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March is without a doubt the dog days of the NBA schedule. College ball takes center stage while half the teams in the NBA start jockeying for ping pong balls. So do you stay at home and watch Idol murder the Beatles or take in a game against a team 17 games under .500? Judging by the "14,755" in attendance for Washington's 105-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks last night, most people chose the former. Too bad for them, as rookie Nick Young paced the Wiz and excited those in attendance, including Redskins QB Jason Campbell, with an array of dunks, finishing with a career-high 22 points in 27 minutes. Antawn Jamison added 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds, but left the game in the last minute with a lower back strain.
"It was a much-needed win," head coach Eddie Jordan said after the game. "Nick Young is the story [of the game]. The guy came in and felt it and got his confidence going. We want him to be in attack mode. That's how he can really help us." Young, who was aggressive on offense all night, went to the hole when the opportunity was there and settled for jumpers when he found the lane clogged. But it was his play around the rim that got the crowd out of their seats. "I'm tired of Brendan Haywood calling me a practice dunker and all kinds of stuff," Young said. "So it was my way to kind of show them that I belong here."
The Wizards did a good job on Bucks star Michael Redd early, but Milwaukee had other players to pick up the slack. Charlie Villanueva scored 10 of his 24 in the first quarter, Andrew Bogut added 10 points in the second before Redd brought the Bucks back from a 13 point halftime deficit in the third. But the Wiz buckled down and the Bucks offense bogged down in the fourth as Washington went on a 12-2 run to put the game out of reach.
Photo by Kyle Gustafson
Jordan said last week he needed the rookies to step up, and Young is shining at the right time. DeShawn Stevenson has shot 5 for 23 in the last three games, although he did contribute with 6 assists and some tough "D" on Redd last night.
The win keeps the Wiz in sixth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, with Philadelphia 76ers one and a half games behind. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town on Thursday and there's a decent chance Caron Butler suits up for that game. He practiced earlier in the week and felt good the following day, so if he can repeat that process in the next two days, he should play. According to Jordan, if Butler can play on Thursday, he will start. Jordan didn't seem to concerned with Jamison. "He has a stiff back. It was bothering him, that's all," he said.
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Nice article Kyle. What's the word on Agent Zero, is he going to be back for the playoffs or what?
From what I heard last night, he's practicing but not close. I think he's still a ways away, but I can't give you a concrete answer. I'll be at the games on Thursday and Saturday so I'll try and find out more.
What do you think this season long injury is doing to Gil's contract value, will he end up signing a short deal with the Wiz to re-establish himself?
Absolutely not. If/when he opts out, Gil will be looking to get PAID, injury or not. Someone will pay him. He puts butts in seats.
In my mind the question for next year is will the team re-sign Jamison, and if so, for how much? If not, do they bring someone else in or plug in Blatche?
I hope they pay Jamison, he's a class act and brings some needed veteran leadership to the team IMHO. Gil may be the star, but Jamison and Tough Juice are the leaders of the Wiz.
Oh yeah, get yourself an avatar.