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Player News Washington Wizards - NBA Loud

The 2008 NBA Draft

July 1st 2008 03:49

I’d like to post about the previously finished NBA Draft. A lot of trades were completed/proposed making this years draft exciting and noteworthy. In this first post I will be going through the top five picks and thereafter with updates and all you need to know up to the minute stats and transactions.

Let’s get this post draft analysis going with the first overall pick for the Chicago Bulls DERRICK ROSE. Rose out of Memphis has a solid NBA body and can take the punishment as a player in the paint. He will mold himself into whatever type of player his team needs him to be as evident by the video below. He is one of the most ready-type players to enter the league. A truly solid addition to any team, kind of makes me think of the miss of Jay Williams. In which whom the Bulls took as the savior type PG years ago before he had his motorcycle accident stifling his promising career. With this pick Chicago puts themselves back into contention for a playoff spot in the East.

This video shows how Rose can affect the game as he will become a solid NBA-PG.

# 2

Undoubtedly the Miami Heat selected MICHAEL BEASLEY out of Kansas State. This PF needs no introduction to basketball fans as his huge wingspan makes up for any negativity about his height at the four spot. One of the perfect teams for Beasley to go to, I think his character issues would only become apparent if he were to have to battle with a solid proven veteran for his starting spot. He will be going in battling Udonis Haslem who has seen his stock drop as he needs to create more of his own offence. The heat I am sure are not finished in tweaking their team for the 08/09 season. Marion though will alleviate any concerns of the rookie being overmatched down-low as he is almost like an extra PF out there sometimes with his rebounding efforts and hustle in trying to make the right plays.

# 3

Minnesota at the third spot went with OJ MAYO, who I have seen and been hearing about for a good number of years. Mayo will be a solid two as at 6’4” 200lbs he is limited in selected positions, but this guy is just a born scorer and if he ends up in Grizz-town, look for him to team up with Rudy Gay as Mike Miller was moved with Memphis making the choice to let him go after he admittedly carried the Grizzlies last season at times. In return Minnesota looks to get #5 Kevin Love. I am in love with this deal as the T-Wolves send Antoine Walker also to MEM. Minnesota gets the scoring they desperately need and character guys, to build around. I know what fans may be thinking and no this isn’t the second coming of Wally World, Mike Miller is a gamer playing all three spots from 1-3 for the Grizz and did whatever was asked, as he became a versatile and proven scorer, unlike streaky Szczerbiak.

# 4

Russell Westbrook a surprise at number four as the top three had virtually been decided weeks beforehand. Westbrook though an unexpected pick is an explosive guard that will do well in this league especially when Seattle gets all the parts and can continuously run up and down with Durant and Green. The Sonics clearly want a guard that can break down the D and get up and down the court at breakneck speeds. They have found that guy with Westbrook. People want to compare him to NBA champion Rajon Rondo and maybe Monta Ellis, he is long and skinny and extremely athletic, time will tell if he can make the right passes for a long career with Durant by his side.

# 5

Care of NBADraft.net

Memphis picks Kevin Love at the number five spot and in turn will be sending him to Minnesota in the deal outlined in the third pick paragraph. Love is solid, not an athlete like the Grizz love at the four spot, but the T-Wolves just need ballers in which Kevin is for sure. Down-low he will be helped by Al Jefferson for sure on defense. Also he will have a great passer in Mike Miller to get the ball to him in good spots. I like Kevin Love on a solid team a rebuilding team he may flourish or sink as he’ll need to create his own offence and may struggle with the speed of the NBA at first.

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Gilbert Arenas' Neverending Drama

May 8th 2008 18:49

Just recently, the Wizards' Gilbert Arenas came out and said that he will be looking for max money from whatever team is interested in signing him. If his knee is healthy, he wants the max, but if he's still having problems, he'll settle for less. First of all, I don't think Gil will admit that his knee is not 100% and settle for less money. He also claimed that he'll take less money from the Wizards if it means having Jameson return as well. A few days later, he changed his mind and said that he won’t return unless Jameson is signed as well. Now, before Agent Zero goes around making all these demands, we have to determine whether or not he is even worth the max. So, is he? That depends on a few things...

We all know that Arenas is one of the best scorers in the league today. Even though he missed most of the season, I have no doubt that he'll bounce back next season provided that he is healthy enough to play. When using his skill set as the only indicator, I would agree that Arenas is worth the max. But as we all know, when you acquire a player, you bring aboard a lot more than just their skills. Gil is extremely outspoken and the fact that he has no agent will probably make negotiations unbearable. I could just imagine trying to negotiate a contract with Arenas... it would be like trying to reason with a 10 year old. It’s not that he’s unintelligent, just immature at times. He’ll go around telling everyone that he’s going to score 50 points against Portland, then go out there and jack up shots only to realize that he isn’t making any of them. Why does he do this you ask? Because he was cut from the National Team.

Arenas also goes out there and takes 27 foot jumpers when the clock is winding down at the end of a quarter. Sure, you’ll see the highlights whenever he makes one, but what about all the times he misses? I’m sure he misses those shots a lot more than he makes them. On the court, he is all about showboating and trying to get attention. He has yet to mature and reach that next level. His scoring ability is amazing, but he can’t and won’t fulfill his true potential unless he smartens up. Since the sky is the limit for Agent Zero, I guess I would take the chance and give him the max assuming he was completely healthy. A player such as him does not hit the market very often, and if you’re looking for that game-changer, then he is that player.

He’d probably be a good locker room guy, but a bad guy to deal with if you’re part of management. The fans will probably love him when he makes those ridiculous 3s, but the coach would shake his head regardless of whether or not it went in. No matter what you think of Arenas, I think we can all admit that he is an entertaining character both on and off the court. But when you stand out from the crowd the way he does, the spotlight is sure to shine in places you don’t want it to.

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Posted By: Travis - Category: Player News, Washington Wizards

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Gilbert Arenas Out for Two to Three Months. Video of Hibachi Suffering the Knee Injury.

April 6th 2007 03:48

Washington’s worst fears have been come to pass with news that their superstar player and goofy oddball, Gilbert Arenas, is going to be out of action for two to three months. Even the most optimistic time frame for an Agent Zero sighting this season on the basketball court rests on the ability of his team to make the NBA Finals without him. So, no dice.

Agent Zero had knee surgery to repair the lateral meniscus tear that he received in their last game against the Charlotte Bobcats. The Wizards basically have to make do without Hibachi’s 28 point and six assist output that he delivers to his team on a nightly basis.

Double ouch.

Coach for Washington, Eddie Jordan, must be tearing his hair out at the injustice of it all with

Hibachi no more. (AFP/File/Rocky Widner)

both his All-Stars suffering major injury setbacks in less than a week. What looked like a promising playoff run looks downright impossible now for the team from DC.

Not only has Washington faltered but what was proving to be a breakout season for Gilbert the Great has ended on a sour note. The bigger picture though was that it was a season for the ages for any player, and Arenas may be able to appreciate later on what he achieved this season dubbed “The Takeover” by the man himself.

Or, perhaps not, with the type of personality that lurks in the psyche of the man who is a firm believe in karma and who is obsessive compulsive at the best of times. This one is going to do Gilbert’s head in.

‘The Takeover’ did come into fruition though with Gilbert having more 30 point scoring games this season than any other player in the league whilst having two memorable 60 and 54 point nights against the Lakers and Suns respectively.

The basketball loving public cottoned on to the everyman personality of Arenas whose flamboyance on and off the court attracted much belated attention to himself culminating in his first All-Star selection as a starter.

Agent Zero bought fun and laughs back into the sometimes all too stale world of professional basketball. Players take themselves far too seriously and are lacking any genuine connection with fans. Arenas was the antithesis of this but his magical season ended far too early before he could take the biggest basketball stage of all – the playoffs.

Next season might be dubbed ‘The Revenge’ because Gilbert performs best when he has a massive chip on his shoulder and this injury is a massive slap in the face. Look for Hibachi to have an explosive 2007-2008 season.

Today’s clip is of the moment when Gilbert's 06-07 season expired.

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Posted By: Stanley - Category: Player News, Washington Wizards

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Gilbert Arenas Suffers a Nasty Knee Injury.

April 5th 2007 04:40

Gilbert Arenas on the floor in pain after suffering a knee injury. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)

Is it safe for the Washington Wizards to panic now? The team’s playoffs hopes went down the moment that Gilbert Arenas’ knee twisted the wrong way after Gerald Wallace crashed into Agent Zero.

The Charlotte Bobcats ultimately won the game 108-100, but the result was meaningless when measured with the wider context of Gilbert the Great being felled with a sprained knee. Arenas will get an MRI tomorrow to determine the extent of his injury and you can bet that Washington will be praying long and hard that it isn’t serious at all.

Arenas’ injury falls hot on the heels of fellow All-Star Caron Butler’s absence when he broke is hand over the weekend and is not expected to return to the team unless they make a huge playoff push. Er, Washington may as well look forward to next season because this one is a write off. Seemingly.

Jason Richardson is starting to get nasty once again. (AP Photo/Dino Vournas)

Ben Wallace was missing from the Chicago team when they went back to Detroit for another run at Big Ben’s old squad. Wallace was absent due to a sinus problem but it didn’t prevent the Bulls from running riot all over the Pistons, 106-88.

Chicago’s young guns Captain Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng led the way with 29 and 22 points respectively.

This game wasn’t just important for building momentum heading into the Eastern Conference playoffs, but was vital for both teams in their attempts in winning precious home court advantage during the postseason. Chicago is now just half a game behind Detroit.

Jason Richardson who has had a frustrating season continued his recent run of excellent form by dropping 27 points which included seven 3-pointers in the mix as well. Houston was missing uber-star Tracy McGrady and Golden State took advantage of this situation by spanking the Rockets, 110-99.

Baron Davis was the other standout individual in this game as well with 25 points and 10 assists.

Golden State is now just one-and-a-half games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the final Western Conference spot and are chasing hard.

Yao had an obscenely bad game with only nine points. Yao. Yuck.

In tribute to Gilbert Arenas here is a cool clip of the man in question. Enjoy.

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Posted By: Stanley - Category: Player News, Washington Wizards

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