No Need To Panic

Last night the Washington Wizards lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 112-104 in overtime after being up by as many as 14 points in the 4th quarter. At times the Wizards looked awful, and at times they looked really good. But they fell apart at the end of the game and allowed Milwaukee a chance to win it at the buzzer.

In overtime the Bucks made quick work of the Wizards, and sent them home with their 3rd straight loss. The Wizards couldn't find a way to win, even when shooting 51 Free Throws. Butler played well and Jamison had 19 and 10, but Antawn missed free throws & key shots in the overtime period.

One game after making Walter Herrmann look like an NBA all star, the Wizards made a case for sending Ramon "D-League" Sessions and the African Prince Luc Mbah a Moute to Phoenix for the All-Star game. Sessions & Mbah a Moute scored a combined 39 Points, only 7 less than Wizards actual All-Stars Antawn Jamison & Caron Butler.

Offensively, Eddie Jordan experimented with several lineups and played all 12 players on the active roster. Starters Antonio Daniels, DeShawn Stevenson, & Andray Blatche looked awful, while JaVale McGee, Nick Young, & Juan Dixon all gave the Wizards a spark off the bench. The undersized Darius Songaila put in minutes at center, which did not work out well for the second straight game.

With Blatche playing so poorly, it was nice to see JaVale McGee step up and play a solid game. He made a few rookie mistakes but he played tough and scored 9 points. However, McGee is not ready to be the starter yet, and with Haywood out for a long time, Blatche needs to step up and step up NOW. If not he could find himself shipped out of town.

Wizards fans have no reason to panic. Yet. Every year the Wizards start off slowly, and in Detroit & Milwaukee the Wizards showed that they can be a good team, at times. With their starters playing poorly, it may take the rotation a little while to adjust to more playing time, but the bench is playing really well. And if the starters don't do something quick, the bench may become the starters, especially Nick Young.