The AP reports: The Washington Wizards have had many identities. They started in Chicago as the Packers, then were called the Zephyrs. They moved to Baltimore as the Bullets, kept the name when they went to Washington, then started calling themselves the Wizards a decade ago. But until Tuesday night they had never been this bad, not by any name. Emeka Okafor had 29 points and 18 rebounds, and the Charlotte Bobcats pulled away in the fourth quarter for an 80-72 victory, sending a team that had reached the playoffs the past four seasons to depths never seen in its 48-year history: 4-22. Caron Butler’s 31 points weren’t enough for woeful, injury-plaged and poor-shooting Washington, which fell to its worst record after 26 games in franchise history.
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Dec 21: Mavs 97, Wizards 86
The AP reports: On a night when Jason Kidd took over the game in the fourth quarter, the Wizards again imploded in the fourth. Kidd had 11 assists—six in the game’s final 6:05 as Dallas sent Washington to its sixth straight loss, 97-86 Sunday night… Jason Terry scored 25 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 23. Kidd, who is averaging 9.3 points, missed all seven of his field goals and had just a single point, but as the Wizards languished in the fourth quarter for the fourth straight game, it was Kidd’s game… Antawn Jamison led the Wizards with 22 points—all in the first three periods—Butler had 18 and Mike James 17.
Record-level coach firings
The New York Daily News (Mitch Lawrence) reports: A fifth of the league’s 30 coaches – six – already have been dismissed, a record for this early in the season. If that isn’t insane, three of the choices to take over were nothing short of mind-boggling. In Minnesota, Washington and Philly, head coaches were replaced by members of the team’s front office. In the cases of the Wizards and Sixers, the interim choices, Ed Tapscott and Tony DiLeo, respectively, had only limited time in NBA huddles. This is nothing personal against Tapscott or DiLeo or Kevin McHale, who was forced to move from his GM suite to the bench to take over for Randy Wittman, marking McHale’s second tour of duty on Minnesota’s bench. But they’re no more qualified to coach a team than an equipment man is to run a draft. For many teams, these moves violate the NBA’s version of the separation of church and state. GMs and their subordinates do one thing (procure the talent). Coaches do something else (coach it). And ne’r should the career paths cross (unless, of course, it’s Pat Riley).
Dec 19: Sixers 109, Wizards 103
The AP reports: The battle of interim coaches went to the Philadelphia 76ers for the second time in less than a week, with Tony DiLeo’s team persevering through the loss of leading scorer Elton Brand to pull out a 109-103 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night. Lou Williams scored 26 points—including 16 straight Philadelphia points during one stretch in the first half—to post his second career-high game in a row. Thaddeus Young, starting in place of Brand in a smaller lineup, and Andre Iguodala added 18 points apiece, and rookie Marreese Speights had a career-high 17 for the 76ers, who improved to 3-0 under DiLeo… Jamison scored 23 points despite playing with a strained left thumb, and Mike James had 16 in his second consecutive Wizards start.
Antawn Jamison strains thumb
Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that Wizards All-Star Forward Antawn Jamison has been diagnosed with a strained left thumb. Jamison will be listed as a game-time decision for tomorrow night’s home game versus the Philadelphia 76ers (7:00 pm). Jamison initially injured his thumb in last night’s game in Detroit.
In 23 games this season, Jamison has averaged 19.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, and his .473 field goal percentage represents his second-best field goal percentage in his 11 professional seasons (.535 FG% as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2003-04 in Dallas).
Dec 17: Pistons 88, Wizards 74
The AP reports: Allen Iverson left the game briefly after bumping knees with Washington’s Mike James but returned to finish with 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting in the Pistons’ third straight victory, 88-74 over the Wizards. Rodney Stuckey added 18 points and matched his career high with 11 assists for Detroit, which went on a 12-3 run midway through the fourth quarter after the Wizards had pulled to 63-62. The Pistons allowed only three field goals in the final 9 minutes… Tayshaun Prince added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Richard Hamilton scored 12 points for the Pistons, 6-1 when Stuckey starts at the point… Mike James, inserted into the starting lineup Wednesday, scored 16 points to lead the Wizards. Jamison had 14 points and 11 rebounds despite a sprained thumb suffered early in the game, and Andray Blatche added 10 points and 11 rebounds for Washington, an Eastern Conference-worst 4-19.
Dec 15: Pacers 118, Wizards 98
The AP reports: A 15-point second-half lead had turned into a tie game before the end of the third quarter, and the six-game losing streak was starting to weigh on the mind of at least one Indiana Pacer. But forward Danny Granger put any doubt out of his mind after coach Jim O’Brien issued a simple directive, which led to the Pacers pulling away for a 118-98 win against the Washington Wizards on Monday night… Granger scored 27 points and added nine rebounds to pace Indiana as it snapped that six-game skid. Marquis Daniels had 20 points and point guards T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack each scored 16 points for the Pacers (8-16), who had dropped eight of nine entering the game… Antawn Jamison had 26 points and a season-high 15 rebounds—his 14th double-double this season—and Caron Butler scored 26 for Washington. Andray Blatche, inserted into the starting lineup in place of rookie JaVale McGee, had 19 points.
Dec 13: Sixers 104, Wizards 89
The AP reports: It had been 18 years since Tony DiLeo paced the sideline as a coach—and that came in another country. Though he couldn’t revel in the circumstances of his elevation to coach of the Philadelphia 76ers because of his close relationship with Maurice Cheeks, the experience didn’t seem any different. Elton Brand scored a season-high 27 points, leading Philadelphia to a 104-89 victory over the struggling Washington Wizards on Saturday night in DiLeo’s coaching debut with the 76ers… Lou Williams added 15 points, Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala each had 14, and Willie Green scored 13 for the Sixers, who snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 10-14… The Sixers had lost their previous five home games. Samuel Dalembert pulled down 17 rebounds and Andre Miller had a season-high 12 assists.
Dec 11: Celtics 122, Wizards 88
The AP reports: At 21-2, the Boston Celtics of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are off to the best start in the franchise’s storied history. Even Bill Russell, Larry Bird and Bob Cousy never were this good this early. Allen and Pierce scored 22 points apiece, Garnett nearly had a triple-double, and the Celtics beat the Washington Wizards 122-88 on Thursday night for the NBA champions’ 13th consecutive victory… Garnett finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in three quarters. Boston’s winning streak is its longest since a 14-game run in 1985-86. Caron Butler scored 19 points for the last-place Wizards, who matched their franchise’s slowest start, dropping to 4-16 for the first time since the 1966-67 Baltimore Bullets.
3-team trade: Hornets get Antonio Daniels, Wizards get Javaris Crittenton, Mike James
The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have acquired guard Antonio Daniels and a future second round pick in a three-team deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards. As part of the trade, the Hornets send guard Mike James to the Wizards. The Hornets acquired a future second round pick from the Grizzlies and Daniels from the Wizards. Memphis sends guard Javaris Crittenton to Washington, while Washington sends Memphis a future first round pick that Washington originally acquired in the deal that gave Memphis Juan Carlos Navarro.
Read and join in fan discussion of the trade.
“We are excited to get a player of Antonio’s caliber,” said Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower. “He is a guard with excellent size, versatility and toughness. Daniels is also a proven veteran who has won a championship and we look forward to all of those attributes strengthening our bench.”
Daniels has averaged 5.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 22.2 minutes of play in 13 games (five starts) with the Wizards. He has scored in double figures twice and has had seven games of four or more assists.
“AD has always been a steady, proven guard in this league.” said Hornets Head Coach Byron Scott. “He has won at the highest level and is a clutch player; he also gives us a different look in the backcourt with his size.”
Daniels, the fourth overall pick out of Bowling Green University in the 1997 draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies, has spent time with five NBA teams – Grizzlies (1997-98), San Antonio Spurs (1998-2002), Portland Trail Blazers (2002-03), Seattle Sonics (2003-05) and the Wizards (2005-08).
He won an NBA Championship as a member of the Spurs during the 1998-99 season where he averaged 4.7 points, 2.3 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game during his second season in the NBA. Daniels best season in the league came during the 2004-05 season while a member of the Sonics where he averaged a career-best in points (11.2) and rebounds (2.3), while adding 4.1 assists in 27.0 minutes.
Daniels has ranked in the top seven in the NBA in assist per turnover three times in his career, including leading the league during the 2003-04 season.