Best Wizards Links – Blatche on Turnovers: “It’s not like I’m just giving the ball away.”
Turnovers have been an issue for Andray Blatche lately, and you can sense it’s starting to frustrate him.
In the 12 games Blatche has started since Antawn Jamison was traded, he’s averaged 24 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.8 turnovers per game, but has also had two games with five turnovers, one game with eight, and on Thursday night against the Hawks he had seven.
Dray’s Usage-percentage during this time has been 29.7%. USG% is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he is on the floor.
As you heard in the video above, Blatche keeps telling himself that his current role of increased playing time and being the focus of the opponent’s defense is new to him. He says turnovers will be an issue until he learns, whenever that may be.
And Dray will learn, the line of questioning wasn’t necessarily to pick on him, but rather an attempt to gather what his mental process is when trying to correct. Less light was shed than frustrations were expressed.
Nonetheless, his recent numbers are pretty astounding. So for the heck of it, I plugged some of them into the season finder tool on Basketball-Reference.com — searching for players who have averaged equal to or over 38 minutes, 24 points, 10 rebounds and 3.8 turnovers over a season.
If you eliminate those who assist better than Blatche, who is averaging 2.8 assists during the 12 game stretch — so, say those averaging more than 3.3 assists — you’re left with George McGinnis at ages 22 and 23, Charles Barkley at age 24, Marvin Barnes at age 22, Hakeem Olajuwon at age 27, Karl Malone at age 24, and Moses Malone at ages 23 and 25.
Andray is 23 … those comparisons are pretty encouraging. So with Blatche patience should be practiced. But just know that the bar is being set pretty high.
Gilbert Number Change.
Gilbert is a polarizing character and I would expect nothing less than diverse reactions from his decision to change his jersey number from zero to six. SB Nation’s Mike Prada is sad. The DC Sports Bog’s Dan Steinberg is more jarred at it than seeing Arenas in court pleading guilty to a felony charge.
Me? I just kind of shrug my shoulders. I mean, it’s typical erratic Gil, right? Changing his mind is just as much a part of his quirky character as his brief flirtation with being the Mr. Surly.
Sure, Arenas built some sort of persona of slight and motivation with the reminder of zero, but it’s also no surprise to see him have less of an emotional connection to the gimmick than fans and followers. Gil changes his mind with the breeze. And if number six doesn’t work out, understand that next March, he could easily be filing paperwork to go back to number zero or even double-zero.
James Singleton Goes Hard.
Both of these plays unfolded in less than ten seconds, and no one patted Singelton on the butt, high fived him, or showed his highlights on Sportscenter later that evening. But on every team there is dirty work to be done on both ends of the floor, and on the Washington Wizards squad, that is what James Singleton has to do on a nightly basis.
“This team is lacking a certain physical-ness, ” Singleton told me after the Houston Rockets game on Tuesday. “That’s not a slight to [Andray]Blatche or JaVale[McGee], but I have a little more bulk than they do. And I’m not getting plays run for me, so I have to make my mark being physical, and I actually like that.”
[Rashad Mobley - HoopsAddict]
Caron Butler has a new blog post up on HoopsHype.
I know I’ve been kind of hard on Caron, but I, and the city of Washington, do miss his presence on the court (the good basketball memories that is), and in the community. In his post he continues to keep it classy by thanking D.C. , but it also contains a pretty interesting quote:
They often ask me to compare how’s playing with Jason Kidd now as opposed to doing it with Gilbert. Well, they are both great players. Gilbert has always been a scoring guard and can do so many things with the ball in his hands. His thing is scoring. Meanwhile, Jason has a special gift… And that is making people better.
{Quick Wiz Hits}
Ball Don’t Lie’s Trey Kerby wants to find a new nickname for Arenas.
A Canadian writer wants the Raptors to offer Jose Calderon (3-years, $29.4 million left) and the expiring contracts (after 2010-11) of Reggie Evans and Marcus Banks (around $9.9 million total) for Gilbert Arenas (4-years, $80.2 million left).
Michael Pina of Hardwood Paroxysm writes that Andray Blatche is in the backboard’s shadow.
JaVale McGee had eight dunks last night, which is more than some players have had all season.
{Wizards-Hawks Game Quotes}
:Home Team
[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider]
As for the game, the Wizards were finally get some offensive generated, scoring 99 points despite committing 21 turnovers, which led to 32 points for the Hawks. That truly was the difference in the game, with the Wizards beating the Hawks in rebounds 42-29 and with points in the paint (48-36).
“When the other team scores 32 points off turnovers, you don’t really give yourself much of a chance to come back,” Coach Flip Saunders said. “Basically, turnovers are what killed us.”
[Craig Stouffer - Washington Examiner]
But after a contest in which Andray Blatche hit the 30-point mark for the third time since the All-Star break (the fourth this season) and got his ninth double-double, and in which JaVale McGee had a career-high 20 points, had 9 rebounds, and matched Dwight Howard with 8 dunks, a one-game season-high in the NBA this year, it’s time to talk about more than simply their increased production.
Are Blatche and McGee actually getting better?
[Mike Prada - Bullets Forever]
Blatche was in a fairly defensive mood. He had a good game, but when asked about it, it said it didn’t matter because the team lost. Blatche also had seven turnovers, which was a sign of a team-wide problem tonight that was big enough for Flip Saunders to zip into the press room quickly and give mostly curt answers about how his team was sloppy with the ball. One reporter in particular tried to prod some answers out of Blatche for his turnover problem, asking if there’s anything he’s doing in particular to try to work on it. Blatche kept repeating that he just needed more court time and experience dealing with being a featured guy, his voice sounding more annoyed than usual.
[Joe Glorioso - Wizards Extreme]
I hate to sound like a broken record but for the second straight game Mike Miller decided to start the game with a shooters mentality. Tell me if you’ve heard this one before, 1st quarter Miller is 3 for 4, the following 2 quarters 0 shots. Then the 4th quarter comes along and he tries to get it going again but shots 1 for 4 and finishes the game 4 for 8 with 11 points.
Look, I’m not trying to start a bash-fest on Miller but you don’t have to be a basketball aficionado to understand that if you don’t shoot the ball for 2 quarters your chances of being pin point accurate in the 4th are not going to be to high.
:The Other Side
[The Human Highlight Blog - Peachtree Hoops]
There is a growing concern among some Bird Watchers that the Hawks may not have the mental focus and drive to be anything more than part-time participants in the NBA Playoffs. Recent games have been consistently marked by uneven play offensively and minimal defensively.
For those who count those traits as a serious issues, then the Hawks 105-99 win at Washington did nothing to assuage their concerns.
[Bret LaGree - Hoopinion]
The Hawks can’t get away with Josh Smith wasting four of his ten field goal attempts on jump shots or Al Horford grabbing just a single defensive rebound or allowing an opponent to grab half of their own missed shots or making just 60% of the free throw attempts very often. That they got away with all of those tonight is a testament to Jamal Crawford’s ability to create his own shot and the current state of the Washington Wizards.
[Michael Cunningham - Hawks Blog, AJC]
It’s getting a little late for that “all teams are tough, sometimes you have nights like this” stuff. The Hawks got outworked for most of the game by a team headed for the lottery. They let a bad offensive team have an easy time scoring for long stretches and let a so-so rebounding team dominate them on the boards.
[KWillis - Soaring Down South]
It is no secret that the Hawks aren’t playing their best basketball at this point in the season. Last night’s win over the Wizards is big in the fact that it stopped a losing streak before it could build anymore momentum. The Hawks are now 64 games into the season and it is hard to keep that focus and energy throughout. However, they have to begin to build some momentum for the playoffs. There is no way that the Hawks can expect to reach the Eastern Conference Finals the way they are playing right now. At the moment a victory in a first round series couldn’t be guaranteed.
{Other Links}
NCAA Tournament expansion is a good thing, and the DC Sports Bog has all the reasons why.
Unlike Baby, Jerry Orbach helped put the Clippers in the corner … of the country, as in L.A.
The Metrocurean tells us that Top Chef is coming to Washington, DC. Nice.
Tony Kornheiser’s hate knows no bounds, this time it’s cyclists.
Sharing this post from Truth About It.net
Other reads from Truth About It:Screen Shots From Dallas and The Magical Calming Powers of ObertoTim Legler Wants To Proudly Wear His Old Wizards JerseyA Third Quarter Colder Than MilwaukeeAndray Blatche’s Internet Explosion
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Lake Taylor girls defeat Princess Anne for AAA title
Linda Stepney made five free throws and Breshara Gordon added another one in the final minute, enabling Lake Taylor to claim the Group AAA girls state title with a 50-44 victory over Princess Anne at the Siegel Center. The two nationally ranked teams split during the season, with Princess Anne (29-2) taking the Eastern Region title. Lake Taylor (30-1) fell behind by eight in the third quarter in the rubber match, then came back and went ahead 33-32 heading into the final period.
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Feed : High School Sports for Richmond Times-Dispatch
Grizzlies hold on for 119-112 win over Knicks, by Matt Tumbleson
The game seemed to be in hand entering the fourth quarter, after an 18-2 run in the second quarter established a 20+ point lead that the Grizzlies held throughout much of the game and built up to as many as 29 at one point in the third quarter.
The Knicks made things interesting down the stretch as they turned a 110-87 Grizzlies lead into a five point Grizzlies advantage with 34.7 seconds remaining on a Wilson Chandler jumper. From there the Grizzlies were able to make four free-throws to close the game out, but were unable to get their starters much needed rest in what could have been a blow-out game with a contest tomorrow against the Denver Nuggets looming.
The win marked the Grizzlies third this week against the Atlantic Division (New Jersey, Boston, New York) and moved their record to 35-31 on the season. The Knicks are now 22-43.
One of the biggest keys coming into the contest was whether the Grizzlies would be able to inflict their will on the contest and control the paint or if Knicks would force the tempo in Mike D’Antoni’s system. The Grizzlies answered the question emphatically in the first quarter, outscoring the Knicks 20-12 in points in the paint, while rendering New Yorks’ fast-break attack useless in the opening stanza. The Grizzlies would end up outscoring the Knicks 17-15 in fast-break points, but seven of the Knicks points on the break came in the fourth quarter, helping their comeback.
By controlling tempo in the first the Grizzlies were able to push their lead to double digits on a Mike Conley three-point play at the 4:48 mark, and then maintained a comfortable advantage throughout the first. The Grizzlies also got a lift from their bench, who combined to score eight points in the quarter alone, which has become a nice addition to the Memphis attack as of late.
Leading 32-24 to start the second quarter the outmatched Knicks made an initial push to close the Grizzlies lead to 42-37 on a Wilson Chandler jumper, giving the Grizzlies and the entire crowd caution about allowing a lesser team to hang around.
The Grizzlies responded like a team on the cusp of a playoff berth with an 18-2 run over a five minute stretch that gave them control of the game. The Grizzlies talented starting core did the heavy lifting during the run as each of the Grizzlies starters scored during the stretch and accounted for 15 of the 18 points (Sam Young chipped in three of his nine points in the second quarter during the stretch as well).
Carrying a 63-42 lead into the break the Grizzlies held the Knicks at bay and were able to overcome a 0-of-5 showing from three in the quarter with a stellar effort at the line. The Grizzlies connected on 13-of-14 from the line during the quarter on their way to shooting 30-of-33 for the game.
After maintaining a comfortable lead for much of the third quarter and fourth quarter the Grizzlies allowed the Knicks to charge back into the contest in the fourth.
The Knicks resurgence came from an unexpected source as reserves Bill Walker and Toney Douglas each scored 12 points in the quarter to turn a comfortable Grizzlies lead into a tight contest down the stretch that forced Grizzlies Head Coach Lionel Hollins to play his starters to preserve the victory.
The Grizzlies had four of their five starters score 18 points or more, including Zach Randolph, who scored a game high 24 points to go along with 11 rebounds. O.J. Mayo added 22 points in the winning effort, while Mike Conley came up with another all-around performance with 18 points, five rebounds and six assists. Walker led the Knicks off the bench with 21 points, with All-Star David Lee adding 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks.
View original story : during+third+quarter
Feed : Grizzlies News and Features
Grizzlies fall to Nuggets 125-108, by Matt Tumbleson
The Grizzlies played well in the first half, leading by as many as 12 at one point, but the Nuggets hung around, and by the time reserve J.R. Smith caught fire from behind the arc the Nuggets had used a 17-0 run to bridge the third and fourth quarters, giving the Nuggets a lead the Grizzlies could not come back from.
The loss drops the Grizzlies to 35-32 on the season and marked their first loss in the second game of a back-to-back since the All-Star break. The Grizzlies are now 4-1 since the All-Star break in the second game of a back-to-back, compared to a 1-11 mark in the first half of the season. The Nuggets improved their record to 45-21 on the season in their chase for second in the Western Conference.
One of the keys coming into the contest was whether the Grizzlies would be able to take advantage of the Nuggets lack of depth in the frontcourt with their recent loss of Kenyon Martin due to a special procedure to cure tendinitis. The Grizzlies recognized the absence of a presence in the middle for the Nuggets and attacked the opponents’ big men from the opening tip, scoring 12 of their first 13 points in the paint.
Zach Randolph specifically was also able to control the boards with seven points and seven rebounds in the first quarter.
With a focus on controlling the paint, Rudy Gay (ten first quarter points) getting the upper-hand on fellow Baltimore native Carmelo Anthony (eight first quarter points) and a stifling defensive effort that held the Nuggets to a 5-of-16 start from the field the Grizzlies were able to hold a 33-24 lead after one.
In the second quarter the Grizzlies maintained their lead for much of the quarter thanks to a level of effort that made it clear that they are learning the stakes as they enter the stretch run of the season. The Grizzlies seemingly got to every loose ball and outscored the Nuggets 15-6 in the first half.
The Nuggets got a lift off their bench from J.R. Smith, who scored 11 points in the second quarter alone, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc that gave the Grizzlies caution for what was in store. Memphis answered the scoring spurt from Smith with a big quarter from O.J. Mayo. Mayo’s 11 points in the second quarter helped keep the Nuggets at bay as the Grizzlies took a 63-57 lead into the break.
The Grizzlies high-scoring first half marked the first time that the Grizzlies have scored 60+ points in the first half in consecutive games since Dec. 30 (68 first half points against Indiana) and Jan. 2 (69 first half points against Phoenix).
In the third quarter the Grizzlies did their best to fend off a mounting Nuggets attack led by Carmelo Anthony, who had 10 points in the third quarter. Denver slowly chipped away at the Grizzlies lead, finally tying the game at 72-72 on a Chauncey Billups three-point play at the 5:44 mark in the third.
The Grizzlies rallied to re-establish an 85-80 lead on a Sam Young jumper with 1:30 left in the third that would mark the final Memphis basket for the crucial next five and a half minutes of the game.
During the Nuggets game-changing run Smith hit three of his seven three-pointers as the Nuggets turned a five point deficit into a 97-85 Nuggets edge at the 9:33 mark. The Grizzlies would close the Nuggets lead to single digits only once the rest of the fourth quarter, at the 8:08 mark on a Mike Conley lay-up the brought the Grizzlies to within 98-89.
Smith immediately responded with another three-pointer and the Grizzlies were unable to recover the rest of the way.
Mayo led the Grizzlies with 25 points, while Randolph had 22 points and 12 boards. Smith led all scorers with 30 points off the Nuggets bench, while Anthony added 24 points and Chauncey Billups had 22 points.
View original story : during+third+quarter
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