MVN - Most Valuable Network

The Mystery of the Wizards back-up Point Guards

“Either you can shoot, or you can’t”

That’s the quote from my source close to the Wizards who’s name remains undisclosed due to obvious reasons regarding the back-up PG position on the Wizards. This is by no means a reference to Antonio Daniels; the sure handed, veteran leader who is the master of the assist-to-turnover ratio. This quote is in reference to A.D.’s back-up, a job which Dee brown was first in line for, but due to his shooting woes, now may be second with the recent signing of Juan Dixon this past Tuesday (9/23/08).

“Juan is a proven NBA player, and we like what he brings to our team,” Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said. “He is a tough, hard-nosed competitor who can score and his familiarity with our system is an added plus.”

Personally, I like this move. Dee Brown can push the ball up the floor and is a good all around player, but the silky stroke that Juan Dixon posses cannot be denied or even compared to Dee Brown’s jumper. Dixon is a pure shooter while Brown’s jumper is “a work in progress”. Even if Dee’s shot is better than advertised, this move at least gives the Wizards some insurance just-in-case Dee has an off night. Here are some comments by Coach Jordan regarding the Arenas injury:

“He’s the straw that stirs the drink,” said Jordan, whose contract option for 2009-10 was picked up Monday by Grunfeld on Monday, “and certainly we are optimistic that he is going to recover and be a star for us again.”

Given his familiarity with the system, which does not require many assists from the PG position, I am in favor of Dixon coming in to be the first option off the bench; along with Blatche & Nick Young. Having Dixon in the game will not allow the defense to double team Butler or Jamison while leaving him wide open because they know they will pay for that mistake. In addition, shooters are more valuable in Eddie Jordan’s version of the Princeton offense than distributors. No disrespect intended to Dee, but in the famous words of the Godfather Michael Corleone “this is business, never personal”.

What do you think Wizards fans? Should Dixon start over Daniels? Should he be third in line for the PG position? How do you think the Wizards should account for the loss of Arenas?
Other Wizards news and notes:
- Arenas is expected to be with the Wizards during training camp, which opens Saturday in Richmond, Va. While Arenas won’t be on the court, center Etan Thomas will, having been given the full go-ahead after missing all of last season because of open-heart surgery.
- Oleksiy Pecherov (ankle) played 5-on-5 Monday for the first time since the end of the season and is ready for camp. So is Darius Songaila (back).
- The Wizards will head to Germany and Spain next month for two exhibition games against the New Orleans Hornets. “It’s almost like having a West Coast trip,” Grunfeld said.

Arenas Undergoes Washout procedure

In what is called a “Lavage Procedure” Gilbert Arenas had his surgically repaired knee “washed out”.

According to www.washingtonwizards.com, the procedure was performed by Wizards Team Physician Dr. Marc Connell at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC. 

 

“After Gilbert’s normal course of rehabilitation was ramped up, he experienced some swelling and discomfort in his knee,” said Connell.  “A subsequent MRI showed that the knee is structurally sound. The decision was made to perform an arthroscopic lavage procedure, during which a moderate amount of debris was removed after saline solution was washed through the knee.  The presence of debris is common with the nature of his previous injury.  This was a proactive procedure that will enhance his rehabilitation process.”

 

Arenas will begin rehabilitation immediately, although no timetable has been set for him to return to the court. 

 

“Gilbert, He had worked extremely hard over the summer and we know how much he’s looking forward to returning to help the team” said Grunfeld.  “However, our team proven its resiliency in dealing with injuries in the past and we’re approaching the start of training camp with confidence that they will once again compete at a high level until Gilbert’s return.”

 

Arenas played in eight games last season before he underwent surgery in November to repair a partially torn meniscus and articular surface defect in his left knee.  He returned to play in five more games and finished with averages of 19.4 points and 5.1 assists in 13 contests. 

 

The Wizards will hold training camp from September 27-October 3 at the Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

Wanna work with the Wizards?

The wizards are hiring for their Fan Patrol team, who helps out with home games and add to the fan experience. If you are interested, check out the link below:

WIZARDS: Fan Patrol

 Other Wizards news

- According to the Washington Post, former Bullets center Kevin Duckworth has passed away at the young age of 44. The cause of death has not been released yet.
- Comcast will air three Wizards pre-season games: 10/7 @ 8:30pm (at Dallas), 10/22@ 8:30pm (at San Antonio) and 10/24 @ 7:30pm (at Cleveland).
- Hoopworld.com has given the Wizards a grade of “A” for the signing of Gilbert Arenas. Check out why here.

Wizards ranked 5th in the East: Too high or Too low?

After my nice long vacation, I’m back at it with another Wizards update. Sports Illustrated recently ranked the teams in the Eastern conference and they predict the Wizards will finish fifth behind Boston, Cleveland, Orlando and Philly next season. Here’s what they said about the Wiz Kidz:

“5. Wizards: Their big moves have been to re-sign Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison. With Caron Butler already in the fold, it gives Washington a scoring trio that few other teams can match. If Arenas is healthy and ready to earn his huge paycheck, the Wizards should get back to being the team that had one of the best records in the East two years ago before injuries derailed their season. Keep in mind, Brendan Haywood has his best season a year ago, and backup center Etan Thomas is expected back after sitting out the entire season with a heart condition. The loss of guard Roger Mason (Spurs), however, leaves them a bit thin on their bench.”

While I agree with most of their commentary, they failed to mention JaVale McGee and negate the fact that the Wizards will have one of the strongest benches in the league next season. Between Blatche, Young, Pecherov, Thomas, McGee, Daniels and McGuire, the Wizards have more than enough talent to compensate for any injury to their starters. Sure, losing Mason will not help, but it does allow the younger players an opportunity to show their skills.

This prediction is almost correct in my opinion; the only change I would make is to place the Wizards 4th ahead of the Sixers. Philadelphia seems to have improved on paper, but no one truly knows how they will mesh the “grind-it-out” style of Brand with the “Run-n-gun” style of Andre Miller; or how long that combination will take to gel. While the Sixers try to figure that out, the Wizard’s starters have been playing together for years with a similar amount of talent (Arenas-Miller, Brand-Jamison, Butler-Igudala); so that familiarity and experience makes them a better team with equal talent.

Do you think this ranking is accurate?