We're 9-5 since Gils absense. 13-10 NOW!

[coldpacker]

I love Gil as most as the next guy. But this team is playing so much better w/o him.

Gils decision to opt out of his last year couldn't have come at a worse time for him and the best time for us.

It's almost as if we never knew what this team was capable of b/c Gil was running the show most of the time.

This is the most i've seen the Wizards keep teams below 100 points. Someone needs to put the stats up from the first 25 games of each season, how many of them we've had 3 or more (or all of our starters) w/ 10 or more points.

I'm almost thinking we should entertain trade ideas for a more solid young PG.

His surgery seems like a blessing in disguise.

[skinfan2k]

You might be great in the regular season without him, but to win a championship Gil is needed

[SkipJackSkin]

You might be great in the regular season without him, but to win a championship Gil is needed

I agree, but if we keep playing like this and the whole team contributes, then we have a legit shot at the playoffs.

[DjTj]

I agree, but if we keep playing like this and the whole team contributes, then we have a legit shot at the playoffs.We've been in the playoffs every year for the past three years ... I think we've progressed beyond "One Team, One Goal" by now.

The Wizards have run off a good winning streak, but we weren't really competitive against the Suns or the Spurs, and Gilbert probably could have made a game-winning shot against the Sixers.

We're a good team without Gilbert. With Gilbert, we can be a great team.

[stwasm]

Bill Simmons' Ewing Theory seems to have struck D.C. But, most importantly, we're 13-5 since our 0-5 start. Hmmmm.

[LiveStrongSkins]

You people are so short sighted that its disgusting. We aren't 13-10 because of Gilbert being hurt. With Gilbert this is a much, much better team. This run has alot more to do with the emergence of the bench and the guys stepping up when their name is called. With a healthy Gilbert our bench is EVEN BETTER because you have Antonio Daniels coming in and setting up scorers like Mason, Young, Songalia and Blatche.

[909997]

i dont look at it that way

look at it this way blatche is getting more minutes, haywood is having a career season, nick young>jarvis hayes, Stevenson improved, Butler is playing top 3 at his position, eddie is coaching better, better rotation, more confidence, and new defensive coach.

With gil back we will even get better, because gil said it himself he will spread the ball out more, since he has seen what his teammates can do.

Do u think we are the only one thats noticing that we have players that can score? arenas is watching the same games and smiling, he prob cant wait to comeback and play with this revamped team.

[clathel]

Haywood is being allowed to show what he can do on offense and defense because Gil isnt brining in a culture of ball-hogging and every man for himself.

The Wizards are acting like a team and it shows through the defense being more sound, less turnovers and fouls, and more steals and rebounds.

Gil's influence might be good for a team like Phoenix or Dallas where they have sound defensive people that can shoot or the Lakers where that culture is ingrained into the environment, but in Washington it doesn't play so well and we could get alot of quality at the 1, 4 and 5 positions for Gil.

I did like that he was showing a committment to defense before he got injured but he was putting up alot of bad shots and our shooting percentage across the board was way down because of him and his influence. The great thing is that his absence has shown that we are a great team given the chance and improving with every game.

Gil's absence has shown what a great job of GMing EG is doing and what a great coach Ayers is.

I hope that when Gil comes back he will have a greater respect for this team and stop bringing that ballhogging influence of the Big Three and no one else on the floor. If we have a culture where anyone can score 20 on any given night then we will succeed beyond everyones expectations.

We need to be able to have a guy be able to come off the bench on a given night and score 20-30 or 10-15 rebounds or 4 blocks and have other teams look at us and say " Dang! Where did he come from? I was trying to protect against X and this guy comes off bench and torches me." The Lakers, Boston, Chicago...all the great teams of the past could do that to you. We are very close to that now.

Gil could be the answer in a trade or he could come back with a new attitude and be the answer on the court.

[abdcskins]

I love Gil as most as the next guy. But this team is playing so much better w/o him.


Agreed. My big concern is that Gilbert comes back and starts taking tons of shots, thereby neutralizng the team ball that we have now realized. He is not the best at sharing the ball. But it's no guarantee dude is going to play again this year, peeps need to realize that.

[method man]

Haywood is being allowed to show what he can do on offense and defense because Gil isnt brining in a culture of ball-hogging and every man for himself.

The Wizards are acting like a team and it shows through the defense being more sound, less turnovers and fouls, and more steals and rebounds.

Gil's influence might be good for a team like Phoenix or Dallas where they have sound defensive people that can shoot or the Lakers where that culture is ingrained into the environment, but in Washington it doesn't play so well and we could get alot of quality at the 1, 4 and 5 positions for Gil.

I did like that he was showing a committment to defense before he got injured but he was putting up alot of bad shots and our shooting percentage across the board was way down because of him and his influence. The great thing is that his absence has shown that we are a great team given the chance and improving with every game.

Gil's absence has shown what a great job of GMing EG is doing and what a great coach Ayers is.

I hope that when Gil comes back he will have a greater respect for this team and stop bringing that ballhogging influence of the Big Three and no one else on the floor. If we have a culture where anyone can score 20 on any given night then we will succeed beyond everyones expectations.

We need to be able to have a guy be able to come off the bench on a given night and score 20-30 or 10-15 rebounds or 4 blocks and have other teams look at us and say " Dang! Where did he come from? I was trying to protect against X and this guy comes off bench and torches me." The Lakers, Boston, Chicago...all the great teams of the past could do that to you. We are very close to that now.

Gil could be the answer in a trade or he could come back with a new attitude and be the answer on the court.

That's what I really like about these Gil-less Wizards. Every night you have like 5 people in double figures and besides the usual 3 (Wood, Jamison, and Butler), you have either Mason, Blatche, Songaila, Stevenson, or Young step up

[desioreo87]

There is an easy way to bring Gil back without ruining the chemistry of the team. Put him at the 2. let AD run the offense as he has been doing getting other guys involved and allowing them to find their shots. Gil at the 2 has always been the right play in my opinion as he is not mature enough to run the offense. Doing this would take the ball out of his hands and control the amount of rushed shots he takes. I think getting him the ball of screens and picks in dangerous positions where he penetrate and draw fouls or spot up for jumpers will make him way more effective inour offense and increase his shooting percentage.

[arenasisgod]

Even with Gilbert and his team-killing, ball-shooting, game-winning, internet posting ways 100% intact, the Wizards wouldnt have had a problem with the cupcakes they have been feasting on lately. Seriously, other than Dallas (who aren't setting the world on fire this year), they have only beaten scrubs.

[Chachie]

You might be great in the regular season without him, but to win a championship Gil is needed


No title for the Wiz this year even with Gil. The "benefit" of losing him right now is finding out what we have and better applying that to next season with Arenas back onboard. There are guys getting super-awesome experience right now like Nick Young and Roger Mason Jr and these guys are becoming winners in his absence. I don't know how long this success will last in the '07-'08 season, but as long as they keep playing the defense that they have, we could be a 4 or 5 seed which would shock the world and leave SUCH an upside for next season. Quite frankly, I see the Arenas injury as a weird blessing.

[pjfootballer]

We just need to keep beating the teams we're supposed to beat and pull off some upsets against the teams we aren't supposed to beat.

[da#1skinsfan]

You guys are in fantasy land. 14 games does not make a season.

We havent been playing great teams for one, for two, we havent faced other significant injuries...if Butler or Jamison or Haywood or Blatche tweaks something, then what happens? Three, youre talking about one of the most prolific scorers in the game. How does his absence help anything???

We've been playing well, yes. Does Gil's absence allow Blatche to block more shots? Haywood to get more rebounds and play better D? Deshawn to drain open 3's? No. All of that can come WITH Gilbert and his 30ppg and 6apg as well. Just in moderation.

I think this team has learned that its bench is young and getting better, and that rotation is key. From that we have benefitted. But to say we dont need Gilbert or we are a better team without him....just crazy.

[jobedoza]

Even though the Wiz has been pretty good even with the absence of Gil, he's needed for us to go anywhere. He's a big reason why the Wizards have gotten where they are as a franchise during the past couple of years (him and the genius of Ernie Grunfeld).

If the Wiz can stay around or above .500 ball while Gilbert is gone, they are in good shape. And, when Gilbert comes back and helps the Wiz go even further, then he will still be good to sign, and hopefully, we can sign him. But, since he's been injured, I'm hoping that he won't ask as much as may have originally had in mind. If he asks for a lot, we might end up losing Jamison (since he's an older guy, and in a contract year too).

[da#1skinsfan]

I think even Jamison is surprised at his level of play since hes joined this franchise, and especially to start off this season. I dont think either of them are going anywhere...I bet Jamison is even willing to take a cut to stay if Arenas' deal hurts our ability to spend.

[hands11]

[QUOTE=clathel]

I hope that when Gil comes back he will have a greater respect for this team and stop bringing that ballhogging influence of the Big Three and no one else on the floor. If we have a culture where anyone can score 20 on any given night then we will succeed beyond everyones expectations.

QUOTE]

:) Excellent view. The ball hogging big 3. I wish I would have come up with that. So all we need to do was kill the big 3 idea and play team ball.

[CustomApparelDirect]

WHAT WIZARDS Basketball have SOME of YOU been watching?!? Apparently NOT the PREVIOUS 2-Years of 'Lez Boulez'!?! :doh:

(1.) We had NO SCORING PUNCH from Off-the-Bench (i.e.: Guys who could CREATE their OWN Shot) - PRIOR to THIS Year; :(

(2.) We had YOUNG (read: 'INEXPERIENCED') Bench Players (Partially EJ's 'Fault' - for REFUSING to ALLOW/ENCOURAGE their Respective Development); :( and,

(3.) The 'ETAN vs. WOOD' Fiasco was ONGOING.:mad:


With THAT being said, when JAMISON or BUTLER were getting 'Breathers' (on the Bench), WHO - Exactly - was GIL 'Able' to/'Supposed' to 'TRUST' to SCORE?!? :doh:

Like some of our MORE ASTUTE Comrades have Articulated :applause::

(a.) More PLAYING-Time = MORE 'Experience & CONFIDENCE'; :applause:

(b.) BETTER 'Bench' Players = 'QUALITY Depth' - across the Board (i.e.: LESS of a 'DROP-OFF' from the STARTERS); :applause:

(c.) RANDY AYERS = the IMBEDDING of a 'DEFENSIVE Mindset' - Teamwide; :applause: and ('drumroll' - please),

(d.) WITHOUT GIL, 'Bench' Players have (I'm PROUD to Observe) 'DUG DEEPLY' into Themselves and COMMITTED to PROFESSIONALISM. :applause::applause::applause:

(e.) *BONUS: EJ has also IMPROVED MARKEDLY in his 'Game Management & Player Rotations' (EG has placed HIS 'Stamp' FIRMLY upon the WIZARDS Organization)!!! :cheers:


Wherefore, upon the hereon premises rendered and considered :2cents::

If ANYONE is 'FOOLHARDY-Enough' to even 'ENTERTAIN' the 'ABSURDITY' that the Team is somehow 'BETTER' WITHOUT GIL, then "The JOHN HOWARD Building doesn't have enough CAPACITY to House you 'Basketball-CHALLENGED' Armchair-GM's"!?! :doh::mad::(:2cents: