Ball or Nuthin' » Flip Saunders

It’s Clear…Arenas Wants Out of Washington

T Lamont — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 01:27:05 +0000

A few games into the preseason, Gilbert Arenas has clearly been shown the writing on the wall…as in John Wall. And, of course, he doesn’t like it.

The Wizards’ selection of #1 NBA Draft pick John Wall was predictable, and they were hoping that Arenas could handle the demotion of not having the ball at his constant disposal like the professional that he has never been. Well, so far he has been unable to do that.

Arenas sat out of last night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. Knowing that veterans usually don’t lace them up (and if they do, they don’t go hard) in preseason contests, this alone was not a surprise. However, when asked about his absence from the lineup, here’s what the $111-million-dollar man said:

“I told (Nick) I’d sacrifice playing tonight so he can get some time in because I know he’s kind of frustrated he’s not getting a chance to crack the 3 position, especially since we’re going three guards. So I told him I’ll go and fake an injury or say something’s wrong with me so you can start.”

On the surface, this seems to be on par with the traditionally peculiar behavior of Agent Zero. But digging a little deeper would allow us to notice that Arenas was also an inconsistent participant in Washington’s training camp, missing three of the final four camp sessions. Gilbert cited a sore leg and a sprained ankle as the ailments keeping him out of action of those occasions. Nonetheless, Wizards coach Flip Saunders said that Arenas was fined for his revealing, yet truthful remarks (after all, he lied to Saunders about his status).

Arenas did play in the team’s first three exhibition contests, and did what was asked of him. He played his part in the offense, running off of screens (a la most shooting guards) and preparing to catch and shoot or attack off the dribble. But it was also easy to see that Arenas was simply going through the motion, and was a bit disconnected from the emotional, motivated play that drove him to superstar status early in his career.

Arenas has put in a lot of hard work to get to where he is today.

Last night, Arenas was unable to check his ego at the door of the Verizon Center. Instead of focusing on developing chemistry with the team’s new point guard stud, Gil would rather pass that opportunity to someone else – someone who is not commanding one of the biggest salaries in the NBA, as he is. In the blink of an eye, Arenas had abandoned what initially made him special. Beginning in Golden State – after being selected early in the second round (and consequently, not receiving a guaranteed contract) – Gil fought for what was his. He had the utmost belief in his ability and proved it with his play on a struggling team. The Wizards put their trust on the line by offering a talented, but ultimately unproven, guard with the chance to lead their franchise. The journey from Arizona to Golden State to Washington had many obstacles along the way, but Arenas accepted every challenge and conquered them in his own, mercurial way.

Arenas has entertained us with his flashy personality, edgy behavior and refreshing honesty. And some might feel that Tuesday night’s incident was no different. But in some manner, Wall’s immediate ascension to franchise player is irritable to Arenas – and his latest reaction was the only way that he knows how to handle such situations…jokingly.

Washington’s new center of attraction, Wall, is enjoying a productive preseason – and has done nothing short of dazzle onlookers. Along with veteran newcomer Kirk Hinrich, the rookie Wall has been elected as captain of the team. The organizational shift towards youth seems to be a battle that Arenas is unwilling to fight. The Wizards have had unfulfilled seasons over the past few season – each one with the hope of a return to All-Star form by Arenas. Each time, the team’s hopes have gone up in smoke.

Arenas is not naive, and his history demonstrates that he is not one who is unfamiliar with the business of the NBA. He is simply playing the hand that has been dealt. And after receiving a hand that isn’t to his liking, he is about to fold and take his chances with another hand.

But Arenas had better proceed with caution. After all, who knows how many hands are willing to take a chance on him.

Wizards Hit by Early Injury to Jamison

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

Get Shareaholic

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

Get Shareaholic

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…