Washington Wizards 15 Man Roster And A Psychological Exercise

The Washington Wizards begin their season on Tuesday night in Cleveland and the 15-man roster is official.  Shelvin Mack & Brian Cook were the odd men out, replaced by some new faces. (But oh no is that going to effect how good they were in the final 6 games of the season!!!!)

Every season, looking at the final 15 man roster is a frustrating and confusing process.  Why are these guys still on the team? Who are these other guys?  Isn't he a D-League player?

So I took a look at the roster and quickly wrote down one word that comes to mind when I hear that player's name.  Kind of a psychology type exercise.  Now originally I was going to write things like "Hate" and "Who?" and "GRRRRRR" but I decided to be a bit more positive.  Here are the results:

Some of these will most likely not make sense to you.  It is a personal exercise.  However, I encourage you to do the same thing that I did and post it in comments.  Here is a simple copy paste thing you can use:

15 Man Roster: Darius Songaila

Songaila. It's not a country. Its a guy.

There is not much to say about Darius Songaila. He has a nice mid range shot that he knocks down. Other than that I think I saw him shoot a layup once. That's about how memorable of a player he is.

Where Songaila wins me over is with his style of running. He is not very quick so he has to sprint back down the floor to play defense. This "sprint" looks like a slow motion video. But you can tell he is totally giving it his all.

But what makes it great is how he uses his arms while he runs. First, his hands are not in fists, but in karate chop mode. Stiff and ready to start choppin. Next, he brings his arms away from his body, in a right angle. Imagine someone doing that dance move where they hit their hand and it swings like a pendulum. Now imagine them chopping and swinging. Wow, this is really hard to describe, but watching it you will immediately understand.

Besides running like a caricature of a white guy, Songaila doesn't bring too much to the table. A pretty solid bench guy. I predict whatever he did last year he will probably do again.

15 Man Roster: Brendan Haywood

I hate watching Brendan Haywood. At games I scream out how much I despise him. He always travels, he doesn't dunk enough, he fouls, he causes trouble. I wish that the Wizards would find someone else.

All that being said, playing without Haywood is going to lead to more losses. When he is out there you can complain all you want, but I think he is a solid guy to have on the floor. He is tough, and most importantly he doesn't panic in the closing seconds. Who would you rather have on the floor in the final 2 minutes where every possession counts? Blatche? Thomas? No chance.

When Haywood comes back, he will most likely have to fight with Etan or Blatche for playing time, which he will not like. He is not comfortable in that situation. He is comfortable with being the starter. He will probably get mad at Eddie Jordan, and there will be some more Etan/Haywood drama.

Haywood doesn't impress too much on the stat sheet, and many times you don't notice him on the floor. But he gives the Wizards a better chance to win games, and hopefully when he comes back he can pick up where he left off last season.

15 Man Roster: Gilbert Arenas

I really wanted to have a picture of Gilbert Arenas in a wheel chair, in an ambulance, in a hospital, etc. Instead this is a picture of what I dream of every night. The day when Gilbert Arenas comes back to the Wizards and everything is beautiful once again. Unfortunately, that won't happen for a few months (hopefully not longer, or forever).

From what I recall, Gilbert Arenas plays basketball. Sometimes he shoots and sometimes he passes. That's about all I remember. Its been so long since I've seen him.

I guess that is really not true. I remember buzzer beaters, mid-court bows, trampoline dunks...its all coming back to me.

I have my doubts that Gilbert is rehabbing "the right way" this time. I think it's too hard for him to sit still. He told us about how he went bowling when he got engaged. I don't know how that is on a knee. Who knows what else he is doing. You know that if he sees a basketball, he is going to want to pick it up. If there is someone nearby, he will challenge them to a contest. That contest will probably turn into some kind of one on one. Don't worry, I'm just playing for fun. And Bam!

If Gilbert returns and can actually run around, he will be a huge spark to the Wizards. If he can come back & score the way he used to, we may have to say the Wizards have a chance. (Didn't Boston lose 3 playoff games to the Hawks last year?)

The most important part about Gilbert is his fan appeal. Caron Butler is awesome, but Gilbert Arenas fills seats. Gilbert generates an excitement in the city for NBA basketball. Gilbert has non-basketball fans rooting for the Wizards. When he is on the floor, and the time is ticking down, there is an indescribable feeling that comes over you. Over the last few injury seasons, the hype has died down. Can he bring it back?

As usual, injured or not, Gilbert will be in the news for some fun reasons. Let's hope he can come back and get in the news for some basketball reasons.

15 Man Roster: DeShawn Stevenson

Blow the Whistle...

DeShawn Stevenson is going to be the starting shooting guard for the Wizards once again. He will knock down some threes, make some crazy bets, not feel his face, and probably call out another superstar this year. Crazy guy.

DeShawn's favorite move is the turnaround baseline fade away. He dribbles in the corner with his back to the basket. Gives a fake one way, and turns the other way fading away. This shot rarely goes in, but DeShawn seems to love it. Sometimes he will just dribble to the corner and then turn around and dribble out. It is a strange & pointless move, but he does it a lot.

His main job is playing defense & knocking down threes. The three point shooting is streaky, but when he hits a few and starts to not feel his face, it energizes the crowd. Defensively, I don't see what the big deal is. He plays hard & physical, but still isn't a top notch guy.

Stevenson plays with emotion. You can get into his head and force him to take bad shots. If you score on him, he is going to want to score on you. Or if you start jawing with him, he will try to back you down hard & score on you. That is a great mindset. For Michael Jordan. Not for DeShawn. It leads to him forcing up crazy shots and not playing within the "offense".

I'm sick of this "let's improve our defense" mindset. Starting Stevenson because he is a so-so defender is crazy. You need to start a true shooting guard that can find his own shot, not just knock down open jumpers. NICK YOUNG! And you can't wait around for DeShawn to get hurt because he will not come out of a game due to injury. That is another reason to love him. But why can't I love him coming off the bench? Prediction: He won't come off the bench.

15 Man Roster: Juan Dixon

Juan Dixon used to play for the Wizards. I remember Dixon scoring lots of points in a short amount of time off the bench. It was a good thing for the Wizards. He gave them a spark. Now we already have a guy who can do that, and who is a better player. His name is Nick Young. Add D-Brown's hustle & energy and why do we even have Juan Dixon. To sell a few extra tickets to Maryland fans?

I understand that Juan used to score well off the bench and helped the Wizards win some games. If he is available, why not pick him up. He was a good scorer for the Blazers as well. But we have Nick Young. Young has potential and you can't come in and replace his minutes with Juan Dixon, even if you think Dixon is a better option. Young already doesn't get enough playing time.

So why does a guy who can score so well "barely" make the Wizards? It is because he is a ball hog. He fires up shots all over the place. Teams don't need an undersized ball hog.

I know all of this is over dramatic. This year Young's minutes will be much higher than Dixon's. I don't even think Juan will play very much at all. When he does I'm sure he will knock down a big shot or two. I just...want more Nick Young!

15 Man Roster: Caron Butler

Caron Butler is an All Star. He is an all around player, passing, stealing, scoring, playing defense. He isn't a true big time scorer like Gilbert Arenas, but he is money. If he stays healthy he can lead the Wizards pretty well, I don't think well enough to make them a championship team, but lets hope. Not much more I can say, just watch him play.

PS: Please don't get injured

Here are some words that describe Caron:

alarming, astonishing, awe-inspiring, awful, beautiful, breathtaking, daunting, dreadful, exalted, fearful, fearsome, formidable, frantic, frightening, grand, hairy?, horrible, horrifying, imposing, impressive, intimidating, magnificent, majestic, mean, mind-blowing, moving, nervous, overwhelming, real gone, shocking, something else, striking, stunning, stupefying, terrible, terrifying, wonderful, wondrous, zero cool

No I didn't think of all those, I found them in the Thesaurus under "awesome"

15 Man Roster: Nick Young

Nick "Holla Back" Young...survey says...XXX


Monumental Air: Nick Young For Slam Dunk Contest

I'm pretty sure that Nick Young was sent here from the 1980's. Maybe its just his hair, but he really looks like he is from the past. He also smiles all the time. Just sayin.

Nick Young is a scorer. He has a great shot and moves that allow him to get open looks. He is explosive and high flying, and he is always looking to throw down a sweet slam.

Nick Young is also...young. Last season you could see his potential, but you could also see that he was a rookie. He made a lot of small mistakes that Eddie Jordan didn't like. If Nick was on the Grizzlies or Hawks, he would already be a starter. But this is the Wizards. Young can be streaky, but when his confidence is high he can score lots of points fast.

Young is a terrible defender. Like really really bad. He plays his guy too close and they blow by him. When covering someone in the corner he almost always allows them to go baseline.

Nick Young's ballhandling relies heavily on carrying the ball. Just about every dribble he takes could be a turnover. He improved that over the last year, but will still get called for that way too much. His go-to scoring move is dribbling towards the foul line, crossing over by palming the ball, and pulling up for the slight fadeaway. When they don't call him for the turnover, the swish brings a tear to my eye.

He also has trouble dribbling into the lane. Often he will dribble into a swarm of defenders and have nowhere to go. His strength is definitley the jumper over the drive. But if he has an open lane the other team would be on a Nick Young poster, if they made Nick Young posters.

This year, Nick Young should get more playing time. He is the Wizard's bench scoring. So far he looks much improved. His confidence is higher than ever. He also looks MUCH more serious. Less smiles and more "eye of the tiger". I think this will be a very good year for Young. I love Stevenson, but Young has to be starting by next year.

15 Man Roster: Dee Brown

Sweet Dee
Dee Brown was an awesome college player. I seriously never heard of Derron Williams or Luther Head, his college teammates (back then). At least I don't remember them. But I remember Dee Brown. I remember him flying around, stealing the ball, & draining threes. He was great to watch at Illinois.

Dee Brown is a pest. He goes 100 miles per hour and is always swatting at the ball. He hounds the opposing point guard and makes it tough for him to dribble the ball up the court. Plus he hustles like his job depends on it, which it does.

Brown is not very good from NBA three range, and doesn't attempt many shots. He knows that his job is to run the offense & pass the ball. That's a 180 from college where he was a scorer, but he seems to be up for the task. He still will occasionally get the ball stolen from him at the top of the key.

The main thing you will notice about Dee bringing the ball up the court is that he doesn't slow down. He gets down the court as fast as he can. This is not what the rest of the Wizards are used to. They are used to walking the ball up the court and passing it back & forth as they bring it down. I like the fast break mentality, but I don't see the rest of the team joining in.

No matter how good you are in college, your size will kill you in the NBA. So far, Dee Brown hasn't had much of a chance. This year could be his chance. With Arenas out, Daniels needs a point guard to back him up. It looks like Dee is the guy, as long as he does what he is supposed to do and doesn't piss off Eddie Jordan.

15 Man Roster: JaVale McGee

LemonheadJaVale McGee is a mystery. That rhymes. I never saw him play in college and have only seen him in a few summer league and preseason games. So this will be pretty terrible.

There was talk about him getting drafted because of potential, some of which had to do with the fact that he couldn't grow facial hair. If only the business world worked that way. I'd be a CEO.

The Wizard TV announcers (easier than typing their names) rave about McGee and about his beautiful shot. Well its not so beautiful. It is better described like my wife; its not pretty, but it works, sometimes. (I don't have a wife)

McGee loves to pivot and make post moves. They are all pre-programmed. Once he catches the ball he decides what move he is going to make. Once he starts the move, he will continue through the progression, even if the defender is not fooled.

From summer to preseason, McGee has visibly improved. He looks like the definition of "rookie" but has confidence and is not afraid to take it strong. That is a good thing. Occasionally, he will dribble drive from the foul line. That is a scary thing.

In straight, having a girlfriend, NBA terms, McGee has a great body & athleticism. He has a long reach and can also get off the ground. He can get blocks, rebounds, and for the first time in recent Wizard memory, we may see a real Alley-oop!

In the summer, I figured that McGee would see about 2 minutes per game. But after the injury to Haywood and McGee's fast improvement, he will probably see more like 10 minutes per game. If you watch him you will definitely see there is potential, and he will learn a lot through his first season in the league.

15 Man Roster: Dominic McGuire

Taser, I don't even know her...

Last year Dominic McGuire had limited playing time, but when he came in he was a spark. He hustled and crashed the boards like a maniac, even picking up a few blocks. He knew why he was on the floor and wasn't looking to score.

This preseason, you can tell he has improved, but he is trying to do too much. He has been trying to score more. It hasn't been working well and he looks lost & upset on the court. Last year he looked focused. This year he does not. He has been making some bad turnovers trying to force things.

The best improvement for Dominic was on his jump shot. He went from being a terrible shooter, to being able to knock down the mid-range jumper. This means he could have a slight offensive impact this season. (aka hitting a jumper every 10 games)

All of this doesn't matter much as Dominic won't be seeing many minutes. I just hope when he gets in he plays like he did last year. He can be a beast on the glass. With his improved skill he may see an extra point per game or an extra rebound per game. And hopefully he will quit looking so depressed.

15 Man Roster: Etan Thomas

"Makin My Guns Click Like Wine Glasses"

Etan Thomas & Brendan Haywood can't be on the same team. It is bad for both of them. Last year, things worked out in Haywood's favor, but this year it's Etan's turn.

I haven't seen Etan play in over a year, so I pretty much forgot how he plays. And then I saw the preseason game. It all came back to me.

Etan's signature move is the "power rebound" This is when nobody is around the basket and there is a rebound coming right to Etan. He jumps 1 inch off the ground, spreads his legs, catches the ball not at its highest point but in his chest, and makes a spazzy elbow swinging move as the travels the long distance back to earth. After elbowing his teammates, he then pivots in 2-3 different directions before passing it to a guard.

Two years ago, the Wizards used to start out the first few minutes of each game by passing to Thomas in the post, where he would get a few quick buckets. Then, he wouldn't be the focus of a play the rest of the game. I can see this happening again.

Etan has an awful shot. His range is about 8 feet. Thats not a problem as long as he sticks to his range. He has some strong post moves, and tries to take it strong & throw it down. Unfortunatly he can't jump. In fact in order to jump he has to squat down as far as he can and wait a few seconds before using his entire body momentum to carry him into the air. It takes him too long to get up, giving defenders plenty of time to reach in and hit the ball. Many times he is just pushed & fouled, taking away the easy basket.

Things arent' great when your starting center is Brendan Haywood, and things are even worse if your starting center is Etan Thomas. Hopefully Blatche & McGee get good fast.

I don't think Etan will get as many minutes as Haywood did last year, or have as big an impact. But I'm pretty sure he will recite some crappy poetry, and I just hope I'm not around when he does.

15 Man Roster: Antonio Daniels

"Come on fellas, lets run the offense!"Antonio Daniels is a combination of Avery Johnson & the catcher from Major League. He teaches & coaches like Avery and he is 100 years old and covered in ice packs like Jake Taylor.

Daniels spends most of his time on the basketball court. Literally. I don't think I've ever seen him drive in the lane without falling on his head. Whether he is trying to throw down his classic one handed jam, driving the & passing off, or even guarding a player on the perimeter, there is a strong chance that a few seconds later, Daniels will be laying on the floor. The good thing is that fouls end up being called a lot of the time.

When he is not making fans hold their breaths as he falls to his doom, he is running the offense. Running the offense at all costs. He slows up fast breaks and holds the ball at the top of the key for 10 seconds to calm his players down, and get them in position. While frustrating for fans, it can be good for the turnover prone Wizards.

The best part about Daniels is that he plays hard & hustles. He is not afraid to get knocked around, and he is tough on defense and when he has the ball. Occasionally he will hit a big jumper but he is mostly a passing/driving guard.

Right now, I feel like Daniels is the "coach's pet". He probably brings Eddie Jordan an apple before practice every day. He seems eager to coach his teammates on the floor, teach the younger players, and learn himself. A great veteran to have. One day he will be a coach himself.

With all the injuries, Daniels has to start for the 2nd straight year. He is a great veteran backup quarterback (unlike Brad Johnson). He is a solid player and will keep the Wizard's afloat in the Eastern Conference until Arenas gets back.

15 Man Roster: Oleksiy Pecherov

"Get Buckets Son"

Oleksiy Pecherov is a fan favorite. That fan is me. Whenever he gets in the game, I am excited. I wait anxiously for him to fire up a three pointer, which he usually does within the first minute of playing time. When that shot goes up, I stand up like it is the game winning shot at the buzzer. If he makes it, I go crazy. If he misses, I yell for him to shoot again. Its all good fun...in the 2nd quarter.

Despite enjoying every second of his 9.1 minutes per game, I can't understand why he is still on the team. He is a 7 footer that shoots 3 pointers. There is no need for that in the NBA. If he had some post moves AND a 3 point shot, OK. But he does not. Defense? Not so much.

Announcers of preseason games and article writers unfamiliar with the Wizards describe Oleksiy as a "potential bloomer" (probably what the Wizards coaches told them) That's not quite it. Pecherov is a minute filler. He gives the Wizards some size, and most importantly, his teammates 9 minutes of rest per game. If he hits a 3 great. If not, at least he was on the floor and Antawn Jamison got some rest.

And the best part of Oleksiy is that he isn't afraid to sneak a peak at some jugs.

15 Man Roster: Andray Blatche

I may or may not do this for all 15 players. Note that I am very negative.

"The Blatchmanian Devil"

In the spare moments of time when he is not getting shot, picking up a prostitute, or recklessly speeding through Virginia without a drivers licence, Andray Blatche plays basketball. With Andray, every year is "the year". The year he is supposed to break out of mediocrity and into the elite class of NBA players.

While the 6'11" Blatche seems to believe he is a world class point guard capable of behind the back dribbling, spin moves in the lane, fingerrolls, and no-look passes, his coach has another idea. Coach Eddie Jordan sees Blatche as more of a center, and expects him to hit mid range jumpers, get position in the lane, make strong post moves, and slam dunk the basketball. What the Wizards end up with is a combination of the two, which sometimes is good, and sometimes is not so good.

I am 5'9". My biggest dream growing up was to be able to slam dunk a basketball. Blatche is 6'11". He could easily throw it down, probably at age 12. So his biggest dream must have been to not dunk. He is definitely living that dream. Perhaps he should watch some YouTube.

Blatche's best asset is his ability to take bigger defenders off the dribble. Big centers can't stick with him, and his ball handling allows him to get by them. When under control, he usually finishes with a sweet reverse layup or fingerroll. A lot of "ooohs" and "ahhhs" when the crowd sees a big man make those moves. The downside to not dunking is that many times the player that he goes by will foul him hard, and not allow him to get off the layup. Travels, bad passes, and dribbling out of bounds occasionally happen.

Andray's mid-range jumper has improved tremendously, and is going to really help his game. As long as he doesn't step too far out of his range like he sometimes does, his shot will be big.

On Defense, his wingspan and quickness make him a tough and exciting defender. Blocks, steals, deflections, & altered shots are common when Blatche is in the game. His post D is not great, and he needs to start fouling with a purpose. He gets in the habit of picking up a lot of fouls, and many of them are just weak reach ins or slaps on the arm.

Finally, Blatche needs to get tough. He needs to foul some people hard, and when he gets fouled he needs to stop grimacing and groaning and start looking tough. He has a tendancy to keep looking like he is in pain, even 5 minutes after a hard foul.

If Blatche plays smart & under control, he can make the Wizards better. He just needs to be consistent. I think he should get a majority of the minutes at center.

More on Blatche At Bullets Forever