| Coming up Short Authored by Aaron “LyricalRico” Archer - January 22, 2007 - 8:48 pm
January 22, 2007
By Aaron “LyricalRico” Archer
The American way has always been to strive for the biggest and the most. The biggest homes and cars, the most possessions and things. People always want more. Of course many of us have to make do with less - but we’d certainly take more if we had the chance. That’s why it’s so puzzling when Washington Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan routinely chooses to go with less height in his lineups. Indeed it’s more than puzzling. It’s darn frustrating.
A classic example is the Wizards most recent win against the Boston Celtics. The Wizards, the first place team in the Eastern Conference and were playing like it through the first half. They had a double figure lead at halftime and extended their lead to 21 points going in the third quarter. Then Eddie Jordan took out 7-footer Brendan Haywood, who was having an effective game, and went with a small lineup. The 6-foot-8 Antawn Jamison played center and the 6-foot-6 Jarvis Hayes played power forward.
At that point, the Celtics went on a 43-18 run that extended into the 4th quarter. They even took the lead before Jordan went back to the 7-foot Haywood with mere minutes to go in the game. The team responded to tie the game, send it into overtime, and go on to win. Isn’t all well that ends well? No.
The Celtics are a last place team that was missing its top two scorers, supremely beatable for a division leader like the Wizards. The fact is that the Wizards had them on the ropes and could have won the game going away. The reason they didn’t? Eddie Jordan’s choice to go with a small lineup. It would be different if the big men were hurt or not playing well but Brendan Haywood was dominant in the first half and his backup Etan Thomas was collecting blocked shots like they were going out of style. There was no reason for them to be on the bench. The fact that they were changed the momentum of the game and gave a discouraged team a chance to regain the momentum.
This isn’t the first time that Eddie Jordan has made such a mistake. In fact, he has consistently gone to small ball in almost every game this year. Sometimes it’s only situational, which is understandable. However, it is all too often a clear gaffe that serves to give an advantage to the other team. Still, aside from a small pocket of educated fans this has gone largely unnoticed by the media and fans at large. Or perhaps they have noticed it but they have been distracted by the late game heroics of Gilbert Arenas. Either way, this problem needs to be addressed, especially considering the improved play of centers Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas.
What’s interesting is that the improved play of both Thomas and Haywood has not been universally acknowledged. Many fans still look at the box score and say that they aren’t getting the job done. Yet, you’ll have to agree that the amount of time a player spends in the game impacts his statistical production. Consider this: Haywood’s per 40 numbers (the extrapolated amount of points, etc. he would have if he played 40 minutes per game) have him averaging 11 points and almost 12 rebounds per game. Etan Thomas’ numbers project to be 11 points and 10 rebounds per contest. Either would be in the top 10 in center rankings with those numbers and there would be no complaints from the fan base.
Of course those are only statistical projections but the fact that these players play just over 40 minutes combined shows that they are grossly underused, especially when you consider that Haywood may be the team’s best defender. Even Calvin Booth, another 7-footer has been effective in limited minutes. The NBA has historically been a big man’s game and even in today’s run-and-gun era, the center position has still been the deciding factor in most championship matchups. Unfortunately this seems to be lost on the Wizards coaching staff. The question is why?
To that end, this article is a notice to the local media. Informed Wizards fans are calling you out and imploring you to get answers from Eddie Jordan about “height-gate”. Although Jordan did admittedly regret going to a smaller lineup and coughing up big lead to the Celtics, he needs to be called on it far more often. Let’s see what justification he can give for imposing his own short man’s complex on our favorite team. The Wizards are in first place and Eddie Jordan needs to coach like it. Right now he’s coming up short.
Aaron can reached directly at lyricalrico2k1@hotmail.com with any comments, questions, or musings.
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