"answering" Jarvis

I'm replying to Jarvis's rookie diary entry of Dec 20th from
www.nba.com/wizards in email/Usenet style, with Jarvis as the "original
poster" "quoted" with the >s.

> We have had some key injuries. Gilbert and Jerry have been out, and Im
> feeling a little banged up, but those are the rigors of the NBA. You
> win some and you lose some, but its time for us to start a new trend
> now.

Indeed. NOW.

> We are coming together as a team, and well continue to battle out
> there. For me, despite the bangs and bruises, I am going to continue
> to do my thing. I look at it like Im paying my rookie dues. Every
> rookie goes through it. I am no exception. I am just going to try to
> get better from it. You have to establish yourself in this league. You
> have to put in your time to get those favorable calls.

Forget favorable calls. Do Not Touch the guy you are checking. You're out
there to touch the ball, not the opponent.

>
> At this point, 24 games into the season, as a rookie there is a
> definite adjustment to make to the NBA schedule. I dont want to say
> that Im affected by it, but it is definitely different. If I was in
> college, after 24 games I would be getting ready for the SEC
> Tournament. But here, we are not even two months into a long season.
> It is definitely different. I am going to pace myself. Im going to get
> in the weight room a little bit more, and Ill fight through it.

Why the weight room? You're darn buff as it is. Work on your weaknesses,
not your strengths. For you, handles, tough short shots, drives,
man-to-man defensive work...

>
> As a team, we had a rough schedule in the early going. We played eight
> of nine games on the road at one point, but those trips build
> character. It was a great experience going to L.A. for the first time.
> Being around the guys, and battling against the Lakers; its all a
> learning experience. We just have to get better as a team.

Get a coach. If you want to build character go sleep in a busstop.

> There are a lot of good teams in the West, but once you get out there
> on the court, it really doesnt matter. People can write all they want,
> and say all they want about a team prior to the game, but none of that
> matters on the court. We have stuck with the best of the West, besides
> the Lakers in that one game in LA. We are going to continue to go out
> there and battle, and fight tooth and nail.

That's one of the things that makes this team so special. They know that
when they get on the court, the ball tells all, and they like that a lot.

> When Gilbert went down, it posed a challenge to us all. Gilbert gets
> so much attention out there on the court because of what he can do,
> that he opens up shots for Larry and myself. When he went down, that
> is an extra body that the other team doesnt have to worry about, so
> they focus on me and Larry even more. Its obviously going to make it a
> bit tougher.

Good point. This also means Steve and Brevin need to shoot more, drive
more, etc. Jared too I suppose.

> I need to be more assertive and more aggressive on the offensive end.

Especially driving. And moving without the ball.

> Without Gilbert and Jerry Stackhouse, those are a lot of points that
> were missing. Coach told me to be more aggressive, and to play my
> game. I know I have a place on this team, and that is how I am going
> to approach it.

You have a place on any team. You want to stick with this one though,
unless Grunfeld gets hyper.

> People ask what is going to happen when Gilbert and Stack get back.

It doesn't sound like Stack will be 100% until the Wizards' playoff fate
is decided.

> Well, whatever Coach Jordan sees fit for me, Ill do. I know Ill play.
> I dont know exactly how, but it is all going to work. I know this:
> when we get our full deck of cards back, we are going to be a hell of
> a team.

You have a full deck. You're 13 deep without Arenas or Stackhouse.
Stackhouse is an All-Star. Arenas is a big question-mark.

You have been playing too many minutes. Expect to lose some to Butler and
others.

> Right now, were so young. Were learning every time out on the court.

More than you learn in practice, I'm quite sure.

> Ive had the opportunity to be on the court with Jared Jeffries a lot
> lately, and its been great. Jared is a great person first of all, and
> he is a great athlete. He just bangs and runs the court so well. Other
> teams cant keep him off the glass, and cant run up and down the court
> with him. It is definitely posing match-up problems for other teams.
>


That's good to hear. TV doesn't give you much of a sense of the transition
game. Why is Jared the only one they can't keep off the offensive glass?

> You never want to get caught up in the standings, but it is very
> encouraging to know that even though we arent playing our best
> basketball right now, we are going in the right direction. Once we get
> our guys back, and we arent too far back right now, we are going to
> start catching up. It is definitely encouraging that despite it all,
> we are still right there on the brink.

A fine young man, obviously.

That was Dec. 20. They have a nasty 3-game road trip soon. They need to
make a move very soon. They don't need any more lottery picks. The young
man seems to think it's about the playoffs. I hope Grunfeld thinks so
also. Grunfeld has about a week to save the season.

humbubba.RemoveThis@smart.net

Rick Hohensee
Precision Mojo Engineer