Bullets Forever

Felton's fadeaway allows Bobcats to edge Wizards

2010-02-10T02:27:09Z

More photos » Nell Redmond - AP

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They hit their tough shot at the end. We didn't. Oh well. Gotta credit them for battling down the stretch.

Personally, I'm ready for the all-star break, and I'm a fan. I'm guessing the players are really ready for the break.

Washington Wizards vs. Charlotte Bobcats: Regular Season Game 50 Open Thread

2010-02-09T23:37:55Z

The Essentials:

Wizards (17-32) vs. Bobcats (24-25)
7 p.m.
Time Warner Cable Arena
TV: CSN
Radio: 106.7 The Fan

Notable Bobcats numbers this season

12th in expected winning percentage (.533)
27th in pace (90.7 possessions per game)
24th in offensive efficiency/offensive rating (103.8 points/100 possessions)
5th in defensive efficiency/defensive rating (102.9 points allowed/100 possessions)

Pre-game links

Rufus on Fire, SB Nation's Bobcats Blog
Queen City Hoops
Rufus on Fire game preview
GameDay Charlotte

Tonight's Projected Starters
Wizards	vs.	Bobcats
Randy Foye	PG	Raymond Felton
Mike Miller	SG	Stephen Jackson
Caron Butler	SF	Gerald Wallace
Antawn Jamison	PF	Boris Diaw
Brendan Haywood	C	Nazr Mohammad

Charlotte is a great defensive team and a terrible, yet pesky offensive team. In other words, they win by out-efforting you. Those types of teams tend to beat the Wizards every time. Throw in the fact that the WIzards haven't been home because of the snow and the fact that it's the last game before the all-star break -- which, trust me, the Wizards, more than ever, need because of all they've gone through -- and there's major letdown game potential tonight.

Then again, Charlotte just lost to a Chris Paul-less New Orleans team on Saturday, so they're kind of limping to the break as well.

Tyson Chandler's coming back for Charlotte, though I doubt he starts. Nazr Mohammad's doing just fine, and John Hollinger, for one, has him on his all-underrated storylines team (wait, that sentence made no sense). There's also a rumor going around that Charlotte's closing in on a trade that would send D.J. Augustin to Boston for Glen Davis, which makes sense because Boston needs a point guard and Charlotte needs a power forward. Finally, Gerald Wallace is in the dunk contest. That's what you need to know about Charlotte.

GO WIZARDS!

How aggressively the Wizards look to unload contracts as they try to pick up the pieces from...

2010-02-09T20:13:29Z

How aggressively the Wizards look to unload contracts as they try to pick up the pieces from Gilbert Arenas’ suspension depends on how a fundamental internal disagreement is resolved. Some elements of the Wizards’ power structure favor "completely blowing it up," according to one source, while others are holding out for a more patient approach.

Ken Berger. I know, I know, another trade deadline rumor, but this is the first rumor I've read indicating there's internal disagreement on the direction of the franchise.

This week's SB Nation Power Rankings

2010-02-09T19:58:03Z

This week's SB Nation Power Rankings

Where I make a crack about Caron Butler breaking the play at the end of the Orlando game, among other things.

Michael Lee: Antawn Jamison fined for missing practice

2010-02-09T18:58:30Z

Michael Lee: Antawn Jamison fined for missing practice

At least there's equal justice.

The NBA will soon announce the re-scheduled date on Saturday's ATL-WASH game. It will now be played...

2010-02-08T21:38:44Z

The NBA will soon announce the re-scheduled date on Saturday's ATL-WASH game. It will now be played Thursday, March 11 at 7 pm.

Arthur Triche's, Atlanta's head PR man.

UPDATE: As NBA.com John Schumann points out, this means the Wizards are playing three straight nights, which is kind of BS.

Why the Wizards can afford to wait on trading Caron Butler

2010-02-08T18:29:17Z

More photos » Phelan M. Ebenhack - AP

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There are several reasons for wanting to move Caron Butler ASAP, even before Antawn Jamison. Unlike Jamison, Butler has been a really poor fit for Flip Saunders' offense and hasn't really tried hard enough to fit in. Unlike Jamison, Butler is often playing like he wants to be elsewhere. Unlike Jamison, Butler has been consistently unproductive this season. Unlike Jamison, Butler has been on a clear downward trend since his career year in 2008. Unlike with Jamison, there have been clear complaints about Butler's attitude behind the scenes (though we do need to consider the source of said complaints).

All these reasons make sense in a vacuum. But this isn't a vacuum. This is 2010, and drastic financial changes are on the way. The NBA landscape after 2011 will look very different than it does right now. Contracts will be much smaller and likely much shorter. Cap exceptions could be a thing of the past. Guys with long-term deals past 2011 that are properly paid now could be dramatically overpaid in the future.

For a rebuilding team like the Wizards, this means cutting out all contracts past 2011 to preserve cap flexibility when the dust settles should be paramount. So why is it that the Wizards are demanding more than cap relief for their contract past 2011, while sounding like they'll settle for luxury tax relief for the player whose contract expires before the new CBA?

Yeah, I don't get it either

A full-scale rebuild requires big-picture thinking. If the Wizards were close to a playoff berth, then they have more reason to worry about the concerns of keeping Caron Butler on board for one more season. But they're not, and they probably won't be next year (nor should they, if it means keeping the gang together).

In a nutshell, the Wizards are likely worried that keeping Caron Butler means the following:

Butler, who seems to have been distressed with his role and the losing enough to put forth less than a maximum effort, will continue to do so if he's not dealt, and a losers mentality will permeate.
Butler's play will continue to decline, thanks in part to his age and the first bullet point, and he will have even less value over the offseason and next year.
The Wizards, who are likely looking at a luxury-tax payment this year, could avoid another in 2011 by dealing Butler for cap relief. They could then potentially re-sign Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller and still be under the tax. Additionally, they could get a team trading for Butler to throw in up to $3 million in cash to soften the tax blow.

Bullet point one is unimportant for this year. The Wizards aren't making the playoffs, so any negative effect Butler's pouting (if he does indeed pout, which I don't see happening) has on the Wizards' win total doesn't matter. In fact, more losses might be better for the Wizards because it increases their chances of getting a top pick in the draft. As for a losers mentality - it's pretty clear a losers mentality has already slipped in anyway. Flip Saunders has said that the Wizards shouldn't believe it can't get worse because it can, but it's tough to imagine the attitude inside that locker room getting any more negative (I know this word isn't totally descriptive, but I can't think of one that would be) past the trade deadline. In fact, it probably would only get better if only because the players will feel less uncertainty about their immediate futures.

Point two is overblown. What's the worst thing that happens if Butler is so bad that nobody wants him over the offseason? The Wizards keep him and just let him expire before 2011. Again, for a rebuilding team, that's not the end of the world. The Wizards can wash their hands of Butler before the new CBA comes into play.

But the real problem here is point three. Why? Trading Antawn Jamison for cap relief only provides the same exact effect as trading Butler. You get under the luxury tax next year simply by trading Jamison for Zydrunas Ilgauskas' expiring contract. You can avoid a luxury tax payment this year by trading Jamison for Z, buying out Ilgauskas and asking Cleveland for $3 million in cash in return for letting them get Ilgauskas back after 30 days. (In fact, you probably get more tax relief this year via the buying out of Z). Then, there's the added benefit of clearing a contract that goes past the new CBA. Fifteen million dollars for a 35-year old Jamison in 2012 under a drastically different CBA is an albatross, even though it's an expiring contract. Just look at how much trouble Houston and Boston are having finding contracts to match up to Tracy McGrady's and Ray Allen's massive expiring deals. (Not to mention if you trade Jamison's expiring deal, you're only taking on more bad contracts long-term).

The worst thing that happens if Butler doesn't get moved and Jamison does is that there's a little more losing, because of the "losers mentality" thing, a little more locker-room snipping on a team that snips at each other anyway, a slight leadership void on a rudderless team anyway and the prospect of keeping Butler for one more year before the new CBA comes into effect. The worst thing that happens if Jamison doesn't get moved and Butler does is that the team wins just enough to put themselves out of high lottery position, the two young centers (Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee) don't get enough PT for the Wizards to properly evaluate them AND the Wizards get stuck with Jamison's larger contract past the new CBA, when $15 million for a 35-year old somehow becomes even less palatable for a rebuilding team.

In other words, big-picture wise, it makes no sense to trade Caron Butler for mere cap relief and insist on keeping Jamison unless you get more than cap relief.

This isn't to say we must keep Butler. Eventually, he'll be gone anyway, so getting value for him now would be smart. However, if we're going to move him, we absolutely need more than cap relief. If Dallas is willing to surrender Rodrigue Beaubois, do it. If Houston will give up Kyle Lowry ... well, I'd have to think about it, but it certainly makes me more willing to make the move. If Portland will give up Rudy Fernandez, do it 100 times. But if all that's being offered is pointless cap relief for 2010, when cutting money past 2011 should be the priority, just keep Butler and send Jamison to Cleveland for Ilgauskas. You get the cap relief anyway.

Bottom line: Ernie, please look at the big picture. I know there's not much incentive for you to do so, since you could easily lose your job anyway, but for the sake of us fans, please do it.

The Wizards' desire to move Butler has only increased in recent days, since they found out they...

2010-02-08T17:30:13Z

The Wizards' desire to move Butler has only increased in recent days, since they found out they will indeed get some cap relief from the NBA this season after losing Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton to suspension for the rest of the season. Washington's cap number will be reduced almost $4 million, according to sources -- pro-rated amounts of the remainder of Arenas's $16.1 million and Crittenton's $1.47 million salaries -- taking its cap number to a little more than $74 million. The cap threshhold is $69.9 million, meaning Washington could avoid paying tax if it can pare another $4 to $5 million in salaries off its books.

That means Butler, though I suspect the Wizards will ask inquiring teams to remove Mike James and/or DeShawn Stevenson from their payroll as well.

Butler winding up somewhere in Texas is most likely, with Washington probably deciding between Dallas' and Houston's competing offers before next week's All-Star Game. The Wizards are determined to get a young player back, though, and the Mavericks' only non-geezer is rookie guard Rod Beaubois -- while Houston has a young guard like Kyle Lowry and an expiring big man contract in forward Luis Scola to pair with McGrady's $22 million expiring deal.

David Aldridge. He also says Portland is interested in Butler and that the Wizards aren't looking to move Jamison and Haywood right now.

I'll have more later on why moving Butler before Jamison is a misguided strategy.

HoopData wins the day

2010-02-08T15:55:11Z

HoopData wins the day

Want a time-waster (besides BF)? Play around with this motion graph. It's seriously worth your while.

Keys to the Palace: A magical ending to an otherwise bad week

2010-02-08T15:39:04Z

More photos » Fernando Medina - NBAE via Getty Images

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A close loss to Celtics, a big loss to the Knicks, and a close win over Orlando gave Wizards fans a little bit of everything to chew on last week. Other than Brendan Haywood, Mike Miller, and Caron Butler, no one provided consistently strong performances throughout the week, making this week's decisions on who enters the palace that much more difficult.

Andray Blatche

Andray was one of the few bright spots in against the Knicks, scoring 14 points on 7-10 shooting. During the rest of the week, he played solidly, though you would like him to pull down more than 10 rebounds in 60 minutes of playing time.

Earl Boykins

After taking Randy Foye's minutes against Boston, Earl tailed off the rest of the week. Dwight Howard's emphatic block summed up his performance for the last two games of the week.

Caron Butler

Fun fact: Daggers can be used to pick the lock to get inside the palace.

Randy Foye

As has been documented here, Randy had a rough showing against the Celtics, losing most of his playing time to Earl Boykins. Foye responded with two solid performances against New York and Orlando, adding some credence to the idea that Foye just doesn't match up well with Rajon Rondo, and there's no reason to think he is mired in an extended slump.

Brendan Haywood

The only statistic Haywood has seen decline this year is assists. In an otherwise career year, his 0.4 assists per game is the lowest since his second season in the NBA and his assist percentage is the lowest of his career. Then again, it's not like anyone signs a center to distribute the ball.

Mike James

There wasn't much to say about Mike's two minute performance against the Knicks, so I'm posting this clip from his appearance on Supernanny.

Antawn Jamison

There's nothing wrong with making the best of a bad situation. If you're going to get stuck in Florida all weekend, you may as well go watch the Super Bowl. Hopefully a chance to kick back and enjoy some football is just what the doctor ordered for his recent struggles. This week, Jamison only connected on 8 of his 39 field goal attempts. For the week he had just 28 points and 23 rebounds, just slightly better than the stats he racked up last week (21 points and 23 rebounds) in one game.

JaVale McGee

JaVale has been set free again! He played a few minutes against the Knicks and the Magic. His shooting was better, hitting 3 of his 5 attempts. Of course, the degree of difficulty goes way, way down when you attempt shots like this one. Only grabbing one rebound in 16 minutes of playing time this week is a little bit concerning, however. We'll see if Flip Saunders continues to give McGee chances to prove himself on the court.

Dominic McGuire

For the first time since January 16th against Sacramento, Taser played double-digit minutes against Orlando, and responded with a solid all-around performance. Odd thing is, after his last game where he played more than ten minutes, he didn't get another chance to play even five until Friday's game. Only time will tell if McGuire's performance is enough to garner more burn on the hardwood.

Mike Miller

He surrendered some minutes on Friday to Dominic McGuire, but otherwise had himself a top-notch week. He averaged 11.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2 assists per game during the week while shooting 65% from the field.

Fabricio Oberto

Fab's stat line for the week: 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 blocks, 0 steals, 2 fouls, 1 turnover.

DeShawn Stevenson

DeShawn didn't help out much on the stat sheet, but he had a positive impact on the team. Despite not scoring a point this week, Stevenson had the third highest plus/minus rating against the Knicks and the highest in Friday's win against Orlando. You're guess is as good as mine, folks.

Nick Young

After an efficient showing against Celtics, Nick's play fell off for the rest of the week. It took Young 15 shots to score 15 points against the Knicks and Magic and he only contributed 1 rebound and 1 assist in the final two games of the week.

Flip Saunders

I'm trying to think of the basketball equivalent of going for an onside kick to start off the second half and I'm having a really hard time trying to figure out what it would be. More importantly, would Flip have the moxie to go for it? While I try to figure that out, and do whatever else I can not to think about last night, I'll give Flip a guest pass.

Indy Cornrows: It could be way worse, Wizards fans

2010-02-08T15:35:43Z

Indy Cornrows: It could be way worse, Wizards fans

It's natural to compare the gun situation to the brawl at the Palace, but in case you wanted to draw parallels between the two, Indy Cornrows, SB Nation's Pacers blog, reminds us that they had a lot more go wrong.

(Though we are seeing the whole "other DC-area team rise up and take fans" phenomenon with the Caps already)

Super Bowl Open Thread

2010-02-07T22:16:48Z

Since we're all going to be watching anyway, let's discuss it here.

Also, check out the SBNation.com open thread here.

I have New Orleans winning -- I think they aren't getting any respect and the Colts are really vulnerable this year (lots of close wins, Freeney injury, easy schedule in playoffs, etc). Jake, I'm sure, has the Colts, because he's a Colts fan.

Simple poll: Who needs to get moved first

2010-02-07T17:04:02Z

More photos » Phelan M. Ebenhack - AP

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I've already talked about Antawn Jamison, and I'll have more on Caron Butler soon (hopefully by later today), but to pass the time between the two, a simple poll.

Poll

Which player needs to be traded first?

Tonight's Atlanta at Washington game has been postponed. A future date has not been determined at...

2010-02-06T16:29:54Z

Tonight's Atlanta at Washington game has been postponed. A future date has not been determined at this time.

Arthur Triche, the Atlanta Hawks' PR Man.

Briefing: The Butler serves up a cold blooded dish of dagger

2010-02-06T14:07:04Z

Game Hub | Boxscore | Game Flow

Butler Jumper Caps Wizards Comeback - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington

The swagger was back for Caron Butler. In the second-half Butler scored 29 of his season- high 31-points including a baseline jumper from 19 feet that proved to be the game-winner. Butler’s shot with .5 seconds left was the answer to the Magic’s Rashard Lewis’ three –pointer that had put the Magic up 91-90 with 4.6 seconds remaining.

With trade rumors swirling, Butler has best game - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

It's been a while since Butler was in a rhythm like he was in Orlando, where he shot 10 for 16 and scored 29 points in the second half. He was repeatedly blowing by Vince Carter, Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus for layups, or pulling up over them for jumpers. "We tried all three of our bigger wing guys on Butler," Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He killed them all." "It was by far his best game overall," said Coach Flip Saunders, who met with Butler for about 15 minutes on Thursday. "We had a little talk in the weight room, just about leadership and taking charge and trying to be more of a vocal leader and not taking a step back, but taking a step forward. He was very receptive. He said he was going to relish the opportunity to step up and do that."

Washington Wizards 92, Orlando Magic 91 - Ben Q. Rock, Orlando Pinstriped Post

This loss is just Orlando's 5th at Amway Arena, and second that went down to the final shot, meaning the Magic could just as easily hold a 21-3 home record instead of its current 19-5 one. But that's besides the point: the Magic frittered a 21-point lead away against what had been the 14th-ranked team in the Eastern Conference (the win, coupled with Detroit's loss, moved the Wizards to 13th). Only the historically awful New Jersey Nets kept Washington from occupying the East's cellar. The Magic should be able to hold a lead of that size against any team, but especially one as bad as Washington. I'm speaking ill of the Wizards' season in general when I call them "bad." Against the Magic, they've been spectacular, with a 2-0 record and 2 come-from-behind wins.

Instant Analysis: Wizards - Magic - Chase Hughes, CSN Washington

In the first half Butler struggled to score just two points, going one for six in 17 minutes. In the second half his mid-range jumper looked fluid as everything from the outside started to drop. Butler exploded in the third quarter with 15 points including a three-pointer at the buzzer. The Wizards dominated the third quarter in large part due to his aggressiveness driving to the basket and efficiency at the free throw line. Down the stretch in the fourth quarter Butler was on point, scoring ten points in the last six minutes. His scoring binge was highlighted by a give-and-go slam dunk that gave the Wizards the lead with 1:07 remaining. After Rashard Lewis drained a three with four seconds left, Flip Saunders gave Butler the opportunity to finish the job. Butler responded by sinking a step-back dagger from the baseline. 18 feet worth of epic, last-second jumper later... CB3 finished with a season-high 31 points.

Butler's last-second jumper caps Wizards' 21-point comeback and 92-91 win over the Magic - Michael Lee, Washington Post

Butler and Foye had just two points each in the first half, but they combined to outscore the Magic, 49-41, in the second half. "I want to feel like this all the time," Foye said after scoring 22 points, with seven rebounds and seven assists. "This is the summers right here, when you're working and sore, you practice and you're tired, for moments like this."

Orlando Magic blow lead, fall to Washington Wizards at home - Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel

The Wizards didn't even look like an NBA team in the first quarter, turning over the ball the first six times and falling behind 12-0 and 28-7. The Magic's offensive and defensive woes formed the perfect storm for a Wizards' comeback in the third. They gave up 39 points on 11-of-16 shooting (68.8 percent) and scored just 17 on 4-of-19 shooting (21.1 percent) to trail by seven heading into the fourth.

Magic-Wizards Postgame Analysis - John Denton, OrlandoMagic.com

The Wizards looked like a team that wanted to be somewhere else at the start of the game, turning the ball over six times in the first 2:45. By then, Orlando was already up 10-0 and eventually pushed the score to 12-0 before Randy Foye hit a step-back jump shot. Washington coach Flip Saunders tried everything to get his team going early, calling two timeouts and arguing his way into a technical foul call. None of it worked as Washington made just five of 19 shots and had 10 turnovers in the first quarter and trailed 32-13 after one period.

Magic Squander Early Lead in Puzzling Loss to Wizards - Philip Rossman-Reich, Orlando Magic Daily

Orlando was solid in every aspect of the game at this point, taking a 32-13 lead out of the first quarter. Certainly that pace could not keep up and human nature would let the Magic relax as the lead would hover around the 15-20 point mark. That is exactly how the second quarter played out. But things were not all rosy. The bench really struggled to maintain the same intensity the starters brought in the first quarter. The lead came down uncomfortably to 11 or 12 and Dwight Howard had to leave the game late in the second quarter to avoid picking up his third foul.

Butler's jumper caps Wizards' comeback over Magic - Antonio Gonzalez, Associated Press

After Washington went ahead by nine on Butler’s jumper to start the fourth, the Magic answered with 11 straight points to go back ahead. The run was highlighted by a four-point play, with Jameer Nelson making a 3-pointer and getting fouled by Earl Boykins at the top of the key. The teams then matched shot for shot to the finish.

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Mike Prada
It appears the #Wizards are listening to Brendan Haywood's manlaw. TAKE. THE. BALL. TO. THE. BASKET.

Twitter / Rashad Mobley
so the wizards=strippers? @BulletsForever: @MrBjack: @MrMichaelLee thats whats frustrating. They tease you and then revert back to reality

Twitter / Michael Lee
I take back everything I said about blowing this thing up. . .Okay, maybe not all the way back. But this 21-point comeback is incredible

Twitter / wizznutzz
just flipped over to Wiz gam cuz we wanna experience CRUSHING DISAPPOINTMENT of comeback 1st hand.

Twitter / Ben Q. Rock
Of course Caron Butler has a down year, then comes back and kills the Magic.

Twitter / David Aldridge
Tuff Juice, where hast thou been?

Twitter / George V. Panagakos
Oh man well pins and needles but Washington is indeed the winner tonight in Orlando, down as many as 21 points with HUGE comeback win, 92-91

Twitter / Wizards Extreme
"Dagger" by Buck still ringing in my ear. good win by the Wiz kids. Tuff Juice on fuego

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Wow, that was the 1st time Caron Butler scored more than 30 points all year. You'd think it'd be different in such a season.

Caron Butler returns to Tuff Juice, gives Wizards fans one happy moment in a terrible season

2010-02-06T02:46:03Z

It's about time you returned, Tuff Juice. We missed you. Thanks for coming back for at least one game.

Let's be honest: one win in February like this should not be enough to save this team. They've had their run, it was unsatisfactory, and now we need to rebuild like every team does. One need only look at the Detroit Pistons to see what happens when you try to rebuild while also remaining competitive.

That said, if this was the parting gift for this core, it was one hell of a parting gift. It's not easy to sit through rebuilding, but it's even harder to sit through the pre-rebuild. This has easily been the most difficult basketball-watching experience I've had in my life, and I'm sure that's also true for people much older than me. That said, we still watch for those times when we can cheer and be happy about the silly hobby we pour too many hours into. Tonight was one of those nights.

I hope I'll always remember this game as the last banner moment for the Arenas/Butler/Jamison/Haywood Wizards. For all the Wizards who participated in this moment tonight, thank you. Thank you for not giving up when you really should have. Thank you, Caron Butler, for going back to what you were, even if you should have gone back way earlier. Thank you to Randy Foye for making plays. Thank you to everyone who fought hard on defense. As a Wizards fan who has experienced this difficult year, thanks for at least giving me (and others) one happy moment this season.

Washington Wizards vs. Orlando Magic: Regular Season Game 48 Open Thread

2010-02-05T22:39:29Z

The Essentials:

Wizards (16-32) vs. Magic (33-16)
7 p.m.
Amway Arena
TV: CSN+
Radio: 106.7 The Fan

Notable Magic numbers this season

3rd in expected winning percentage (.689)
15th in pace (92.8 possessions per game)
12th in offensive efficiency/offensive rating (108.4 points/100 possessions)
5th in defensive efficiency/defensive rating (102.7 points allowed/100 possessions)

Pre-game links

Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation's Magic Blog
Orlando Magic Daily
Howard The Dunk
Magic BasketBlog
Wizards Insider: Otis Smith talks Gilbert Arenas
Comcast Sports Net: Mike Jones on Caron Butler's season-long issues
OPP's game preview
Brandon Bass frustrated by his PT
GameDay Orlando

Tonight's Projected Starters
Wizards	vs.	Magic
Randy Foye	PG	Jameer Nelson
Mike Miller	SG	Vince Carter
Caron Butler	SF	Matt Barnes
Antawn Jamison	PF	Rashard Lewis
Brendan Haywood	C	Dwight Howard

I'm having trouble mustering up the enthusiasm to write much for these threads anymore, and the snow is depressing me, so this will be quick.

I'll only encourage you read two things: Michael Lee's post on Otis Smith, in which Smith responds to rumors suggesting his relationship with Gilbert Arenas means he'll pursue Arenas after his suspension by saying he's "not necessarily sure," or something; and Mike Jones' report on Caron Butler. There's a particular line in Jones' report where he writes that the Wizards charted Butler in catch-and-shoot opportunities and found he was much better than Butler expected, yet Butler continues to play how he's played all year. Sorry to make everyone angry again.

The Wizards beat Orlando a few weeks ago, but that was a different Magic team. I think they've righted the ship by now, though obviously some chemistry questions linger. Clearly, Orlando hasn't come together as easily as many (including me) expected, but they're still second in the East, with the third-best expected winning percentage in the league. They've crushed Atlanta three times and taken two of three from Boston, so no East team wants to see them in the playoffs. Just imagine what could happen when they really find their stride.

GO WIZARDS!

One NBA executive said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Washington Wizards don’t make a major move be...

2010-02-05T21:06:50Z

One NBA executive said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Washington Wizards don’t make a major move before the trade deadline because of the uncertainty about their ownership situation and Gilbert Arenas’ future. Still, that hasn’t stopped the other Wizards’ players from fretting about their own futures. The players think only one of them is safe from a trade: Mike Miller.

Marc Spears.

Caron Butler (left knee) participated in the morning walkthrough - don't you dare call it...

2010-02-05T19:23:26Z

Caron Butler (left knee) participated in the morning walkthrough - don't you dare call it shootaround! - & is expected to play 2night in ORL

Michael Lee

The Wiz and Mavs, meanwhile, have discussed a deal that would swap Josh Howard and one other player...

2010-02-05T18:20:52Z

The Wiz and Mavs, meanwhile, have discussed a deal that would swap Josh Howard and one other player (such as James Singleton or Quinton Ross) for Butler and DeShawn Stevenson. But Dallas has little interest in taking back Stevenson and is still weighing whether Butler can help pull the All-Star Weekend hosts out of a spiral that has been openly addressed this week (see Box 4) by Mark Cuban.

Marc Stein. I guess we cut salary, so it's not that bad, but man, that's disappointing. Can't we at least also give them Haywood and take back Beaubois and another contract?