I'm Excited

Ok, so after a morning at work "wasted" reading all the articles and blogs concerning the Wizards, I have rested on a final emotion. Excited.

I'm excited because Caron Butler is on fire. The last 3 games he has gone for 26, 27 and 35, and as pointed about by Bullets Forever, his TS% is at 61.4. Frankly, that's awesome unbelievable-ness considering most people view Caron as a 3rd fiddle on a team that already includes Arenas and Jamison as primary scoring options. But with Gil the Thrill out for 3 months, he has stepped up in a big way. His importance to the game isn't showing up in the typical boxscore, but his 16 dimes and 9 steals over the past 3 games have been essential. I agree with Jake over at BF, I'm not ready to name him the best player on the team, but I'll go along with Dave and Glenn over at the Wizards blog who observed that the team is taking on Caron's, "identity on defense–diving for loose balls, digging to try and force steals." I like it. No. I love it. That type of basketball helps win games, check out the Bulls circa the previous 2 years.






I'm excited because Brendan Haywood isn't Brenda anymore. He's the Beast. Although his numbers the last few games don't necessarily indicate, his 6 double-doubles, his above average FG%, his intensity and most remarkable of all, his defense have all been a huge part of the Wizards success this year. Don't forget, the Wiz lost a whopping 5 games to start the season. Getting out of that hole would have been impossible without the Beast on the Boards.

(George Widman - AP)
I'm excited because AD is being AD. He's diving at the floor and making funny faces. He's passing and hitting his shots. He has up'd his game tremendously in the absence of the Agent, running this team from the point like a true point guard. Only 2 turnovers the past 3 games. 2. Douce. Duex. Both of those came against Dallas, which means in 74 minutes of combined play in two games vs GS and Memphis, he had a whopping ZERO turnovers. I'm most excited to see him starting to get to the line. The game just isn't the same without AD going down hard, laying there a while, and getting up making his "Ahhh man...I mean....damn, why do I always hit the floor so friggin hard, F##K!" face. I love it.








I'm excited about Nick Young. I was happy to see the Wizards pick him last year because above all else, the kid puts points on the board. He's only getting limited minutes, but he is scoring at will. I also like to hear things like this, from Ivan Carter over at the Post:

"They were trying to make a run so I just wanted to be aggressive," Young said. "I got a rebound and started pushing it, and the lane just opened up. One thing Caron is always telling me is: Don't play scared. I've played in a couple of games now, and I'm getting more confident. I'm seeing that I can go to the hole. I don't want to do it every time, but I feel that I can get there when I need to."

Think about it. We have the lead in the 3rd quarter, but instead of losing the lead going into the 4th, as is typical Wizards fashion, we throw in Nick Young to throw down and drive the lane, which he does perfectly. Once his defense picks up, I expect to see him in more games.

Andray Blatche. I'm not gonna say I'm excited. I'm not. I'm ecstatic. When Blatche is on, the dude is ON!! Rebounds, jumpers, blocked shots, he can even put the ball on the floor and drive the lane. Phenomenal. Although he is still streaky at this point, throwing up at average of almost 8 points a game with 5 rebounds in only 20 minutes of play is great. The energy he brings to the floor can't be quantified in statistics.

I'm excited about Jamison. It's a contract year, I'm sure he's excited too :-) No, but seriously. Can't say enough about a veteran who comes out every night and simply drops bombs on the opposition. Although I'm used to the crazy tear drops, the impossible lay-in's, and the remarkably impossible post up, I still get scared. But he always quells my fear by dropping 40 when he needs to. Nuff said.

I'm excited about Eddie Jordan. He is managing minutes perfectly, making the most of the players we have and in the process, is proving that we have one of the deepest benches in the L.

Songalia, he's good at stuff. Like setting picks and pissing off the other team. I like that. He works the Pick/Roll with AD to perfection.

So, like I said, I'm excited.