John Wall

Last night it actually happened. Still haven't wrapped my mind around this...

For the Record

Me, two days ago:

On the other hand, I'm a bit speechless that we didn't wait until the night of the draft since Rubio has been slipping in several mocks, and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to take it if he was still there at 5.

In no way did I actually expect this to happen, but I was right about one thing: it's pretty fucking difficult to take.

DCJonesy's point about the stakes of Grunfeld's move is also more true than ever. Now rather than simply being judged by Washington's successes or failures, his record be also be measured by the arc of Rubio's pro career. Predicting how draft picks will turn out is always a crap shoot, but betting the house against Rubio isn't a place I'd want to be.

Grunfeld Risks His Career in D.C., Makes Bizarre Trade for Randy Foye

Well, good to know that a whole year without Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood which saw us tie the franchise-worst ever record netted us... Randy Foye. Yeah, totally worth it.

Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld has practically staked his reputation, along with his future in Washington, on this move, which sent the fifth overall draft pick, Darius Songaila, Etan Thomas and Oleksiy Pecherov to Minnesota in exchange for Foye and Mike Miller. My initial reaction to this trade is "not good." Upon further reflection, I suppose the Wizards do need to upgrade on the defensive side, especially on the perimeter. The longer we sit here and say we need to improve defensively and summarily fail to add any defensive-minded players, the stupider we'll be.

However, you cannot tell me that the number five pick, even in a draft as watered down as this one, is only worth Randy Foye. I liked him well enough when he played at Villanova, and I honestly haven't seen enough of him in the pros to make a full assessment of his skill (probably has something to do with the fact that he was in Minnesota). But there were way bigger names being bandied about in these trade talks (Ray Allen, Amar'e Stoudemire) and I personally feel that if all we're getting back is Foye, we would have been better off just using the pick ourselves.

The bottom line, though, is that this strange move could make or break Grunfeld's tenure as Washington's GM. If this works, and Foye provides balance among our guard rotation and Miller adds scoring from the bench (as he brings nothing else to the table), Grunfeld will get to say a hearty I-told-you-so, all the while helping acclimate new coach Flip Saunders by surrounding with just about everyone he could from his former team. But if this trade doesn't work... well that's another story entirely. The only things this guarantees is that draft night will be utterly useless to watch as a Wizards fan and nearly impossible to enjoy, unless the Clippers trade the number one pick for Stephon Marbury.

One final note about the trade is that it sees Etan Thomas' long run with the team end after alomst a decade. On the court, Etan was virtually useless at this point, having missed the better part of the past two years with a heart ailment and a knee injury. In the community, he was a tremendous humanitarian, a poet, and an activist. His service to the D.C. area was invaluable and he was never afraid to speak his mind.

Well, now that any sense of anticipation for tomorrow's draft has been mercilessly sucked out for any Wizards fan, I guess I'll go back to biding my time until the Redskins do something stupid enough for me to rant about.

CHANGE!

Caron Butler: (via Ivan Carter)

"Coach Jordan will be a lifelong friend and somone I communicate with for the rest of my life," Butler said. "To see him go, that was tough. That's why I didn't talk yesterday because it hurt but as the same time, now that we got Obama on the sideline with us now, we're going to ride with it."

Obama? You mean Tapscott?

"Yeah, he's light-skinned. He has a law degree. He stands for change, he uses big words, he's new in the district and he's in control now, so shout-out to Obama. We won tonight so we have hope."

Change we can believe in, wizards fans.

Case of the Mondays: Eddie Got Fired

No matter how bad your Monday was, it wasn't nearly as bad as it was for that guy:

The Wizards have relieved Coach Eddie Jordan of his duties. Jordan was informed of the decision this morning around 8 a.m. shortly after he and his wife, Charrisse, handed out Thanksgiving turkeys to the needy at a team-sponsored charitable event. Associate Head Coach Mike O'Koren was also let go.

Can't exactly say he didn't have it coming. It doesn't matter that Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood are out with long-term injuries. There is no way this team could start 1-10 and Jordan could get to keep his job.

I told JJ recently that I didn't believe owner Abe Pollin would make the move, despite the fact that it was the right decision. Pollin's history of loyalty speaks for itself (Wes Unseld, anyone?) and I thought the fact that Jordan has presided over the team for four consectutive playoff seasons would see him remain at least until the end of the season. I was wrong, though, and I'm glad I was.

To put this into some perspective, this franchise hasn't made the playoffs that many times in a row since 1976-1980, a run which included 1978's NBA title and a Finals appearance in 1979. Furthermore, not only was Jordan the Eastern Conference's longest-tenured coach, but he was also the THIRD-LONGEST TENURED COACH IN THE NBA behind Jerry Sloan and Greg Popovich! Pure insanity.

If he was going to be fired though, now would have to be the time. The truth is that the team has succeeded in spite of Eddie Jordan. His rotations make no sense. He can't diagram any kind of set play that actually works. His lack of a defensive culture has been mind-boggling. This year's 1-10 start was the final straw, with many of these losses being inexcusable (New York two nights ago, Atlanta and Miami, only to name a few).

So, happy trails to Coach Jordan. Ed Tapscott will replace him on an interim basis, if for no other reason than the fact that he looks almost exactly like Eddie Jordan and maybe the players won't be able to tell the difference. The only place I'm concerned about a difference being made is in the win column.

Knee surgery Fail

As if the daily bed-wetting and hand-wringing about politics wasn't enough:

For the second straight year, the Washington Wizards will enter a season unsure about the health of three-time all-star guard Gilbert Arenas.

Arenas, who signed a six-year, $111 million contract in July, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee yesterday morning and said he expects to miss training camp, the preseason and at least the first month of the regular season.
...
Arenas recently increased the intensity of his rehabilitation workouts but experienced discomfort in the knee area and the decision was made to have him undergo yesterday's procedure following a meeting with team doctors on Tuesday.

"It really isn't that big of a deal, I was expecting to be out for a few more months anyway," Arenas said. "I just had some floating debris in there that was slowing me down. It was irritating the knee so we decided to go in there and clean it out. This should actually allow me to come back faster."

Well, shit. The debate that ran throughout the off season was whether or not to resign Gil, and at what cost. I was glad that he didn't take the max deal, and I think we all knew what a massive risk Ernie took in resigning him for 7 years. Well, that risk just got even bigger. The question isn't just when he'll come back, the question is whether or not he be the same explosive player that he once was.

And after three surgeries on the same knee, I'm afraid I'm less optimistic than ever that we'll see that Gilbert lighting it up for the wiz. What a crappy situation.

Update: This post is too depressing. Here's a video of Kobe doing the Mutombo finger wave, and then falling over backwards:(Via Basketbawful)

Friday roundup

-Another loser enters the fold as the Chief of staff to corporate Dem Max Baucus joins the Obama campaign. Baucus is one of the worst democrats on the economy and trade, and going by the reverse meritocracy that occurs in democratic politics, his top aide gets sought after and promoted to a job within Obama's circle. Obama's economic team, it's Fannnnnnnnnnntastic!

-The WNBA's first ever bench clearing brawl!

-David Sirota has a new column out where he interviews a great labor writer Tom Geoghegan. He proposes amending the civil rights act to include the right to organize. That isn't really something that had occurred to me before, but if you think about the UN Human rights declaration, it makes sense.

-Kevin Pritchard of the Trailblazers is easily one of the best GM's in the league. Just look at the list of moves since he took over, and the young talent he has stockpiled by the end of it, locked in for a low price. Truly amazing.

-Gil officially resigns, and for less money. I love gil and I really hope he's healthy next season. Also, based on the summerleague games I saw (3 of 4), Dom Maguire is ready to play a serious role with this team (I thought he was last year, but whatever), and Blatche dominated like a 3rd year summer league player should.

-Effective poster for the Beijing Olympics from Amnesty international:
-United Farm Workers will press charges in the death of a 17 year old worker, UFW President Arturo S. Rodriguez:

"This is a case of manslaughter - there is no difference between a driver killing someone while breaking our traffic laws and a labor contractor breaking the law and killing this beautiful young woman. Anything less than criminal prosecution is a desecration of Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez' death."

-Katie Couric is an idiot.

-Obama speaks to giant crowd in Berlin.

-George W. Bush on our current economic situation:

"There's no question about it. Wall Street got drunk ---that's one of the reasons I asked you to turn off the TV cameras -- it got drunk and now it's got a hangover. The question is how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments."

WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? WALL STREET GOT DRUNK AND NEEDS TO SOBER UP? WHAT FANCY FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS? This is one of those times when even after 8 years, this type of nonsensical rambling still stuns me. It's also probably worth pointing out that if you or I went up to a cop and repeated that sentence, we'd be spending the night in a mental institution.

-Saturday could see a moment of earth shattering importance as DCJonesy, Nick, Jack and I might all be in the same place at once! One for the Train of Thought history books, no doubt.

On to the weekend!

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy America Day everybody! A quick one today as I have a day full of beer-drinking to get started.

The best news of the day comes from the Washington Post, who reports that Gilbert Arenas has agreed in principle to a six- year, $111 million dollar deal to stay with the Wizards.

"I looked at like this: There is nothing I can do for my family with $127 million that I can't do with $111 million," said Gilbert Arenas, who was offered the maximum salary allowed to stay with the Wizards. "Adding key pieces leads to championships and that's what we all want."

Hooray for common sense!

On the other side of that spectrum is, unfortunately, is Barack Obama who seems to be caving at every chance he gets. This time, it's on Iraq. I'm about as big of an Obama supporter as there is, but while I've tried to defend his recent shifts to the center as strategy to be elected, it's worrisome how he's become a true centrist on almost every issue once the general election campaign started. I'm no political expert, but isn't this the same sort of thing that republicans called John Kerry a "flip-flopper" for in '04? Just sayin'.

Jesse Helms died at age 86.

In tennis, the Williams sisters face each other in tomorrow's Wimbeldon final. My money's on Venus.

Lastly, BWAHAHAHAHAHA! And good riddance.

Everybody enjoy your apple pie, lite beer and freedom today. Talk to you later

Wizards out, but not down

I wanted to say something really quickly about the end of the Washington Wizards' season after losing Game 6 at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who eliminated Washington from the playoffs for the third consecutive year. While it obviously hurt to fall short of the second round, especially to be knocked out by LeBron and Cleveland yet again, this is not the end of the world for this team. 

In my opinion, this series was lost in Game 4, a heart-wrenching 100-97 home loss which saw D.C. native Delonte West sink the game-winning shot in the final seconds. The Wizards valiantly fought back to force a sixth game, but there was no way back in a series this evenly matched. We saw the same thing happen to Phoenix, who was dispatched after only five games, as well as Dallas who lost in five to the New Orleans Hornets. These were good teams that might have fared better with slightly different luck (say, for instance, the Suns had stolen Game 1 in San Antonio, you would have to like their chances to win the series after that).

I do not think Wizards fans should hang their heads after this playoff loss. The pieces are in place to set them up well for the future, whether Gil comes back or not. That being said, I would be concerned if the team fails to improve next season. After so many years of missing the playoffs entirely, making them four straight seasons seems like an accomplishment. Normally, I'm not of the mind that you should fire a coach for not getting to the Finals or the semis if the team is consistently a contender, but in this case I think we'll need to raise our ambition. Eddie Jordan has done well enough for now, but only enough to get by. He's not the longest-tenured coach in the Eastern Conference for nothing, but if he wants to stay that way he needs to take this team to a higher level.

A crushing blow

How does that old saying go? It's better to have loved and lost... or something, than to... something something? Well, whatever it is, it just about sums up the Caps' playoff experience after a heart-wrenching overtime loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

I guess I got so caught up in the excitement of having playoff hockey around again that I forgot to mention a few things. First, that as exhilarating and fun as the playoffs can be, they can be equally as devastating when you lose. In a game filled with dubious calls, including one which gifted Philadelphia a power play goal in OT, to lose at home after clawing all the way back from a 3-1 series deficit... well, it just sucked, quite frankly.

The other thing I neglected to mention, probably out of fear of bad karma, was that the words "Playoffs" and "Disappointment" have gone hand in hand throughout the Capitals' history. Apart from one magical run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998 (which we lost, 4-games-to-0, to the Detroit Red Wings), Washington was known for blowing the big games. I thought it would be different this time because those teams of the past never had Alex Ovechkin, but I found myself reliving the same familiar memories from elementary school of a first or second round exit for the Caps.

This is not meant to overlook how incredible this season was. Either me or J will write up a proper eulogy of the season sometime in the near future. And, unlike all those years back in the day, the Wizards are still alive in the NBA Playoffs (albeit, just barely) and I will be at Verizon tonight commemorating a year in which the Redskins, Caps and Wizards all made the playoffs. I've been lucky enough to be in attendance at critical games for all three (Capitals Game 5, Redskins vs. Cowboys which we needed to win to make the playoffs, and tonight's game). Contrast that with the days when all three teams sucked and there was no baseball team to even speak of (let alone, a brand new stadium) and it's hard to really complain. So, I'll take in the playoff game tonight, have a few beers and chalk it up as an overall win for D.C. sports.

Caps back from the dead - a few quick thoughts

There is no greater defining moment in sports than a Game 7. As J said earlier today, I will be able to express very few actual rational thoughts on tonight's game at the Verizon Center, so I will offer some quick hits:

• You just had the feeling that the longer this series dragged on, the more likely it was that Alex Ovechkin would have a breakout game. That game finally arrived last night and there really isn't anyone else you would want to score two critical goals on the road.
• This team has thrived all year with its back against the wall. Really, the Capitals started performing in this series when they were backed into a corner down 3-games-to-1. Psychologically, now all the pressure is off Washington and pushed squarely to the Flyers. How will they handle it?
• The Caps are historically bad in Game 7's, with an all-time record of just 1-4, but that one win came against Philadelphia in 1988 after (you guessed it) overcoming a 3-1 series deficit.

That win in 1988 created what is arguably the greatest defining moment in Capitals' franchise history. As JP said on his blog, it might be kind of cliche to put it up, but really, how could I not do it? Without further ado, the series-winning overtime goal in Game 7 20 years ago that sent Caps fans into delirium and Dale Hunter into the hockey annals:

Finally, I want to thank the NHL for not making me wait one whole extra day for Game 7. Genius.

Sadly, the news is not all good, since as good as things have gone for the Caps, they have been equally as bad for the Wizards. They need to mount a huge response in Game 3 and 4 or else they are in serious trouble. Tonight will also see the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary take place. I have no idea what will happen but let's hope that tonight can effectively end Hillary's nomination bid and we can get back to focusing on boring things like sports and music. Much more on all of this to come in the following days... LETS GO CAPS!!!!!!!

I think my head's gonna explode

There is way, way, way too much going on all at the same time in terms of sports. Honestly, I never thought I would ever complain about having too many important sports events to watch but I have literally been stressed out trying to plan out my life according to when each game occurs, how/where/when I'm going to watch it, and how not to let all of my other important responsibilities fall by the wayside. Although I wouldn't mind having this "problem" more often, it's true that too much of a good thing can be bad.

Ok, now for a quick round-up. Today marked Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball, including a national celebration for the pioneer at Shea Stadium where the New York Mets played the Washington Nationals. On a far more somber note, tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the Virginia Tech Massacre, which is a day forever ingrained in my memory, as much as I would like to forget it. My sister is a sophomore at VT and she knew one of the 32 fallen victims personally. She texted me on the morning of the shootings letting me know that she was safe and that they had locked down the dorms, but learning later that she had class in the same building where most of the carnage took place still weighs on my mind. I'll never forget watching CNN as they had an estimated death count of around seven people, then announcing that it had jumped directly to 21 deaths, illicting audible gasps on the air from the studio. The Washington Post offers this piece and I'm sure there will be plenty more to read in the news tomorrow.

Back to sports, and it's postseason overload in the District. For the first time since 1988, the Capitals and the Wizards have both qualified for the playoffs. That means that for as long as I can remember, only one or the other has had my attention around this time of year. Through my early childhood, that was generally the Caps' territory as they qualified for the playoffs 14 straight seasons (1983-1996) and four out of the next seven years, highlighted by a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. Game 1 was simply amazing. Game 2 brought us all back down to Earth. Tonight's game was pretty disheartening, I have to say, not simply because we lost but how we lost.

I'm not saying the series is anywhere near over. The truth is, though, that all the momentum rests with the Flyers now and if the Capitals lose Game 4, I don't see us winning an improbable three in a row. By and large, the team is not playing poorly. Washington lost its last two games (and almost lost Game 1, let's not forget) for two basic reasons. We are making far too many critical mistakes on the defensive end in the way of turnovers, poor positioning & rotation and not clearing the puck effectively. It's strange how well we have done all of those aforementioned things against Philly's vaunted power play, but in even strength is where our defence (Canadian spelling) has struggled. Secondly, the Flyers are playing with more energy overall, finishing checks and getting into the Caps' heads a little. It's extremely frustrating to see Philadelphia send player after player into the crease to knock Huet off his game, but it's even more disturbing not to see anyone sticking up for him. Huet got a minor penalty for shoving Danny Briere after he had basically humped his right pad and you can't blame him, but he shouldn't have to do that himself. Briere should be met with a conveniently-placed shoulder in his 5'6'' face every time he's on the ice and that hasn't been happening.

But with the NHL playoffs, momentum is usually short-lived. Each game is entirely different and you will never see me count out any team that has Alexander Ovechkin. I think we will take Game 4 to even up the series, possibly convincingly in the scoreline. 2 or 3-0 or 4-1 or something along those lines.

Also infuriating has been the constant debate over whether all Caps fans are bandwagon fans. Quite simply; WE AREN'T. Philadelphia fans' inferiority complex has caused them to ignore any actual matters on the ice because let's face it, we have the best player in the league, our future is set up extremely well for success in the future, and our story this season dwarfs the fact that they went from only 56 points last year to the playoffs this year. Philly fans feeling underappreciated -- what else is new? Post blogger Lindsay Applebaum discusses the subject here, check out the comments for some good/bad stuff (by the way, am I the only one that finds Ms. Applebaum very attractive? What's up, Lindsay? Holla at an aspiring journalist...). Then there's this gem from the broadcast of Game 2 on NBC, where studio analyst/franchise ruiner Mike Milbury called us the "Crapitals" live on the air. This is the same Mike Milbury whose claim to fame is going into the stands as a player for the Boston Bruins and beating a fan with his own shoe. And we're supposed to take this man's word as expertise? He's pretty much the hockey version of Isiah Thomas. Yep, he's a jackass.

Look out for an NBA playoff preview by the end of the week where, among other things, I'll point out the several reasons why LeBron James is an idiot. I'm going to go lie down now.

Happy Thanksgiving DC Sports fans!

• Glen Hanlon fired as caps have the worst record in the league.
• Gilbert Arenas out at least three months after undergoing second knee surgery.

I really liked Hanlon, but somebody had to go for any chance to save this season (and Ove's heart for that matter). And hey, Boudreau has a great AHL record, so maybe he's just been waiting for that chance to impress at the highest level.

When Gil and Caron got injured before the playoffs last year, I had this theory that if only Gil had been hurt, we would have at least made it out of the first round (and maybe all the way to the finals, looking at how terrible the east was). I've always thought that Caron has the skill set and basketball smarts to be a elite player if he was given the opportunity to do be the main option. I would have much, much rather seen this remain a bullshit theory that Landon and I would argue about for hours much to the annoyance of everyone else. (Thoughts of the great Andres Nocioni debates come to mind) But it looks like this theory is going to get tested, and since wizard's season is at stake, I really, really hope I'm right.

So Happy Holidays DC sports fans, keep your heads up, cause... well at least Jason Campbell and Andray Blatche are looking like the real deal!

2007-2008 NBA Picks

So the NBA is getting underway, I figured I would put up my predictions here so we could all have a laugh in about a month or so. One note, looking at espn and almost everywhere else, I feel like people have forgotten that the wizards would have been serious contenders to get to the finals were their two best players not injured. They are being completely ignored, and in some cases not even picked to make the playoffs. Well, better that then being the favorites I guess.

The East

1. Boston
2. Toronto
3. Washington
4. Chicago
5. Orlando
6. Detroit
7. New Jersey
8. Miami
9. Cleveland
10. Milwaukee
    
11. Charlotte
12. Atlanta
13. Indiana
14. New York
15. Philadelphia

The West

1. Phoenix
2. San Antonio
3. Denver
4. Houston
5. Dallas
6. Memphis
7. Utah
8. Seattle
9. Golden State
10. Portland
11. New Orleans
12. L.A. Lakers
13. L.A. Clippers
14. Sacramento
    
15. Minnesota

Eastern Champ: Boston - Western Champ: Phoenix

NBA Champion: Phoenix

2007-2008 Award Tour

MVP: Carmelo Anthony
Most Improved: Andray Blatche
Rookie of the Year: Al Horford wins, but Durant and Juan Carlos Navarro will make it very close.

I'm curious what you think, put your picks in the comments if you'd like.

Wiz vs. Cavs: Pre-season notes

• We look good... it's too early to get overly excited but not bad for a first impression of the 2007-2008 season.
  
• Neither Gil or Caron got hurt. Can't emphasize that one enough.
• The rookies look like they can contribute, and Dominic McGuire looks like he could evolve into a shut down defensive player in a couple of years, and seriously contribute this year.
• Watching Brendan Haywood block Z's shot shot took me back 5 or so months and I couldn't help but wonder: If Brendan and Eddie Jordan hadn't been in the middle of a pissing match, maybe Z wouldn't have looked like KG and we could have taken at least game off the Cavs.
• Also, you should note that this is the first positive thing I've said about Brendan in about 10-12 months. Hey, it's a new season - clean slate right?
• Cleveland looked truly terrible, and I would not be surprised if they really struggled this year. We can't forget that this was possibly the worst team to make it to the finals in NBA history, and this year with a stronger east, they should be in serious trouble. But that being said, Lebron still has enough skill to make the 8th spot in the east lining up with 4 strangers, even with the handicap of Mike Brown's coaching. Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2007-2008 Cleveland Cavaliers!