Ball or Nuthin' » Caron Butler

Amid Arenas Drama, Wizards Lost Their Focus

T Lamont — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:06:59 +0000

When Gilbert Jay Arenas was suspended by the NBA - for his unacceptable conduct of brandishing firearms in the Verizon Center – there was a universal sentiment that the Washington Wizards’ 2009-2010 season was practically over.

But in the weeks to follow, the Wizards’ brass ensured that not only was their current season over, but the success of their subsequent campaigns would be limited as well.

On Friday, sentencing was handed down to Arenas…and it was nowhere near as severe as some anticipated. The All-Star guard was sentenced to two years of probation and 30 days in a halfway house. He will also have to complete 400 hours of community service and was required to make a $5,000 donation to a violent crimes victim’s fund.

In other words, he got off scot-free.

And from reports that are coming from the Wizards’ office, the team is planning to move forward with the $111-million man next year. But will they really be moving forward?

As plays stands today, Washington is in the midst of a 15-game losing streak. That’s right, they’ve lost every game in the month of March – the last win for the Wiz was February 28 at New Jersey. But even New Jersey has more reason to be optimistic than the Wizards.

When Arenas returns to the hardwood, he won't have these guys by his side.

That’s because Washington has decimated its roster with two big trades. Perennial 20-8 forward Antawn Jamison was being highly coveted by a Cavaliers team looking to put itself in better position for a title run and to keep LeBron James satisfied. So Jamison was sent packing and Washington received no personnel in return. The Wizards has already packaged three players that constituted the core of the team – forward Caron Butler, guard DeShawn Stevenson and center Brendan Haywood. These three averaged played beyond their averages. Butler is a skilled scorer and former All-Star; Haywood is a rare big man who plays like one (2.1 blocks per game); Stevenson is a defensive specialist who can bang threes if he gets on a hot streak.

All four former Wizards were part of the Washington franchise when there was actually some buzz…during their first playoff battle against LeBron James and the Cavaliers. We all recall the missed free throws by Arenas, which would have put one of the games on ice and possibly changed the course of the series. Ultimately, King James and his band walked away as the winners in that meeting, and the Wiz Kids seemingly haven’t recovered since.

But even though Washington hasn’t been able to break through to the next level, the trades were, to say the least, very disheartening to Wizards fans. As part of its statement to the fans, the Wizards said:

“…we now look forward to moving on and focusing on building this team into the contender that our outstanding fans deserve.”

Well, with Arenas coming back with a lot to prove, who will be there to support him? By getting nothing of value in return for the core of the old team – and yes, Josh Howard has little to no value these days – the Wizards executives definitely dropped the ball. With no tradable assets remaining on a severely talent-starved roster, Washington has basically pushed itself into expansion mode.

Ironically, D.C. needs Agent Zero to return with his guns blazing to make the Wizards relevant once again.

Big Second Half Pushes Wizards Over Cavs

T Lamont — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:51:35 +0000

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For the first time this season, the Wizards were able to put all three of their All-Stars on the floor at the same time. They had to be thrilled with the final result.

The Washington Wizards outscored the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half, 64-40, in route to a 108-91 victory over LeBron James and company in the nation’s capital.

The Wizards came into tonight’s game on a six-game losing streak. But in typical Washington fashion, they stepped up their game with King James’ arrival. The Wiz got a huge lift from forward Antwan Jamison, who returned from a shoulder injury to pour in 31 points. Washington also received key contributions from Gilbert Arenas (18 points, 8 assists), Caron Butler (19 points) and a great all-around effort from Mike Miller (17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists).

Reigning MVP LeBron James posted his usual great stat line – 34 points and 9 assists – but the lack of productivity from his teammates is what ultimately doomed the Cavs. Three other players contributed 10 points. James’ sidekick Mo Williams was 2-13 for 6 points.

LeBron didn't do much smiling on Wednesday night.

Cleveland’s lack of effectiveness down the stretch has its effect on LeBron. He made a bad pass (turnover), missed a couple of jumpers (one of them being an airball), and was hit with a technical foul for arguing a call on a play on which he felt he was fouled by DeShawn Stevenson. Big men Shaquille O’Neal and Andersen Varajeo sat out the game with minor injuries – so the Cavaliers were missing some interior toughness. It’s obvious that James had to press to make plays because no one else was stepping up for Cleveland.

To the contrary the Wizards had plenty of players stepping up – especially in the second half…which was when it mattered. The Wiz also dominated the boards 49-33, including 23 combined boards from Jamison and center Brendan Haywood.

Their will be two big tests for the Wizards. First, they’ll need to stay healthy – and given their track record that will be a difficult thing.

And their second test is to remain focused and win ball games against opponents who don’t have LeBron James on their roster.

Wizards Hit by Early Injury to Jamison

T Lamont — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 04:12:06 +0000

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The last couple of years for the Washington Wizards have been a nightmare. Unfortunately for them, they haven’t been able to wake up.

Just when things were starting to look good for the Wiz, they get hit with another big blow in the injury department. During an October 14th preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, forward Antwan Jamison partially dislocated his shoulder attempting to block an opposing shot attempt.

The 2-time All Star is estimated to miss anywhere from 8 to 13 regular season games. Jamison was one of Washington’s rocks last season - playing in 81 games and averaging 22 ppg and 9 rpg.

New Wizards’ Head Coach Flip Saunders:

“Everyone goes through sequences where they lose some players. You don’t want to have extended time. You’d better lose somebody early rather than lose them late.”

Antwan Jamison is well reputed for his off-court professionalism.

Regardless of the semi-positive tone from Flip, the franchise and its fans have to be disheartened by this turn of events. This is a team that has went years without the player that is regarded as its franchise player (Gilbert Arenas) due to an injury that turned out to be more bothersome than expected. Its only legitimate low post threat, Brendan Haywood, was out all last year. The Wizards also lost a considerable number of games from key guys like Caron Butler and Deshawn Stevenson.

Now, the one player who seemed unfazed by the injury bug gets infected. Jamison’s quiet, steady performance is unspectacular, but extremely necessary for Washington’s success. The power forward position is a spot where the Wiz are very thin. Antwan’s 22 points, 9 boards, offensive versatility, professionalism and leadership will all be missed by Washington.

Wizards’ guard/forward Caron Butler:

“It continues to happen. We’re going to remain optimistic and remain positive and see what happens.”

Let’s all hope that Jamison can heal quickly. And put an end to the nightmare once and for all.

Top Reasons Flip Saunders Will Not Transform the Wizards into an Elite Eastern Team

T Lamont — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:56:05 +0000

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I guess it’s good for the DC area fans to get excited about the Wiz. The guys definitely need some support after an absolutely abysmal year. But I’m gonna squash all that – starting with this Flip Saunders hiring.

He’s a professional with a great deal of actual NBA-coaching experience. But I’d strongly suggest that he is not the right fit for this team. In fact, here are my top reasons why he won’t be the huge difference-maker that many expect him to be:

"Yeah...whatever. Anything you say "Flip"..."

– Any coach with the first name “Flip” cannot be taken seriously.

– His coaching style changed Detroit from a team that had a great defense and mediocre offense into a team with a mediocre defense and weak offense. In other words, they got worse on both sides of the ball.

- The guy wears a shag. How can anyone keep from laughing at a guy who looks like he starred in “Welcome Back Cotter?”

Is that a "shag" in the back??

- He coached Kevin Garnett for 10 seasons, and only made it past the 1st round in one of those seasons.

- Gilbert Arenas (assuming he is playing, and not blogging, next year) has too much personality for him. Agent Zero will be the ”real” coach of this team.

- Arenas, Butler and (especially) Jamison do not play defense. Saunders does not stress defense. Looks like a match made in heaven.

- He’s too doggone mild-mannered. Successful coaches have to know how to play mind games (Phil Jackson), push buttons (Pat Riley) and ruffle feathers (Larry Brown).

In all seriousness, the Wizards have no choice but to be better than they were this past year. They’ll get lots of improvement if the Black President is healthy. But please don’t expect Flip to put them over the top. Especially after he has already proven that he is incapable of doing that.

But maybe if he would cut off that doggone shag…