is JaVale McGee. As if we weren't conflicted enough about Monsieur Pierre, his amazing athleticism crossed with equally amazing boneheadedness, this Mike Wise article starring Pam McGee even further clouded things. Is the guy just another talented headache that we need to get rid of? Is his inner circle (namely Pam) gassing him up so much that he really believes he's "the future of the NBA"? Why HAVEN'T we gotten this guy a big man coach? Everything about him pulls you both ways. He looks disinterested for most of the Houston game but then puts in a gem against Charlotte. There was rumor from Chad Ford earlier in the week that he considered himself a near-max player. That may very well be true, but I've given you my opinion about the national media and all of the bad media associated with the Wizards, so I take some of this with a grain of salt. I do think that he sees what DeAndre Jordan was given (4 years, $42M) before this season began and sees a precedent set. As much as he drives us crazy, he's clearly improving, and I think we just have to retain him. He's a restricted free agent this summer, and although there wasn't a long-term agreement made before last week's deadline, the Wizards still plan on matching offers for him, according to Michael Lee.
Randy's rotations. The first thing I noticed in Randy Wittman's first game as coach was that he got Vesely and Mack in the game early (That's actually the second thing I noticed. The first thing I noticed was that Randy needs a dentist.). These guys had been offering good energy and positive plays all season when they were on the floor, but Flip seemed intent on not utilizing them. This has not been the case through three games under Wittman. In game two, Wittman started Vesely in place of Blatche, and the energy on the court is just immensely different. Where Jan lacks in offensive polish he makes up for it in heady play, hustle, and athleticism. He remained in the starting lineup tonight against Charlotte, and again, the energy. When Flip was fired, I'll admit that I wanted Sam Cassel to be named interim head coach, but I will give credit where credit is due: I like what Randy has the guys doing out there. He's allowing the team to play to its strengths, and not trying to fit square pegs into round holes. We all know that we don't have many scorers, but by getting energetic lineups on the court and using our athleticism, they're able to employ a fast-paced style of play that suits most of the roster. It would be great if Wittman would make the decision to start McGee, Booker, Vesely, Young, and Wall.
Flip got flipped. It was just a matter of time. By the looks of the rotations since Randy Wittman has been coaching, the idea that Ernie Grunfeld was directing Flip on how to assign minutes was just untrue. We've been through this over and over so I'll just say that I wish Flip the best in all of his future endeavors.
John Wall is ballin. It took a while, but he's been playing much better over the last couple of weeks. Since the Martin Luther King Day game, the Franchise has been averaging 17.7 points (45% from the field), 6.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists (he could have way more with scorers and shooters). He seems to have slowed down a bit, and he is beginning to show the promise that got us so excited last season. Unstoppable in the open court, and he just has the ability to fly around at a level above everyone else on the floor, as evidenced by this sequence against Houston. He's still not much of a jump shooter (understatement, although he did hit a three tonight), but if he ever gets some help he's definitely going to average 10 assists a night. Faith has been restored.
The enigma that is JaVale McGee. As if we weren't conflicted enough about Monsieur Pierre, his amazing athleticism crossed with equally amazing boneheadedness, this Mike Wise article starring Pam McGee even further clouded things. Is the guy just another talented headache that we need to get rid of? Is his inner circle (namely Pam) gassing him up so much that he really believes he's "the future of the NBA"? Why HAVEN'T we gotten this guy a big man coach? Everything about him pulls you both ways. He looks disinterested for most of the Houston game but then puts in a gem against Charlotte. There was rumor from Chad Ford earlier in the week that he considered himself a near-max player. That may very well be true, but I've given you my opinion about the national media and all of the bad media associated with the Wizards, so I take some of this with a grain of salt. I do think that he sees what DeAndre Jordan was given (4 years, $42M) before this season began and sees a precedent set. As much as he drives us crazy, he's clearly improving, and I think we just have to retain him. He's a restricted free agent this summer, and although there wasn't a long-term agreement made before last week's deadline, the Wizards still plan on matching offers for him, according to Michael Lee.
Randy's rotations. The first thing I noticed in Randy Wittman's first game as coach was that he got Vesely and Mack in the game early (That's actually the second thing I noticed. The first thing I noticed was that Randy needs a dentist.). These guys had been offering good energy and positive plays all season when they were on the floor, but Flip seemed intent on not utilizing them. This has not been the case through three games under Wittman. In game two, Wittman started Vesely in place of Blatche, and the energy on the court is just immensely different. Where Jan lacks in offensive polish he makes up for it in heady play, hustle, and athleticism. He remained in the starting lineup tonight against Charlotte, and again, the energy. When Flip was fired, I'll admit that I wanted Sam Cassel to be named interim head coach, but I will give credit where credit is due: I like what Randy has the guys doing out there. He's allowing the team to play to its strengths, and not trying to fit square pegs into round holes. We all know that we don't have many scorers, but by getting energetic lineups on the court and using our athleticism, they're able to employ a fast-paced style of play that suits most of the roster. It would be great if Wittman would make the decision to start McGee, Booker, Vesely, Young, and Wall.
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