[NorthEast Wiz]

The Sonics come to our home. We get Gary Payton and Rashard Lewis. Hughes and Lue should get a workout. If GP is playing against Lue they will post him up, we will double team and have to rotate.

I'm surpised former Bullet/Wizard Calvin Booth is not doing better.

I think we go 5-3 after this one.

[jazzy1]

I think we get this one also if Hughes can somewhat contain GP, I like our bigs to do more work in this game, Kwame I sense is due for another big game and Juan will get another early look, Barry's very underrated so we have to be careful, I like the way we match-up for this game.

[Doggpound]

I also think the Wiz keep it up and win this one.

I watched the Sonics against the Heat last week, and they didn't impress me one bit. The Heat bumbled and stumbled the whole game and still had a chance to pull it out in the end only to lose by 2.

[BCH]

GP is the type of player the Wizards have a very tough time with. Desmond Mason probably plays out of his mind as well as the Barry. This will be a close game. I am not sure the Wizards have gelled enough to pull it out.

[NorthEast Wiz]

I don't feel bad about this loss. It would have been a good game to win for Stack, since he played so poorly on offense and defense and he will carry us numerous times this year.

[BCH]

I don't feel bad about the loss either. We could have taken it and the Sonics were hitting almost everything.

[local_sportsfan]

I feel kind of bad. We didn't lose because of lack of talent or intensity...we lost because Collins allowed McMillian dictate the pace of the game with "smallball" lineups instead of sticking to his gameplan. It seemed as though the Wizards' basic defensive principle (filtering the offense into the middle, where the help defense is) was abandoned completely because of the type of lineups collins played. Jeffries played well, but he's no center, and Russell is no power forward. He did this last year as well, and it really annoyed me. Its no coincidence that everytime we try and matchup with our smallball lineup, we end up getting abused. IMO if were going to lose, lets lose on our terms and not on the other teams.

[truebluefan]

Wow Lewis is some player isnt he? Of Course Paytons 16 assists helped him out

Nice game from MJ, Jeffries and hughes.

Haywood hurt? Or did they play small the whole game?

[jazzy1]

Originally posted by <b>local_sportsfan</b>!
I feel kind of bad. We didn't lose because of lack of talent or intensity...we lost because Collins allowed McMillian dictate the pace of the game with "smallball" lineups instead of sticking to his gameplan. It seemed as though the Wizards' basic defensive principle (filtering the offense into the middle, where the help defense is) was abandoned completely because of the type of lineups collins played. Jeffries played well, but he's no center, and Russell is no power forward. He did this last year as well, and it really annoyed me. Its no coincidence that everytime we try and matchup with our smallball lineup, we end up getting abused. IMO if were going to lose, lets lose on our terms and not on the other teams.

I agree with all of this when Jimmy lynam coached here he would adjust his line-ups to whomever the other team had on the floor, I thought Collins was outcoached I thought the best way to attack the Sonics would have been with our size but as soon as Collins saw 3 pointers raining he went right to the small ball, I call coaches that do this retreads, its an easy way too coach playing the opposite line-up the other coach runs out there, its not an aggressive way of coaching keeping Kwame and Brendan in the game may have given us a better chance, Collins does this often if a particular team has no center he won't play his all game when in fact thats his teams advantage, Haywood would have cleaned up the offensive glass with their small line-ups.

I feel bad about this game because we wasted good performances by JJ and Hughes, Stack played terrible but thats okay he's given us so much, Collins needs to coach more agressively or this will happen alot if teams figure that Colllins will let them dictate the pace of the game.

Kwame needs to step it back up he played terrible, and hasn't rebounded the ball well in at least the last 3 games he needs to play with more focus and intensity he's playing like somehow he's arrived while he is playing better than last season he needs to give a more consistent effort. He just gives up on offensive rebounds sometimes and defers to his own guards on the defensive boards he needs to get agressive and signal to his guards that he's in control down there.

I feel a slump coming on Utah's patient style of cutting offense can take advantage of young players and the mailman may teach Kwame a lesson on thursday I feel like we may lose this game and rebound against the woeful heat.

[NorthEast Wiz]

Jazzy and Local,

I am with you guys that Collins' coaching match-ups at times is frustrating. He always talks about matching up with the other team, instead of dictating things with our teams.

With that said, I don't see last night as an example. I would have liked to keep a taller line-up in if we had someone that had a post up game, but we don't (not yet). This would have caused them to double team and if we had someone that could pass out of it would have given us opportunities. Overall our problem wasn't with our offense. We scored well even with Stack having an off night.

I think the issue last night was that first, the Sonics shot the lights out and secondly, we didn't get really agressive playing team defense until the fourth quarter.

Also, I can't second guess myself I thought MJ was tired in the 4th (hands on hips) and agreed with Collins taking him out. Turns out it may have cost us the game.

[BCH]

I disagree that Collins is doing the wrong thing with his rotations and lineups.

Our low post guys are hardly our strength. I could understand if they caused problems offensively, but the truth of the matter is that they are defesnive guys for the most part as we use them. When Collins goes small, he is actually playing to our stregth and experience. Yesterday he said he felt he should go with Kwame in the middle to start, and Jeffries at PF I am assuming, but didn't want to take starting away from Haywood. Haywood ended up with 0 rebounds in 10 minutes and the Sonics hurt us from the perimeter.

Our big guys are an asset mostly when we face other bigs, not when we face a team that shoots outside. We do have young quick bigs in Jeffires and Kwame, but their inexperience can also work against us, and was displayed last night on the slip play against Jeffries when Lewis got the dunk on a critical inbounds play.

Relax on Collins and his lineups. I think he is playing to our strengths as much as he can without jeopardizing our chances of winning.

[local_sportsfan]

On a side note, Etan Thomas will be traded.

[BCH]

Originally posted by <b>local_sportsfan</b>!
On a side note, Etan Thomas will be traded.

It might be a bit premature to say that, because I think his opportunity will come. The Wizards won't trade him unless they get something they really want in return., and I am sure Laettner and Jahidi are higher up on their list of guys to move. Also, Etan is not really a commodity at the moment, becuase he hasn't seen the floor much this season..

[jazzy1]

Originally posted by <b>BCH</b>!
I disagree that Collins is doing the wrong thing with his rotations and lineups.

Our low post guys are hardly our strength. I could understand if they caused problems offensively, but the truth of the matter is that they are defesnive guys for the most part as we use them. When Collins goes small, he is actually playing to our stregth and experience. Yesterday he said he felt he should go with Kwame in the middle to start, and Jeffries at PF I am assuming, but didn't want to take starting away from Haywood. Haywood ended up with 0 rebounds in 10 minutes and the Sonics hurt us from the perimeter.

Our big guys are an asset mostly when we face other bigs, not when we face a team that shoots outside. We do have young quick bigs in Jeffires and Kwame, but their inexperience can also work against us, and was displayed last night on the slip play against Jeffries when Lewis got the dunk on a critical inbounds play.

Relax on Collins and his lineups. I think he is playing to our strengths as much as he can without jeopardizing our chances of winning.

I disagree with this for this reason against the Lakers when Brendan was allowed to play he killed the Lakers at their weak spot inside with his offensive rebounding, Kwame also got 13 points and some inside buckets just because we don't feature inside play doesn't mean that our size isn't one of our strengths we can pound teams weak inside with rebounding thats what JJ did last night , Drobniak played he's no speed demon Haywood could have pounded him for boards and been a deterant for Lewis's easy catch's and turns to the middle of the paint, if every team we play we go small then there's no use having big guys we might as well become Orlando, When I watch other teams play the sonics I don't see them go small taking an advantgae away.

[BCH]

Jeffries had 8 boards. Good but not stellar. Drob and Rad were hitting their open jumpers, which would have been even more proliferate with haywood in the game. There was a sequence when the Sonics outhustled the Wizards for some offensive rebounds, but those 2 possessions are nothing to compare with what they would have done in extended time against Haywood and Kwame last night.

The Sonics were not penetrating and scoring. They were not beating us on the low post. They were shooting the lights out on the perimeter. Collins had our best and most experienced guys on the floor, and they were still doing it. Playing haywood would not have solved this, and would have complicated our rotations even more as he would be pulled out onto the wing.