AT                        

Friday, February 22nd, 2013
7:00 PM ET
TV: Comcast SportsNet HD
Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier  
Radio: 106.7 FM/1500 AM
Dave Johnson and Glenn Consor

The trade deadline has come and gone for the Wizards, ultimately resulting in the dismissal of what had become a diminished talent, in exchange for a torn ACL, two expiring contracts, and a polarized fan base.

Jordan Crawford was dealt to the Boston Celtics this afternoon in a trade that landed Leandro Barbosa, who is inactive for the rest of the season with a torn ACL but sitting on an expiring contract. Jason Collins, also in the final year of his contract, was traded for as well. Both players are due the veteran minimum of approximately $850,000.

While fans are expressing their discontent for what may be noted as another managerial mishap, the fact of the matter is there’s only so much you can do with a cheap contract for a player that holds very little value – whether he was benched in his last few games or not.

Did coach Wittman recently devalue Crawford by making a plant out of him on the far side of the bench? Yeah, perhaps. But to what extent? How much more would have Crawford been worth if he had continued playing and selfishly jacking up shots, scoring barely 14 points per game and stalling an emerging offense that had just gained some fluidity?

Let’s face it: Wittman’s benching of Crawford wasn’t solely based on the front office’s intent to trade him but it was also based on the fact that Crawford simply wore out his presence on the floor -- thanks in most part to his ankle injury which subsequently paved the way for John Wall and Bradley Beal’s emergence in the back court. We all know Crawford is the type of player that needs the ball in his hands more so than not in order to be effective. He’s been grilled for it since he was acquired from Atlanta two seasons ago. His ISO-heavy offense creates a lack of chemistry on the floor, his shot selection had become the leading cause of indigestion in the Metro area, and his defense is questionable at best.

I’ve mentioned this time and again: to most Wizards fans Crawford was viewed as a high-valued player simply because he had been able to recklessly find ways to score the basketball on what had been a stagnant Wizards offense that couldn’t get those scoring opportunities elsewhere. To many of us (myself included at times), that crowned Crawford as a legitimate scoring threat, while others saw right through it, including coach Wittman and the Celtics, obviously.

In return for Crawford, the Wizards get two expiring contracts in Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins – NOT Fab Melo, which also sparked some rage from fans after there were rumors of Melo being included in the deal.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure Danny Ainge was all about trading his 2012 first-round pick for JORDAN CRAWFORD. Let’s keep it real, folks.

Collins, now in his 13^th season, may be in position to provide some grown man insight to some of the developing big men on the roster, notably Kevin Seraphin. Meanwhile, Barbosa aka the Brazilian Blur should be good for some solid water-cooler conversation with Nene from time to time.

All in all, this trade is virtually meaningless in terms of change within the team or the movement going forward. As noted, Crawford had been nonexistent over the course of his final six games in a Wiz uniform, a stretch in which the Wizards won four of those games.

So to everyone, I say: please just chill out.

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA trade deadline is today, February 21^st, and 3 PM.  The Wizards surfaced in a trade rumor for the market’s most valuable asset, Josh Smith, but talks appeared to have broken down.  They’re also now (strangely) tied to rumors about acquiring J.J. Redick.  Earlier this season, the Wizards were also players in the Rudy Gay sweepstakes, but ultimately were beaten out by Toronto.

In contrast to years past, Washington is clearly looking to improve.  I can’t recall the last time I heard the team is pursuing top talent through trade.  The Wizards have over $60 million per year committed to players’ salaries over the next two seasons, eliminating them (barring a cap space-clearing move) from making a splash in free agency.

But what is success for the Wizards at the trade deadline?

The scoreboard malfunction at the Phone Booth last night gave the game an AAU feel, according to Trevor Booker.

The technical staff was hard at work trying to fix the game clock at the scorers table, Jordan Crawford strolled out of the locker room before he could be asked any questions, and Wale was sitting in the media area fuming about an exchange with the opposing team’s broadcasters. This was the scene post-game after the Wizards fell to the Toronto Raptors in what can loosely be described as a weird night at the Verizon Center.

The Wizards were plagued by the turnover bug in their first game back from the All-Star Break, coughing the ball up 17 times for 24 Toronto points. Wall easily had his worst game of the season turning the ball over seven times and going 1-for-12 from the field with nine points on the night. No one could really point out what was wrong with Wall. All signs led to just an “off night”.

raptors 96 wizards 88
2/19/2013 - Verizon Center, Washington, DC
ESPN Boxscore
NBA.com Game Highlights


Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images

                        AT                        

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013
7:00 PM ET
TV: Comcast SportsNet HD
Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier  
Radio: 106.7 FM/1500 AM
Dave Johnson and Glenn Consor

Welp. Houston was fun. A lotta fun. And now I’m finally dwindling back to reality. Back to business. Back to my Washington Wizards, who have plenty to address as we head into the latter portion of the season. So without any further ad-lib, here is the pre-game buzz:

Josh Smith and Jordan Crawford own the water-cooler topics after All-Star Weekend:

The Hawks want to rid themselves of the possibility of getting abandoned by the soon-to-be free agent Smith and have stated their firm intent to move him by Thursday’s deadline. It has been reported that the Wizards are flirting with the Hawks about a trade, but have also confirmed that Wall, Beal and Nene in return are off limits.

For a moment, let’s focus on a potential starting five, should Smith be acquired: Wall, Beal, Smith, Okafor and Nene. Sounds legit, right?

Smith is very effective offensively, coming off career numbers last year and very close to the same figures this year. Although for some fans Smith’s knack for shooting low percentage 20-foot jumpers may draw concern, it’s fair to point out that Smith would be playing with John Wall at the helm, someone who could feed Smith right where he needs to (mainly down in the low block), which will allow Smith to dominate where he’s best. Smith’s size and mobility also make him effective on offense when driving to the rim, and defensively as well, a trait that will only benefit an already productive frontcourt.

For most fans, All-Star weekend has gradually simmered in excitement over the past few years and although this year’s contests seemed to prove little to change that trend, the event remains to be a high profile one, and we were on the scene in Houston to experience it all.

All-Star Saturday Night, which especially hosts the most popular events, failed to impress and the rash of empty seats at the Toyota Center was a clear depiction of that. I guess fans were confident that a combination of Phillip Phillips, Fall Out Boy, Nick Cannon and the lack of REAL All-Stars participating in the events just wouldn’t draw enough interest, if any at all.

Terrance Ross' between-the-legs dunk over a toddler eventually led him to winning the crown.


James White teased us all night with athleticism, but couldn't hammer most of his dunks home.


Kyrie Irving was just unfair in the final round of the 3-Point Shootout, scoring 23 out of a possible 30 to defeat Matt Bonner.

All photos taken by Abdullah Sharif.

All-Star Saturday Night Recap

The stage was set at the Toyota Center in Houston last night for one of the most anticipated nights in basketball with a realm of talent ready to show off their skills in the All-Star Saturday Night challenge.

Unfortunately for the fans in attendance, it took until the championship round in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest to draw any rouse.

Everything culminated when Terrence Ross jumped over a child (who he told reporters was actually the son of the owner of Twitter) and went between his legs to seal his first Slam Dunk Championship. But it took a while for the main event to get going. Many of the contestants were having trouble completing their dunks in the allotted amount of time as the crowd witnessed two non-completed individual rounds, and two other dunks that were just slammed in due to time running out.

Just before the East and West All-Stars were set for their afternoon practice session, we found a moment to catch up with Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra as well as Dywane Wade to get their thoughts on the state of our Washington Wizards.

Spoelstra, who has coached the Heat to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances and a championship last season, was quick to suggest the Wizards were in great shape looking forward.

“I think they have a great future. I think they have great young talent and they’re coached well. They need that elusive thing called ‘time’ and patience’.”

Meanwhile, Wade also shared positive sentiments about the young, upcoming Wiz Kids. When asked what the Wizards need to do to climb up the division in the second half of the season, Wade responded with “health.”

“They’ve been playing well, especially ever since John Wall came back. He adds a dimension to that team that’s remarkable. They just need to stay healthy.”

Wade also mentioned the growth of Bradley Beal and the impact of Nene and Emeka Okafor as factors for the Wizards’ recent success.

Wade and his Heat were stunned by a Wall-less 1-13 Wizards team earlier this season at the Verizon Center, losing 105-101.A

Excerpts from both interviews below…