Wizards of Washington D.C; Why the Wizards Are so Bad

The Washington Wizards have struggled recently, big time.The Wizards have the worst record in the NBA at 2-14 and there isn't much improvement in sight.

Thanks to the NBA Draft Lottery, there is a good chance if the Wizards end up with the worst record in the NBA they may not even get the number one pick. Granted, this years draft looks to be quite deep but the top prize is most likely going to be Kentucky F/C Anthony Davis. Davis, especially with a little more work in the weight room, would slip right into an NBA lineup.

But keeping with the present, the Wizards are a team stock-piled with young talent. They have 11 players age 26 and under. Yes, a whole ELEVEN. That is unheard of for any team. 4 of those players are in the starting lineup.

Because of the young talent, the Wizards desperately struggle to play as a team, understandably. When your whole life you are used to being the man, the go-to guy, the guy with the ball always in his hands it is tough to finally be a team player. It is just second-nature to try and always be the man.

The Wizards average about 17 assists per game as a team, 8 of them coming from second-year guard John Wall.

Staying on the topic of John Wall, Wall is their most talented player. Just 21 years of age, Wall has already been credited as one of the top point guards in the league. Wall puts up decent numbers; 15.7 PPG, 7.4 APG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.4 SPG. Sounds better than decent doesn't it? Well here are the bad stats; 3.9 turnovers per game, 1.9 A/TO ratio, .364% from the field, and he has not hit a three-pointer all season.

The worst part of those stats would probably have to be the fact that Wall, who is a so-called "superstar" is 0-8 from beyond the arc this season. He is a guard. Guards are supposed to be able to hit deep shots when needed. Wall can't be trusted to even hit the rim on a jump shot from 18+ feet out.

Wall's insane athleticism and ability to attack the basket almost makes up for his inability to shoot the deep ball. Watch a Wizards game soon. As tough as it may be, closely watch John Wall. You won't have to do much work, as Wall seems to be all over the court for more good reasons than bad. When Wall gets the ball on a fast break he is electrifying. He puts it on full throttle and unleashes his arsenal of crossovers to get to the hoop and score. The issue? Wall doesn't do this often. The Wizards don't get many steals and fastbreaks, but when they do Wall nonchalantly runs the floor. He doesn't look to make plays. It is unfortunate to have a player with such talent playing average at best.

While the Wizards have young players still on rookie contracts, they have little cap space to make transactions for the good. Good ole' Rashard Lewis is chewing up over $22 million of the Wizards money. Next highest money-maker? Andray Blatche who is making about $7 million.

Blatche has been incompetent and lazy. He seems to have no inspiration to play and looks to be tearing the Wizards apart. Just my point of view.

The Wizards play a lot of 1-on-1 basketball. Their set offense is pathetic and the ball movement is awful. What will it take to make these Wizard players play to their full potential? They could at least show that they do have some talent.

Wizards fans out there, leave your opinion and comment below. In fact, any one that has any opinion comment below.

Also, follow me on Twitter @fgasper25

Rapid Review; Fighting Illini Drop a Close One to the Badgers

The Fighting Illini came into Assembly Hall today winning 14 straight at home and ready to square off against an unusually struggling Wisconsin Badgers team. With former Illini center Mike Tisdale, former Illini alum and professional golfer Steve Stricker, and Illini recruit Michael Orris all in attendance the Illini were in need for a good game.

The Illini recently dropped a close game to Penn St. 54-52. Speaking of Penn State, let us all have a quick moment of silence for former football coach Joe Paterno who passed this morning at the ripe, young age of 85.

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Back to basketball. After losing a close game to the Nittany Lions the Illini could use a good win.

1st half
The Illini began the game with yet another streak of poor shooting. Not everybody began the game rough, as Joseph Bertrand was on fire again. The 6'5" sophomore used his perfected floater in the lane to jump out and score 12 points on 5/7 shooting to add with 5 rebounds.

To make up for the poor shooting, the Illini played great defense. They made the Badgers work until the end of the shot clock for what seemed for over half of the possessions. They held star guard Jordan Taylor in-check. The Badgers average about 9 turnovers a game, the fewest in the entire NCAA. In the first-half alone, they had 8. Unfortunately, the Illini did not take advantage.

It was still a weak showing for Meyers Leonard. He outsized the weaker and smaller Wisconsin big men, but Meyers insists on playing smaller than he is. He continues to drift out to the three point line. He sets screens out there, which is what he is supposed to do, but he doesn't roll off of them. He turns and looks for a mid-range shot.

There needed to be better shot selection on the offensive side of the ball. There was an instance in the first half with 27 seconds left on the shot clock. Brandon Paul decided it would be a good time to chuck up a three. It has been an issue all season.

So-called Illini "stars" Meyers Leonard and Brandon Paul combined for a whole 4 points in the first half.

The game was tied at 26 at half.

2nd half
There was a point early in the second-half where Joseph Bertrand was 6/8 from the field. The rest of the Illini were 5/22.

Leonard continued to try and be a passer instead of a scorer. I do not know about you, but I don't know many 7'1" point guards.

I did see a few moments of greatness. With about 15 minutes left in the game, Meyers Leonard came to set a screen for Joseph Bertrand. Bertrand dribbled off the screen and Meyers rolled to the basket. Executed perfectly, Bertrand tossed a pass to Meyers for the easy lay-in. It is that simple. A plain pick-and-roll can generate easy points for the Illini, but Meyers does not roll out of the screen like he should.

Not too much later true freshman guard Tracy Abrams out of Mount Caramel lobbed a great pass to Leonard for the HUGE and-one alley-oop dunk. It brought the crowd to their feet and put the Illini up 46-43.

That's when Meyers hit a spark and scored 7 straight for the Illini. He was hot and hungry for the ball. He even hit a smooth mid-range jump shot. Unfortunately, as the Illini tend to do, Meyers stopped getting the ball. They quit giving him the ball and Wisconsin took advantage. They put up 7 quick points and put the game near out of reach.

After holding guard Jordan Taylor to less than 10 points for most of the game, Taylor scored 7 points in the final 36 seconds.

The Illini lost 67-63. They showed moments of strength and moments of weakness throughout the game. They tend to play to the level of their competition, although.

The Badgers rose to 16-5, 5-3 in the Big Ten as the Illini dropped to 15-5, 4-3 in the Big Ten.

The Illini square off against Minnesota next Saturday. A seemingly must-win for the Illini.

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What is wrong with the Illinois Fighting Illini?

The University of Illinois basketball program has had it's ups and downs, this season especially. They've had wins against Ohio State, Gonzaga, and Maryland but losses against Penn State, Purdue, and Mizzou.

The Ups
The Illini are very streaky. But when they're on, they're on. Against the #5 team in the nation, Ohio State, Brandon Paul had one of the most remarkable games in Illini history. BP3 dropped 43 points and 8-10 from beyond the three-point line.

Paul is not the only one to have shining moments. Meyers Leonard has shown moments of greatness during the season. Leonard has had 5 double-doubles this season and very many game-changing moments.

Sam Maniscalco was a blessing in disguise early in the year. Maniscalco is a 5th year senior transfer from Bradley. Sam transferred because Bradley did not have one of the classes he needed to take for his degree. He began the year dishing dimes and hitting shots.

Joseph Bertrand has also been an emerging star. I have always seen the talent in him, but he has never had the confidence to show it. Streaks of 12 and 13 consecutive made shots have  highlighted his great recent explosion. Because of it his playing time has dramatically increased.

The Downs
The 15-3 record may seem promising, but the downs have seemed to overweigh the ups. Meyers Leonard must be hungry. Hungry for the basketball that is. There have been games where Meyers is not receiving the ball down low. Although, he must be stronger. Must finish strong and not drift out to the three-point line. When Leonard stays strong down low and uses his size over smaller defenders, that is when he has great games. But in many games he plays smaller than he is and wants to be a point guard. He wants to step out, shoot the deep ball and make passes. That is not his role. He must stick to the 2-16 foot range and score down low.

Leonard has not been the only inconsistent factor for the Illini this season. Brandon Paul's shooting has been off and on. You can often tell when his shot is going to be on for the night and when it is going to be on. His form changes from time-to-time.

What the Illini need to change
They need to run a more efficient offense. Move the ball and find easier shots. More penetration and less settling for jump shots. More post feeds and less dribbling around the perimeter. They need to stop playing to the level of their competition. Against bad teams, they play bad. Against great teams, they play great.

The Illini do have a promising future, but they do need to worry about right now. It should be interesting to watch the Illini for the rest of the season.

Anthony Davis; What Makes Him the Number One Player in the Nation

Kentucky's 6'10" center out of Chicago, Illinois Anthony Davis has been an absolute menace out on the floor this season. His presence frightens the opposition.

Davis is averaging an outstanding 13.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and a nation leading 4.7 blocks per game. But the numbers do not say it all for Davis. His presence down on the block sends opposing coaches minds into a frenzy. How do you attack the basket around him? Want to know how? Well.... you can't. His long, but strong body allows him to affect any shot from 10 feet to the basket.

While Davis does block nearly 5 shots a game, it would be interesting to see how many shots he affects. Not blocks, but alters. Watching the Kentucky-Alabama game today I noticed something. Players are afraid to attack the basket with Davis down low. When they do, they often have to get a shot up over Davis' 7'4" wingspan. He will absolutely demolish the single-season blocks record for Kentucky by the end of the season. He has already broken the record and it is barely 20 games in.

Davis has had NINE games with 5+ blocks and a season-high of 8. That game he had 8 blocks, he also just-so happened to have 15 points and 15 rebounds, nearing a rare triple-double. Do not expect this man, yes man, to slow down anytime soon. He is only going to improve. He is beginning to take more shots and have a bigger offensive affect than in the early season.

While Kentucky does have too many weapons to even try defending, Davis may be their best. He gets at it defensively, runs the floor, and gets the easy points down low.

Any young player trying to learn the big-man game should watch film of Anthony Davis. He is an all-around great player. Might it be the power of the uni-brow? It might be, but either way Davis will look to be a continuous threat for the rest of the season.

A little bit about me...

Why I created this blog
I've wanted to write for a sports  website of any kind possible, but as a 14 year-old there are nearly zero opportunities out there. I decided to create my own blog and journal of my thoughts about certain topics.

I love to talk and discuss sports. I need to get my thoughts out there somewhere and I think my Facebook friends were getting sick of me babbling about things that mean little to them.


What I am hoping to do
I am hoping to expose my journalism skills and my sports knowledge. As just a middle-schooler, few people put an ear to your words. Anything you say goes in one ear and out the other. Whether you are right or wrong...well wait, as a 14 year-old you may as well never be right. Nobody bothers to listen.  If I can show people I know what I am talking about, maybe people will realize us young ones know what we are saying once in a while.

What I want YOU to do
What I am seeking for you, the readers, to do is check back every few days for updates. I am hoping for this to develop into more of a sports website atmosphere rather than a blog. I want you to debate with me and share your opinions. I will give you my HONEST opinion, something you do not find on the internet too much these days.

I am hoping you visit back early and often.

Please follow me on Twitter @fgasper25