Yardbarker: Antawn Jamison

Improving The Defense of the Washington Wizards

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:03:01 -0500

Everyone knows that the Washington Wizards have a lot of room for improvement on defense...but how exactly will that happen?

Antawn Jamison Following The Lead of Caron Butler: Linking The Wizards

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:19:56 -0500

Running down the best of the Washington Wizards on the world wide web.

The 1990's Golden State Warriors: I challenge you to find a bigger waste of talent

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:38:08 -0500

I'm going to do a series on All-1990's teams in the NBA. I figured I would start with the Warriors, who wasted more talent than any other team. Here's the Golden State Warriors Team of the 90's: G: Mitch Richmond G; Tim Hardaway F: Chris Mullin F:Chris Webber C: Erick Dampier Coming off the bench: Latrell Sprewell Antawn Jamison Billy Owens Tom Gugliotta Joe Smith Jim Jackson Donyell Marshall And these weren't just players finishing their career in G. State like John Starks did. These players were on the Warriors in their first six years in the league. Almost all of them went on to star elsewhere. They couldn't have beaten the 1990's All Bulls team, but they would've made a conference championship for sure. Comments? Next team you want to see?

Washington Wizards Training Camp Spawns Questions

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:52:32 -0500

What is Flip Saunders doing at training camp? Will the defense really improve? Should we panic, or be fatalistically concerned (as Bullets fans have a penchant to do) that Antawn Jamison is already "tweaking" and "straining" things? What is Gilbert Arenas learning about leadership?

Antawn Jamison is tired of hearing talk about it and wants Andray Blatche to be about it

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:12:40 -0500

After all the silliness at the 2008 Washington Wizards Media Day, one very important topic came up: the maturity and potential of Andray Blatche.

Was Re-Upping Eddie Jordan A Good Move?

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:58:15 -0500

The Washington Wizards recently picked up the option on Coach Eddie Jordan's contract, extending him into 2009-2010. With the Wizards unable to make it past the second round of the playoffs under Jordan, was this a good move?

Antawn Jamison giving back...

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:17:22 -0500

I do have to make this "Quick Hit Post" to talk about an ex Heel and the difference he is making in the community. In a small blog from the official web site of North Carolina Athletics it talks about what Antawn Jamison, who is now part of the Washington Wizards, is doing during the off season.

2008 Fantasy Hoops Rankings: Power Forwards

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:49:37 -0500

FIO and TalkHoops.net staff writer Zach Harper breaks down the Top 25 power forwards heading into fantasy basketball drafts this season, including in-depth analysis about the Top 10 and some notes about the remaining players on the list.

Position rankings: Whose the best PF?

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:11:44 -0500

1. Tim Duncan, San Antonio: Duncan continues to be the most vital player to the Spurs, even with the emergence of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. It is still Duncan getting double-teamed in the low post, setting the table for that twosome. And did we mention his four NBA championships? 2. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix: The only thing left for Stoudemire is to begin making teammates better. Stoudemire is the most dominant big man in the game, more impactful than a fading Shaquille O'Neal and a burgeoning Dwight Howard. 3. Kevin Garnett, Boston: One of Garnett's greatest assets as a player -- his willingness to defer to teammates -- unfortunately keeps him No. 3 on this list. As great a player as Garnett is, he doesn't get enough credit for being a "glue guy." Don't downplay that he's in the figurative Teammate Hall of Fame. 4. Chris Bosh, Toronto: Before the Beijing Olympics, Bosh probably would have been about eighth or ninth on this list. Not anymore. His willingness to play inside and do the dirty work for Team USA portends well for the Raptors. If Bosh uses that style as his foundation and complements it with his skilled perimeter and low-post game, he's going to be a real headache. He also appears to have the look of a leader. 5. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas: Nowitzki may never again reclaim his good name after the 2006-07 playoff debacle against the Warriors, but he's still one of the league's elite players. Now that Nowitzki has settled into his NBA career, it seems apparent: He's going to need to be a team's second-best player in order to win a title. No shame there, just the way it is. 6. Carlos Boozer, Utah: Boozer is a numbers machine, in large part because he is such a big part of the Jazz offense. He has proved that game in and game out, he's going to win the power forward matchup most of the time. But this might be as high as Boozer gets because he's never going to be a great defender or shot-blocker, and his passing is so-so at best. 7. Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers: When Gasol came into the league, he was soft. Period. After years of getting beaten on in both the NBA and international play, Gasol began to fight back and grew into a tougher, feistier player. His performance in the NBA Finals made it obvious that he still needs to make more progress, but he's working on it. 8. Elton Brand, Philadelphia: We wanted to put Brand higher on this list, we really did. But we couldn't. Brand's career is slipping away as he enters his 10th season. Sure, he has nice numbers, but his teams have had virtually no success. Of course, that's not his fault, but you can't reward him for it, either. Twelve playoff games ... all in one season. If that doesn't change in 2008-09 with Philly, something is really wrong. 9. David West, New Orleans: One of the league's best-kept secrets. West is strong enough that you must defend him with another power forward. But he's as reliable as they come from 16 to 18 feet out, making him a very difficult cover. 10. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland: All he needs is time. Aldridge is going to be a matchup nightmare for opponents because he is 6-foot-11 and can score effectively with a face-up jumper and a low-post game. He'll be even more effective -- at both ends of the floor -- playing alongside Greg Oden. 11. Josh Smith, Atlanta: Smith is as athletic as they come and has a flair for the spectacular. In between the highlights, however, there are some issues: turnovers, free throw shooting and defense. He also can disappear for stretches here and there. But there is a heck of a lot to work with here. 12. Al Jefferson, Minnesota: He's listed as a power forward in the Timberwolves' media guide, so that's good enough for us. Unfortunately, that's going to push him down this list because he needs to add another dimension to scoring and rebounding. 13. Antawn Jamison, Washington: Jamison has been a total professional over the course of his career, not to mention a consistent scorer and rebounder. The unorthodoxy of his game is perhaps Jamison's most consistent weapon. 14. Rashard Lewis, Orlando: He's not a natural power forward, but he plays one a lot of the time for the Magic. Lewis is another guy whose résumé looks a little thin as his career flies by (he's entering his 11th season). Lewis has missed the playoffs more years (six) than his teams have made them (four), and he never has made it past Round 2. 15. Michael Beasley, Miami: It's always tough to know exactly how a player will "translate" once he enters the league. But by all indications, Beasley appears to have size and skill, can shoot it a little bit and puts it on the floor. If Beasley is, indeed, well-rounded, then he's already ahead of the rest of guys on this list. 16. Zach Randolph, New York: Rarely has so little been done with so much. Randolph proved early in his career that he could put up points and rebounds on a nightly basis, but that's the extent of what he did. The results are very nice-looking numbers, but upon further inspection they prove hollow. 17. Paul Millsap, Utah: He could start on about 20 other teams in the NBA, but he's just another point-rebound machine in Utah. It's going to be difficult for the Jazz to keep both Boozer and Millsap long term. 18. Drew Gooden, Chicago: He's not a perfect player, but he has provided 12 and eight over the course of his career. Gooden can hold his own much of the time on the defensive end. But he tends to be a little sloppy and careless, and the fact of the matter is that Chicago is his fourth team since he came into the league in 2002. 19. Nene, Denver: Nene returned from testicular cancer last season and got stronger as the season wore on. This season all systems are go, and now there are freed-up minutes because of the Marcus Camby/Eduardo Najera departures. 20. Ben Wallace, Cleveland: He was exposed once he left the Pistons a few years back. Wallace is no longer the intimidator he has been in the past, nor the defender, either. And he'll be an offensive liability 'til the end of time.

THE 10 MOST CONFUSING NAMES IN SPORTS

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:56:25 -0500

Recently, there was great debate about an LPGA mandate requiring players who did not speak English to, you know...speak English.

Contrary to what many people think, English is not an easy language to master, hence the LPGA's quick reversal on the policy. And I'm here to prove it, with a few sports examples of some names that could've royally confused the Seon-Hwa Lees of the world.

10. Case of the disappearing "Mc-"

Has anyone ever heard Tracy McGrady's named pronounced MICK-GRADY? No, but I'm used to hearing "MA-GRADY" quite often. Yet Kevin McHale is pronounced MICK-HALE. Judges, can we get a ruling?

9. The Nowitzki file.

Please, please, please, announcers...I beg of you...can we decide on how we're going to pronounce this: NOWITZKI or NOVITZKI (the correct version)? He's only played for Dallas since, oh...1998...

8. The dual-letter.

Does it serve a purpose to have two A's in that first name, Isaac Bruce? Or how about your unneccessary L, Brandon Lloyd?

7. Does J=J, or does J=H?

Say "Julio Franco". Now say "Julius Jones". Now say "Albert Pujols". Clearly, this is a pitfall that could trap even the fastest of learners.

6. Making the simple name difficult.

Here in Pittsburgh, we have the great Evgeni Malkin. And after several years in a Pens uniform, people still can't decide whether his name is pronounced MALK-in or MAL-kin. Of course, it would help if he spoke English.

5. The evil "silent letters"

Hey, Dwight Howard, what wrong with your G? There's Jake Delhomme and Bill Cowher, who both waste perfectly good H's. And then there's David Wright, who, much like his team, clearly has no need for a W.

4. Same name, many variations.

What's the right way to spell this first name? You can choose from:

A. Antwaan Randle El

B. Antoine Walker

C. Antowain Smith

D. Antawn Jamison

E. Anton Volchenkov

I know one thing: I'm stumped.

3. The case of Plaxico Burress.

One of the all-time great mysteries in names. His named is spelled PLAXICO, and pronounced PLEXICO. You have to admit, though, the man knows how to wear his headgear.

2. The even more perplexing case of Ricardo Colclough.

My personal favorite, the former Steeler fumble machine pronounces his name "COAK-LEE". That's right, "Lough" now equals "Lee", at least in one household. So you could very well see Cliff Lough pitching for the Indians or Derrek Lough suiting up for the Cubs if the Colcloughs ran the country.

1. Brett Favre.

It's spelled FAVRE and pronounced FARVE. Even EA had trouble with this in Madden '09.

Your turn:

The amateur English professors who took time out of their busy schedule correcting papers to read this will surely make me look foolish for such a silly article. Of course names are pronounced differently, you simpleton! But feel free to add any that I've missed in the comments section.

Team Preview #14: Washington Wizards

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:19:36 -0500

LAST SEASON Despite losing Etan Thomas for the entire year, Gilbert Arenas for 69 games, and Caron Butler for 24 games, the Wizards still went 43-39, good enough for the 5th-best record in the East. Unfortunately, they lost to Cleveland in the 1st Round of the Playoffs for the 3rd year in a row (ouch!). OFFSEASON MOVES Key Additions: JaVale McGee Key Losses: Roger Mason Roger Mason played very well for Washington last season, making 1.6 threes per game at a nearly 40% clip. The Spurs recognized his efforts and signed him to replace Brent Barry, hurting the Wizards backcourt depth. In the draft, the Wiz picked 7-foot center JaVale McGee out of Nevada. He blocked an impressive 2.8 shots in just 27.3 minutes per game last season, but he's still quite raw and has "high bust potential" according to DraftExpress (the next Patrick O'Bryant?). ROTATION / PLAYING TIME As you all know, Washington is led by their big three of Arenas (32.6 mpg, but 39.8 the year before), Butler (39.9 mpg), and Antawn Jamison (38.8 mpg). If healthy, you can except all three to receive 38-40 minutes per game. At shooting guard, DeShawn Stevenson played 31.2 mpg, and he should see 30-32 minutes of action once again. Antonio Daniels averaged 30.4 minutes and started 63 games at PG last season, but his PT will likely fall to 20 or less if Arenas is healthy. Nick Young (15.4 mpg) and Dominic McGuire (10.0 mpg) are the backup swingmen, but both are still unproven and may not be ready to contribute big minutes just yet. In the middle, Brendan Haywood played a career-high 27.8 minutes, mainly because his teammate/nemesis Etan Thomas sat out the whole year after undergoing open heart surgery. Thankfully, Thomas is back, which means that Haywood will go back to playing 22-26 mpg. In addition to Thomas (19.2 mpg in '06-07), the Wizards have several other capable big men that they can turn to. Andray Blatche (20.4 mpg) is a talented youngster who averaged 11.5 points, 8.1 boards, 1.2 steals, and 1.9 blocks in 15 starts last season. I'd like to see what he can do with more minutes, but that probably won't happen this season unless Jamison goes down. Darius Songaila (19.4 mpg) is a proven veteran, but his minutes may drop to 16-18 this season. Washington also has the intriguing Oleksiy Pecherov (a 7-footer from Ukraine who likes to shoot threes), which simply means the rookie McGee will likely spend the season in the D-League. DON'T SLEEP ON: Gilbert Arenas Can you really sleep on someone who was a Top 7 pick in nearly every single league last season? If people are drafting based on last year's statistics, then yes. Arenas played the first 8 games of '07-08 before experiencing soreness in his left knee and sitting out most of the season. He tried to come back before the Playoffs, but he clearly wasn't 100% and his team suffered. His individual stats suffered too, as his 19.4 points, 5.1 assists, 1.7 threes, 39.8% FG, and 77.1% FT are very mediocre looking. Yes, his surgically repaired knee is still a major cause for concern, but you can't ignore the stats that Agent Zero put up in the seasons prior. In '06-07, Arenas finished 3rd in points per game, 3rd in threes, 3rd in FT attempts, 7th in steals, 16th in assists, and 24th in FT%. Gilbert was a Top 5 player in both '06-07 and '05-06, but based on last year's numbers, he could very well fall past pick #20 in some leagues. If he does, I highly recommend gambling on him. BE CAREFUL OF: Caron Butler Using per game stats, Butler was a Top 5 fantasy player last season. Unfortunately, he missed 24 games in '07-08 and 19 games in '06-07. In fact, in his 6-year career, Caron has NEVER played 80+ games in a season, which means that he'll get a very poor injury rating in my value rankings. But that's just one reason to be careful of him. "Tough Juice" set career-highs in points, assists, steals, threes made, FG%, 3P%, and FT% last season, so it's unreasonable to think that he'll improve on all of those numbers. Don't forget that Arenas missed most of last year, which gave Butler a larger role on offense and especially pumped up his assists (4.9 vs. previous high of 3.7) and 3-point attempts (3.2 vs. previous high of 1.6). Based on last year's numbers, Butler will likely be a late 1st or early 2nd round pick in most drafts this season. I still like the guy, but late 2nd or early 3rd sounds much better to be. ROUND BY ROUND TARGETS (Where you should draft these guys in an 8-cat Roto league with 12 teams and 14 man rosters) Click on the link to find out!

4 NBA Players Obama Should Consider for VP

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:01:14 -0500

With the Democratic Convention just around the corner, its time for Barack Obama to choose a running mate, but apparently he hasn't made up his mind yet. Here are 4 great choices from the NBA for Obama to consider. There's also 2 players who any political adviser would have to advise Obama not to choose. Check it out.

Top 10 Rejected Washington Wizards 2008-09 Season Slogans

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:31:06 -0500

The Washington Wizards have announced their motto/slogan for the upcoming 2008-2009 season. Here are the rejects from the marketing team's brainstorming sessions.

Antawn Jamison: Washington Wizards Player Evaluation

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:15:20 -0500

The 07-08 season was Antawn Jamison's best as a Washington Wizard and just might have been his best as an NBA player. Four-years, $50 million at the age of 32? Jamison is worthy every penny.

NBA Offseason Rankings - Full Projections For All 30 Teams!

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:16:44 -0500

With baseball's playoff hunt in full effect and the NFL preseason underway, what better time than now to make some projections..for the NBA! Rosters are beginning to take formation as free agents join their new clubs, trades are consumated, and rookies settle in with their new squads. I've provided my projected records for the coming season along with last year's overall records. Please feel free to comment with your opinions. 1) Los Angeles Lakers - Projection (60 -22) - Last Season (57-25) - A healthy Andrew Bynum along with a younger corps than the Celtics make them the team to beat in the coming season. 2) Boston Celtics - Projection (58-24) - Last Season (66-16) - Defending champs have an aging but spectacular corps. Expect another step back from Ray Allen. The loss of Posey and potentially PJ Brown won't be as significant as many media heads are making them out to be. 3) New Orleans Hornets - Projection (58-24) - Last Season (56-26) - Chris Paul, David West, and Tyson Chandler are three young studs that will keep the Hornets relevant for years to come. Continue Reading At PCPSPORTS.COM...