Reeling Wizards 'not sinking yet'

Basketball Betting Lines

02/12/2007 -

WASHINGTON (AP) -The Washington Wizards, who rode good chemistry to become a feel-good story over the first half of the NBA season, have hit the skids in losing four of their past five games. A lot has gone wrong in a few days, dampening what was supposed to be a crowning week of achievement as Gilbert Arenas, coach Eddie Jordan and Caron Butler head to this weekend's All-Star game.

Also, the backup center is suspended for fighting with the starting center. Antawn Jamison, the team captain, is injured, and the team is trying to figure out how to replace him.

``It's time for guys just to be ready to take that challenge and continue to have the boat float until I get back,'' Jamison said after a practice and players-only meeting Monday. ``It's not sinking yet, but they're throwing rocks on it. It's getting heavy. We've just got to continue to stay positive and have fun. Right now, we're not having fun.''

Arenas surely isn't. Not only did the impulsive point guard fail to score his promised 50 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday (he finished with only nine), he also took a swipe at his coach following the 94-73 loss.

Arenas criticized Jordan for overemphasizing defense in the game. Arenas said he was playing ``like a robot'' for fear of being sat down for a defensive mistake.

Jamison, the team's unquestioned locker room leader, wasted no time handling Arenas. Arenas has one of the most colorful personalities in the league and often speaks his mind, but this was going too far.

``I talked to him,'' Jamison said. ``He's like a little brother you've got to spank every once in a while. I put him in the closet and whooped his (butt) last night.''

It wasn't over for Arenas. On Monday morning, Jordan took him through a one-on-one film session, giving him a play-by-play of why the Wizards are struggling without Jamison and what needs to be done to correct it.

``What's important is that Gil and I got together and talked, and things are very, very positive,'' Jordan said.

The chapter didn't close Monday, however, because Arenas chose not to set the record straight on his own behalf. He declined requests for interviews after practice, leaving others to speak for him.

``He's just frustrated of late,'' Jamison said. ``He knows he made some mistakes, and he's going to do everything possible to patch things up and go out there and do something on the court. ... He's got to understand that he's one of the well-known basketball players in the NBA, so no matter what is said and done, he's definitely under a microscope, and he just has to be more cautious and choose what comes out of his mouth. He realizes that.''

Meanwhile, Jordan reflected on the ``real good high'' the Wizards were riding less than two weeks ago - until the knee injury that will sideline Jamison for three to six weeks. Then center Etan Thomas was suspended two games and banned from practice for punching Brendan Haywood during practice on Friday. Add in the latest Arenas saga and it's no surprise there was the 30-minute players meeting Monday - the first since training camp.

``You're going to have disagreements in the household,'' Butler said. ``I disagree with my brother all the time. You have to know how to make everything work, and that's what we're doing now.''

Getting everyone back on the same page might be the easy part. What's hard is finding a way to win without Jamison, who was averaging 19 points.

That's why Jordan was stressing defense on Sunday, something he's tried to do for three years with little success. The Wizards have been winning with their offensive prowess, but that's harder to do without the floor leadership and points production from their captain.

``I was just a little more impatient with having to see people make mistakes over and over again,'' said Jordan, who shuffled players in and out frequently during the first half. ``As a coach that's my duty. In the NBA, you sit down when you keep making the same mistakes.''

Jordan has started three players in Jamison's spot - Calvin Booth, Jarvis Hayes and Andray Blatche - with little success. The Wizards will try again Wednesday at Philadelphia, but without Jamison they look like a hockey team forced to play with a man down - for the entire game.

``He's very crucial to our success, obviously,'' guard Antonio Daniels said. ``You know the old saying - you never know what you had 'til it's gone.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.