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February-26th-2005, 08:13 PM
Sunday, February 27, 2005; Page E04
Larry Hughes's eyes expanded as he glared back and forth between the man with the ball and the man he was defending. Like a sly cat ready to pounce on its unsuspecting prey, the Washington Wizards guard, who studies the tendencies of his opponents almost religiously, took a deceptive step backward in anticipation of the next move.
When forward Michael Ruffin threw a pass to guard Steve Blake in practice last week, Hughes lunged toward the ball, and it landed directly on the splint that protects the right thumb he broke six weeks ago.
The Wizards hope to get back starting shooting guard Larry Hughes for Sunday's game against the Kings. (John McDonnell - The Washington Post)
It didn't take long for Hughes to remind the Wizards what they've been missing -- in his first full practice with the team, Hughes was already picking pockets. "Don't you know who that is?" center Brendan Haywood shouted as Hughes raced down court for a layup on the other end. "That's the league leader in steals. He's back."
He's almost back. Hughes broke his right thumb Jan. 15 against Phoenix, halting what arguably would've been his first season as an all-star. And although Hughes originally said he'd return in four weeks, he has been patient with his comeback. Hughes recently was activated from the injured list but is choosing safety and sanity over his drive to compete and contribute for the Wizards (31-23).
But Hughes said he's spent enough time eating his mother-in-law's lasagna and watching "Law & Order" reruns on television in the basement of his house. He would like to return tonight against the Sacramento Kings. "It's not set in stone," Hughes said of what will likely be a game-time decision. "But I can't wait. I'm not all the way ready, but I feel like when I get back, I'm going to be so much better."
It's hard to imagine Hughes, 26, improving on his early-season numbers: career highs of 21.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game and the league lead in steals per game at 2.8.
"He's having a great season," said Allen Iverson, the Philadelphia 76ers guard and Hughes's former teammate. "He's doing it, like, all across the board. He's doing it with his defense, doing it with his offense. He understands that he had an opportunity to be on an all-star team. It was just bad that he got hurt, but he'll finish up strong. That's my man."
More than his statistical contribution, Hughes, one of the Wizards' three captains, also barked out defensive assignments, called plays on offense and kept everyone playing on a string. "Larry set the table for everyone to eat, to nourish, to grow and to cultivate," Washington Coach Eddie Jordan said. "He set the table for us -- and then he had to leave the table."
Hughes was forced to leave the game Jan. 15 when his friend, Phoenix guard Quentin Richardson, whacked his hand in the final minutes of a Wizards victory -- their seventh in row. Since then, the Wizards have gone 9-10, not exactly crumbling but barely afloat. "Not great. Not bad. Just hovering around," Hughes said from the lobby of a hotel room in Chicago, where the St. Louis native likes to spend his offseasons. "They had some great games, they just couldn't get over the hump. In the next few weeks, we're getting over that hump."
Hughes hasn't seen the playoffs since he was traded from Philadelphia to Golden State during his second season in the league, and said he was relieved to see this year's trade deadline pass without a phone call from the front office. Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld has said all season that he sees Hughes in the team's long-term plans, but "once you've been traded, you always think about late February," Hughes said. "I mean, I am in the last year of my deal, you never know."
Hughes said he is seeking stability for his family this offseason. And, for the first time since he played with Iverson from 1998 to 2000, Hughes said he has found the perfect back-court mate in Gilbert Arenas, who has blossomed into an all-star at age 23. "I definitely want to be here, I want to keep our back-court thing going," Hughes said. "If we don't have the best back court, we're second. I can't name two guys better than us. He's still young. I'm still young. We can carry a team where we want to go. If you want a winning team, you have to keep it together. It's my time to sign and be around for awhile."
Hughes said it took him "two days" to get over his injury. He even traveled to Denver to watch Arenas and forward Antawn Jamison play in their first All-Star Game. The next day, the trio huddled at the airport, making plans for the second half of the season. "I was excited for them. I went there to show my support," Hughes said. "I tried to duck and dodge all the talk that, 'You would've been here.' I don't think there is any question that if I had played those last 15, 17 games, I would've been in it. Our record would've been better. You see Phoenix had three guys got in because they had a good record. It would've been the same."
Said Jordan: "He certainly would've been an all-star, no doubt in my mind. That's what we lost -- another all-star. Just his court savvy, his ability to break down the defense offensively, run the offense. He was playing the complete game at a high level."
Hughes, the No. 8 pick in the 1998 draft, credits his success this season to being surrounded by better talent, his maturation and a greater understanding of the game, and not necessarily because he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. As Hughes likes to put it, "A contract year don't make you make shots."
Hughes said he felt that he was coming into his own last season, when he averaged 18.8 points, then a career high. "Individual work doesn't show playing on bad teams," said Hughes, an astute student of the game. "You can only be as good as your team and I'm on a good team. I found out a lot about myself this summer leading up to the season. I've learned a lot more about what I can do on the court, how I can affect the game and what I can do to be better. It's no question I can go out and be real efficient. I know I'll be a lot better than I am right now in the next couple of years."
With 28 games remaining, Hughes said he plans to finish what he started this season. He didn't sound overly concerned about trades that brought Chris Webber to Philadelphia and Antoine Walker to Boston. "That's good. Nobody is talking about us and the players we have, the things we're doing," Hughes said, smiling. "I like when teams make trades and bam, they're automatically so much better. One guy isn't going to make a team if you're .500 or below. Writers can say what they want, but guys on this side, we feel like they have to come see us. You have Miami and Detroit on top, but other than that, we feel good."
And the Wizards will feel much better when Hughes is back stealing passes from the other team.
Larry Hughes's eyes expanded as he glared back and forth between the man with the ball and the man he was defending. Like a sly cat ready to pounce on its unsuspecting prey, the Washington Wizards guard, who studies the tendencies of his opponents almost religiously, took a deceptive step backward in anticipation of the next move.
When forward Michael Ruffin threw a pass to guard Steve Blake in practice last week, Hughes lunged toward the ball, and it landed directly on the splint that protects the right thumb he broke six weeks ago.
The Wizards hope to get back starting shooting guard Larry Hughes for Sunday's game against the Kings. (John McDonnell - The Washington Post)
It didn't take long for Hughes to remind the Wizards what they've been missing -- in his first full practice with the team, Hughes was already picking pockets. "Don't you know who that is?" center Brendan Haywood shouted as Hughes raced down court for a layup on the other end. "That's the league leader in steals. He's back."
He's almost back. Hughes broke his right thumb Jan. 15 against Phoenix, halting what arguably would've been his first season as an all-star. And although Hughes originally said he'd return in four weeks, he has been patient with his comeback. Hughes recently was activated from the injured list but is choosing safety and sanity over his drive to compete and contribute for the Wizards (31-23).
But Hughes said he's spent enough time eating his mother-in-law's lasagna and watching "Law & Order" reruns on television in the basement of his house. He would like to return tonight against the Sacramento Kings. "It's not set in stone," Hughes said of what will likely be a game-time decision. "But I can't wait. I'm not all the way ready, but I feel like when I get back, I'm going to be so much better."
It's hard to imagine Hughes, 26, improving on his early-season numbers: career highs of 21.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game and the league lead in steals per game at 2.8.
"He's having a great season," said Allen Iverson, the Philadelphia 76ers guard and Hughes's former teammate. "He's doing it, like, all across the board. He's doing it with his defense, doing it with his offense. He understands that he had an opportunity to be on an all-star team. It was just bad that he got hurt, but he'll finish up strong. That's my man."
More than his statistical contribution, Hughes, one of the Wizards' three captains, also barked out defensive assignments, called plays on offense and kept everyone playing on a string. "Larry set the table for everyone to eat, to nourish, to grow and to cultivate," Washington Coach Eddie Jordan said. "He set the table for us -- and then he had to leave the table."
Hughes was forced to leave the game Jan. 15 when his friend, Phoenix guard Quentin Richardson, whacked his hand in the final minutes of a Wizards victory -- their seventh in row. Since then, the Wizards have gone 9-10, not exactly crumbling but barely afloat. "Not great. Not bad. Just hovering around," Hughes said from the lobby of a hotel room in Chicago, where the St. Louis native likes to spend his offseasons. "They had some great games, they just couldn't get over the hump. In the next few weeks, we're getting over that hump."
Hughes hasn't seen the playoffs since he was traded from Philadelphia to Golden State during his second season in the league, and said he was relieved to see this year's trade deadline pass without a phone call from the front office. Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld has said all season that he sees Hughes in the team's long-term plans, but "once you've been traded, you always think about late February," Hughes said. "I mean, I am in the last year of my deal, you never know."
Hughes said he is seeking stability for his family this offseason. And, for the first time since he played with Iverson from 1998 to 2000, Hughes said he has found the perfect back-court mate in Gilbert Arenas, who has blossomed into an all-star at age 23. "I definitely want to be here, I want to keep our back-court thing going," Hughes said. "If we don't have the best back court, we're second. I can't name two guys better than us. He's still young. I'm still young. We can carry a team where we want to go. If you want a winning team, you have to keep it together. It's my time to sign and be around for awhile."
Hughes said it took him "two days" to get over his injury. He even traveled to Denver to watch Arenas and forward Antawn Jamison play in their first All-Star Game. The next day, the trio huddled at the airport, making plans for the second half of the season. "I was excited for them. I went there to show my support," Hughes said. "I tried to duck and dodge all the talk that, 'You would've been here.' I don't think there is any question that if I had played those last 15, 17 games, I would've been in it. Our record would've been better. You see Phoenix had three guys got in because they had a good record. It would've been the same."
Said Jordan: "He certainly would've been an all-star, no doubt in my mind. That's what we lost -- another all-star. Just his court savvy, his ability to break down the defense offensively, run the offense. He was playing the complete game at a high level."
Hughes, the No. 8 pick in the 1998 draft, credits his success this season to being surrounded by better talent, his maturation and a greater understanding of the game, and not necessarily because he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. As Hughes likes to put it, "A contract year don't make you make shots."
Hughes said he felt that he was coming into his own last season, when he averaged 18.8 points, then a career high. "Individual work doesn't show playing on bad teams," said Hughes, an astute student of the game. "You can only be as good as your team and I'm on a good team. I found out a lot about myself this summer leading up to the season. I've learned a lot more about what I can do on the court, how I can affect the game and what I can do to be better. It's no question I can go out and be real efficient. I know I'll be a lot better than I am right now in the next couple of years."
With 28 games remaining, Hughes said he plans to finish what he started this season. He didn't sound overly concerned about trades that brought Chris Webber to Philadelphia and Antoine Walker to Boston. "That's good. Nobody is talking about us and the players we have, the things we're doing," Hughes said, smiling. "I like when teams make trades and bam, they're automatically so much better. One guy isn't going to make a team if you're .500 or below. Writers can say what they want, but guys on this side, we feel like they have to come see us. You have Miami and Detroit on top, but other than that, we feel good."
And the Wizards will feel much better when Hughes is back stealing passes from the other team.