In his first game back from injury, Jamison posted 31 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal in the Wizards’ 108-91 drubbing of the Cleveland Cavaliers last night. The line and the win are already impressive, but for Jamison to play this well in his first game back makes it doubly so. It’s tough for a player to return from injury and play at a high level since his conditioning and timing usually aren’t there, but Jamison didn’t have a problem last night.

With the win, the (finally) healthy Wizards advance to 3-7 while the Cavs drop to 8-4. Cleveland was without Shaquille O’Neal and Anderson Varejao due to injury.

In case you missed it, here are some highlights from the Wizards’ opener with the Mavs on Tuesday. Gilbert Arenas looks 100%.

Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News: How different are the Mavericks? We have a long time to try and figure that out, but clearly the arrival of Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden won’t answer all of Dallas’ problems right away. Mostly, the Mavs opened the season looking a lot like what we have seen around here. Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 but didn’t have one of his better shooting nights. The offensive energy came from J.J. Barea (13 points, six rebounds, four assists) as it often does. But it was clear in the Denver series last spring that the Mavericks just weren’t quite good enough at the defensive end of the floor. Since then, not much that was done here was designed to change that.

Brian Windhorst, Cleveland.com: It was quite obvious the Cavs were uncomfortable and in search mode from the top on down. Mike Brown was changing lineups and strategies on the fly, the defense was a mess for long stretches and the offense was in its old, but infamous, all-James, all-the-time mode in the final minutes. This, of course, is what the Cavs were afraid of after a somewhat ineffective preseason. While there’s plenty of time to deal with those bumps — though the Celtics will have strong bragging rights until the teams meet again on Feb. 25 — perhaps most disturbing was the effect of Shaquille O’Neal in his first real game as a Cav. He had just 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds in 29 minutes. Deeper than those vanilla numbers, however, was his inability to deliver at all in the fourth quarter. Three different times James went to him with the score tight and the game on the line and three different times he was unable to come through.

Jay Mariotti, Fanhouse: All it means it that this is a work in progress, that no magic carpet will sweep the Cavs into June and a much-desired Finals matchup with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. The Celtics didn’t look like a team whose Big Three is a combined 100 years old. Rather, they were energized again by the dynamic point guard, Rajon Rondo, and bolstered by the offense and outside shooting of a widely despised newcomer, Rasheed Wallace. The Cavs couldn’t match up at times with Wallace, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, and with Garnett looking sturdy and effective in his first game in seven months, the Celtics made a statement that they aren’t dead yet as a contender.

Elliott Teaford, Los Angeles Daily News: Ron Artest had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in his Lakers debut. At game’s end, Jackson praised Artest for his standout defensive work against Al Thornton, who had eight points on 4-for-11 shooting and nine rebounds in place of injured rookie forward Blake Griffin. “He played shut-down defense very well against their scoring forward, Thornton,” Jackson said. “I thought he looked like he was in the offensive mix most of the time.”

This year, we’re doing a division-by-division preview with quick-hitting analysis for every team in the league. If a franchise is a legitimate championship contender, I’ll focus on what stars have to line up for a title run. If a team is a playoff “also-ran,” I’ll identify the weaknesses that have to be shored up via trade, free agency or draft over the next couple of seasons to make it a contender. If a team is likely to miss the playoffs, I’ll take a look at the salary cap, and provide a blueprint for how the team should proceed in the near future to get back in the postseason. At the end of each divisional preview, I’ll provide some (random) thoughts for the fantasy hoopsters out there.

For each division, I’ll pick the order of finish. You’ll also see the team’s league-wide preseason rank in parenthesis. Be sure to check back on Thursday for a preview of the Central Division and on Saturday for the Atlantic Division.

Orlando Magic (4)
The Magic were busy this summer, but did they get better? Only time will tell. Vince Carter, Brandon Bass and Jason Williams are in, and Hedo Turkoglu, Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston are out. Orlando fended off a strong run from the Mavs for the services of Marcin Gortat, and actually played Mark Cuban and Co. pretty well by stealing the up-and-coming Bass away in the process. It appears that Bass may start at power forward, which would move Rashard Lewis to small forward. Since the mismatches Lewis created at power forward were one of the Magic’s strengths last season, this may not be written in stone. Orlando also has the option of starting Mickael Pietrus at small forward and moving Lewis back to PF. But the biggest change to the lineup is the loss of Turkoglu and the acquisition of the 32 year-old Vince Carter, who will likely take over Turkoglu’s initiation of the offense. But keep in mind that the Magic made their playoff run without the services of All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson, and his return will be a significant boost to an already strong roster. The Magic didn’t just tinker with their Finals roster from last year, they made a pretty major overhaul, so it will be interesting to see how this group gels. Stan Van Gundy is one of the best coaches in the NBA, and the regular season should provide plenty of time for the Magic to work the kinks out. A deep playoff run is likely.

Read the rest of this entry »

Shaq says Cavs are the best team he’s ever been on…at least on paper. Shaq has never been one to shy away from a juicy quote, but in touting his team, he calls Anderson Varejao “one of the top forwards in the league” and mentioned rookie Darnell Jackson by his nickname (D-Block). Um, okay. If it’s all the same, we’ll wait to see how this team fares on the court, especially in the playoffs. Did Shaq meet with the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department? Shaq refused to confirm the report: “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he told The News-Herald. “Undercover officers aren’t allowed to talk about what’s going on.” Classic.

Andrew Bogut is ready for more work. Bogut is coming off a back injury that kept him out for much of the last four months of the 2008-09 season. Given his career numbers — 11.9 ppg, 8.7 rpg — he’s not a bust, but he’s certainly not what the Bucks were expecting when they took him with the #1 pick back in 2005. Milwaukee passed on Chris Paul and Deron Williams, two franchise-caliber point guards, and even Marvin Williams might be looking better right now since he’s been able to stay healthy. Bogut played in 82 games his rookie season, but since then, he has missed 27% of his team’s games and the Bucks haven’t made the postseason. This is a big year for the Aussie, who needs to prove that his contract (worth $60 million) is justified.

Stephen Jackson to the Cavs? This rumor has Jackson heading to Cleveland for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and his expiring contract. The Cavs are already loaded at the wing with LeBron, Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker, but the saga of Delonte West, might have the Cavs looking to add to the arsenal. However, it’s going to be tough to find minutes for all of these players as it stands, and Jackson isn’t one to sit quietly if he’s not getting what he believes to be appropriate playing time.

Is Gilbert Arenas changing his game? Arenas has always been a shoot-first point guard, but he only took five shots and dished out 10 assists against the Grizzlies on Tuesday. HC Flip Saunders wants him to be more aggressive, so we’re more likely to see a watered-down version of 2006 Agent Zero than some new, pass-first variety.

Nets looking to run offense through Brook Lopez. HC Lawrence Frank redesigned his offense to feature Lopez at the top of the key and at the elbows. He wants Lopez to facilitate, so expect the second-year center’s numbers to rise with all the additional touches.

Gilbert Arenas said he’s doing great with his knee rehab, but criticized the Wizards for — get this — letting him play when he said that he could play.

“If you have a kid that loves basketball, that eats, sleeps, drinks and thinks basketball and all he knows is basketball and he gets hurt and he’s your franchise player, you need to hold him back from himself,” Arenas told the newspaper. “If I’m saying I feel good and you know it’s supposed to take six months, instead of letting me at four months run … they should have held me back. Rather than saying, ‘Let’s let this guy do what he wants and use him to sell tickets’ — sometimes you have to protect players from themselves. I don’t feel like I got that type of protection. But, I don’t judge them for that. Some things just happen. I told them I felt OK because I wanted to play, and they did what they did.”

Man, that takes balls, doesn’t it? Sometimes you have to protect players from themselves. Give me a break.

Athletes come back early from injuries all the time. Sometimes it backfires and sometimes it doesn’t. If Arenas told the team he was ready to go, it’s not the Wizards’ fault that he wasn’t. It’s his fault.

Had the team pressured Arenas to get back on the court, then this criticism would be justified. But for Arenas to blame the Wizards for his mistake is pure projection.

The Wizards’ #5 pick has been the subject of much speculation in the weeks leading up to the draft, and it looks like it may have finally found a home.

The Washington Wizards are close to a deal that would send the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s draft, Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas and Darius Songaila to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, a league source told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher on Tuesday.

The Wolves would then keep the draft pick and their own selection at No. 6 and not try to package those to move up, a source told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz.

The Wizards had a hole at off guard, and they certainly filled it with this trade. DeShawn Stevenson and Nick Young manned the position last season, so Foye and Miller will give the Wizards two more perimeter weapons. But are Foye and Miller worth whatever the Wizards would have been able to get with the #5 pick?

Whether or not Minnesota fans like this trade will depend on how much they like Randy Foye. While he averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 assists last season, he shot just 41% from the field and wasn’t particularly efficient in his minutes (PER: 13.76). Miller is a good player, but he just had the worst season of his career, failing to crack double digits in scoring (though he did average 6.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists for a PER of 13.84). I think he can still help the Wizards.

The T-Wolves are reportedly most interested in Hasheem Thabeet and Stephen Curry, though there is no guarantee that either player will be available at #5. In fact, Thabeet is projected to go #2 or #3, while Curry is more likely to be available at #5. Since this is such a point guard heavy draft, I wonder what the T-Wolves plan to do if the draft goes as follows: #1 Blake Griffin, #2 Hasheem Thabeet, #3 James Harden and #4 Ricky Rubio — will they draft two guards like Curry and Tyreke Evans? Or will they draft Jordan Hill at a position that is already a position of strength? Or will they go with Curry and DeMar DeRozan, who can play either wing position? Are Jonny Flynn, Brandon Jennings or Jrue Holiday in the mix?

If Harden slips to #5 and Curry is there, Minnesota could lock up its backcourt in one fell swoop.

Obviously, rumors and innuendo spread like wildfire on the internet, and at times they quickly become supposed fact. For example, take this gem from Tom Knott of the Washington Times.

The Mavericks are said to be interested in the fifth pick and the prospect of drafting Jordan Hill.

The teams have made nice in the past, most recently in the swap that secured Jamison in 2004. The Mavericks also were kind enough to relieve the Wizards of Juwan Howard in 2001.

The Mavericks apparently are willing to part with either Jason Terry or Josh Howard to sweeten a potential deal. The Mavericks would be obligated to accept an expiring contract of the Wizards, the one belonging to either the Poet or Mike James.

Notice the language…The Mavs “are said to be interested” and “apparently are willing to part” with one of their core players for the #5 pick. Anytime a writer starts throwing phrases like “are said” and words like “apparently” into his piece, he’s probably just spreading a rumor. But did Knott start this rumor? He writes for a Washington paper, so his job is to talk about the Wizards — how would he know what the Mavs want to do? This DIME post references Knott’s article. So does the ESPN rumor section. It appears that Knott is the source.

But when you read what Knott wrote, it’s clear that he is no source at all. This is pure speculation, but he says it as if it’s widely known that the Mavs want to move up and that they’d be willing to give up Jason Terry or Josh Howard. How convenient — the Wizards are in “win now” mode and could really use another wing to complement Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler at off guard.

However, aren’t the Mavs in “win now” mode too? In fact, you could argue that with Dirk Nowitzki’s championship window most definitely closing, that Dallas is further into “win now” territory than the Wizards are. Why would they want to give up Howard or Terry, two important pieces to their championship puzzle? The DIME piece says this would be a good fiscal move for Mark Cuban, but since when has he ever cared about his payroll? Why would he approve a move that is going to set the Mavs back (as this move almost certainly would)? According to Knott, the Mavs are “supposedly” interested in using that #5 pick to draft Jordan Hill, a raw player with a ton of upside. Why would the Mavs trade away a proven wing for a project that plays the same position as their star player? It just doesn’t make any sense.

I am as guilty as the next blogger of kicking around these rumors, but I’m not going to just make something up. And when something sounds dumb, I’ll say so. This one sounds dumb.

So Wizards fans, I may be wrong, but don’t hold your breath hoping to see Josh Howard or Jason Terry in your starting lineup this November. Unless Cuban wants to get rid of Howard’s tendency to get into trouble, there isn’t much in it for him.

…or so says Michael Lee of the Washington Post.

The Wizards, or Ernie Grunfeld in particular, has invested a lot into this group with Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison. I think he really wants to see how far they can go if they are healthy. Jamison is the only Wizard to start in the past four postseasons and he was a one-man show in 2007, back when Gilbert and Caron Butler were out against Cleveland. They signed with the intention of keeping him. The best time to move Jamison was at the trade deadline last February.

NBCWashington.com’s Kyle Weidie expands on that line of thinking…

More important than the investments of Grunfeld are the interests of Abe Pollin. The aging owner is willing to do what it takes to compete for a title, but anyone familiar with Pollin’s modus operandi knows that doesn’t mean trading away an upstanding member of the community like Antawn.

Sure, the “perfect” opportunity could come knocking. But NBA GMs, especially in these economic times, won’t be rapping their knuckles on doors for a soon-to-be 33-year-old with three years and $40+ million left on his contract. Isiah Thomas is no longer running a team, people.

One look at the Wizards’ payroll and it’s easy to see that it’s a mess. Gilbert Arenas’s contract is ridiculous for a guy who has missed 91% of his team’s games over the last two years, and the Wizards still owe him $96 million over the next five seasons. Jamison is almost 33 and has more than $40 million remaining on his contract. The only truly reasonable deal amongst Washington’s “Big Three” is Caron Butler’s contract, but it’s also the shortest at two years and $21 million. Arenas and Jamison are virtually unmovable right now, and the Wizards would be dumb to trade Butler, who is arguably the team’s best all-around player.

Grunfeld wants to see what this group can do, and that’s great because he doesn’t really have any other options. He has hitched his wagon to this trio — or specifically to Arenas and Jamison — and is hoping they can succeed. But even with a healthy Arenas, does anyone really think the Wizards are a legit contender? Brendan Haywood is playing better (when healthy), but the Wizards still need a couple of big men to step into prominent roles. Washington has the fifth pick in the draft, but it is no sure thing that they’ll be able to find someone to help right away (Jordan Hill?), and the team is most definitely in “win now” mode.

My guess is that Arenas comes back reasonably strong and the Wizards finish the season as a #6 or #7 seed in the East, likely to be dismissed in the first round of the playoffs by Boston, Cleveland or Orlando. That’s probably a best-case scenario, and it’s not all that good, especially when the franchise is locked into this roster for the foreseeable future.

This weekend, WrestleMania 25 will be held in Houston, and it promises to be one of the biggest shows of the year. It’s a culmination of the past year’s feuds decided inside the squared circle. Vince McMahon created this event and Hulk Hogan put it on the map, but the rabid fans have turned WrestleMania into wrestling’s own Super Bowl. Their support has transformed the WWE into the most successful pro wrestling promotion in entertainment sports today. And for that, they should be applauded!

All times ET…

NBA
Friday, 8 PM: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic (ESPN)
Friday, 10:30 PM: Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers (ESPN)
Saturday, 3 PM: Detroit Pistons @ Philadelphia 76ers (ESPN)
Saturday, 7 PM: Miami Heat @ Washington Wizards (NBA TV)
Sunday, 1 PM: San Antonio Spurs @ Cleveland Cavaliers (ABC)
Sunday, 3:30 PM: Phoenix Suns @ Dallas Mavericks (ABC)
Sunday, 7 PM: Portland Trail Blazers @ Houston Rockets (NBA TV)

NHL
Saturday, 7 PM: Philadelphia Flyers @ Ottawa Senators (CBC)
Saturday, 10 PM: Vancouver Canucks @ Edmonton Oilers (CBC)
Sunday, 12:30 PM: Minnesota Wild @ Detroit Red Wings (NBC)

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Saturday, 6:07 PM: (2) Michigan State vs. (1) Connecticut (CBS)
Saturday, 8:47 PM: (3) Villanova vs. (1) North Carolina (CBS)

NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament
Sunday, 7 PM: (3) Louisville vs. (1) Oklahoma (ESPN)
Sunday, 9 PM: (2) Stanford vs. (1) Connecticut (ESPN)

MLB
Sunday, 8 PM: Atlanta Braves @ Philadelphia Phillies (ESPN)