NorthEast Wiz

Here is the latest insider report on the Wizards from the Washington Post. At least Kwame is talking with Passion.

I few telling points, first from Kwame:

"I felt like maybe they rushed a little bit," Brown said of getting pulled and not getting a chance to redeem himself for his sluggish play. "I think I was playing good defense. Maybe things happened from games before where [Coach Eddie Jordan] saw other guys give more energy. When things go bad, the first guy they're going to pull is the guy who had a bad game last game."

Kwame knows that he is not putting the needed energy into his game.

Secondly from EJ:

"I don't want to scream and holler in practice about one particular thing then get in the game and you make the same mistake," said Jordan, not singling out any player. "If we emphasize it at practice and go over and over it again then come the game and you don't to it, that's not good enough. You've got to show some growth in the specific areas we're working on."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Nov13.html

An even more tense article was in the Times. Quotes below:

Kwame:

"Sometimes I do jumping jacks in the lane, and I still don't get the ball," Brown said yesterday. "I've been running the floor, but I haven't been getting noticed."

"I know this team wasn't built for Kwame Brown," he said. "I'm not going to be concerned about my numbers. Anybody can get 20 [points]. It can be a good season or it can be about numbers, we all know that. But do I need the ball more for us to win? Yeah. I'm not knocking the guards, but when they get into a drought, they need to find somebody else.
"It's nothing to get frustrated about," continued Brown, who is averaging 7.0 points and 6.3 rebounds. "It's not going to stay the same. If you don't have a post presence, you are not going to win. You have to start the games with it and end the games with it."

EJ:

"You can see if a guy is on a cloud or if a guy is trying," Jordan said. "If you're not trying and you're on a cloud, you're coming out. If you're trying and you made a mistake, then I understand that. But don't make that mistake we just talked about in practice, then make it again in the game."

"There is an equal opportunity involved in the offense," he said, "and the best players usually find ways to be good no matter what you are running. The players who have the skills, who have the desire, who have the toughness, who have basketball feel. The best players, no matter what you run, will step up and play."

http://www.washtimes.com/sports/2003...3806-8195r.htm

Let's see what happens against the Heat (11/14/03).

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jazzy1

I read both of those earlier and was thinking about posting them but I figured we had already spurred the discussion.

I think both EJ and kwame are both correct. Kwame's exactly correct about the inside presence ,what I've been trying to say the whole time. EJ is also correct about being focused and trying hard.

EJ is going to have to buckle here basically and buckle maybe the wrong choice of words. Because unless they trade Kwame he's our best option for inside buckets. We're gonna lose games with our guards jacking up shots and turning over the ball thats just a fact we've seen that movie already.

But the bottom line is like EJ says good players tend to create their opportunities and score anyway.

Bad move talking about not running plays for Etan. Etan's numbers are barely better than Kwame and he's supposedly not trying. That should tell you how futile Etan's scoring chances are.

We need post presence and Kwame needs to be more aggressive.

NorthEast Wiz

Yeah, I read the articles late in the day but thought I would post them. The first think I thought about after reading Kwame's quotes was "Damn, he must have just gotten off of the phone with Jazzy1".

This could be good for Kwame and EJ or it could be the beginning of the end for Kwame in DC.

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jazzy1

I got connects to the Wizards pipeline.

I don't think its the beginning of the end yet but if they continue losing this situation could escalate. Kwame is a very smart guy, he knows what it takes to win he's just in such a passive mode that he won't follow through with aggression what he knows needs to be done. He's become so reactionary that its hurting his game. He needs to demand the damn ball tell his guards to feed him rather than belly ache about it to the coach through the media.

I'm gonna stop defending Kwame if he continues this pattern of ineffectiveness.

There are 2 important things to keep in mind here though.

1. Grunfeld didn't hire EJ so he's not his guy, Pollin coming out defending Arenas with EJ taking the other side of it is telling. Abe seems to be very sensitive to his players more so than the coaches.

2. Ernie G wants the team to grow he won't pull the plug on kwame without taking a long hard look, my guess if Kwame shows enough flashes that EJ will be gone before Kwame ever does.

EJ needs to stop the media back and forth with his players and just get the w's. These young guys are gonna be complaining about everything ain't worth creating ill will with silly back and forth. Thats what got Collins the heave ho.

NorthEast Wiz

On your first point I really don't think losing matters much this year. Like I said I expect us to have a losing record this year. Now I do think we need to see some progression with this team which could amount to wins. I for one am surprised we are playing as well as we are.

On your second point I could not agree more with the way EJ is handling the media. I like the fact that he doesn't shun the media but he handled the Arenas situation so well and is handling this Kwame situation (although he is not mentioning names) poorly.

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