Give the Wizards credit, they’re still at it
Posted April 28th, 2008 by Brian Windhorst
Brendan Haywood to the media today after hearing LeBron James’ quote that the Wizards were trying to hurt him:
“C’mon man, this is the playoffs. He wears 23 and he wants to be Michael Jordan. I respect that because he’s a great player. But look what Mike went through. Mike got fouled way worse than this. You know what I’m saying? Nobody is trying to hurt him. Everybody is trying to play basketball, trying to win, trying to play tough. Leave it alone.”
The Cavs were off today so we’ll have to wait for LeBron’s response if there is one. He expressed he was tired of all the talk before the game yesterday. Say this for Haywood, he is not afraid to say anything. Of course in the Wizards’ locker room they are going to mock LeBron and Mike Brown and Moondog. They can call all of them cry babies then and laugh and stuff. Of course in meetings Eddie Jordan is going to talk about how the team should foul LeBron and foul him hard. Sure when Drew Gooden and DeShawn Stevenson are on the phone or chillin’ they can rip LeBron and call him names. Hey, we all do stuff like that at one time or another.
But these Wiz, they just put it all out there in the open and get called stupid, get booed and get beaten over and over. You gotta give them a nod, if only everyone in Washington operated with such transparency.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Haha - had to get a little political dig in there at the end, eh Brian?
Subtle enough for me.
The Wizards blow me away. When Charles Barkley called them out I figured they would tone it down at least until they proved him wrong by winning games. They have been outplayed, outclasses, outhustled, out-executed, and out coached in 3 out of the 4 games and yet they are STILL TALKING.
It’s almost surreal that grown men could act like this, as BW puts it, out there in the open.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
I live near DC and I have put up with this **** all the time. They just wont shut up. I mean , there used to be a time when we looked at athletes and said that all they gave were PC statements.
But the Wiz are 180 degrees opposite.
All they have managed to say is something not PC. They are frustrated and angered about being beaten by lebron..plain and simple..and they just cant play and win..so they are talking.
I cant wait for Game 5 to be over and move on to the Celtics . I am tired of these amateurs.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
i notice that the real players on the wiz keep their mouths shut. antwan jamison and caron butler are the two players on that team who let their playing speak for them. they deserve a lot better than what jokers like haywood, stevenson and arenas are giving them on the floor.
there is a big paycheck waiting for you somewhere jamison! leave this joke of a team behind!
April 28th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
“Of course in the Wizards’ locker room they are going to mock LeBron and Mike Brown and Moondog.”
What did they say about me?
I will break them.
–dog
April 28th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I really can’t wait for the Washington Wizards to go away. I have never seen, in my 30+ years of watching sports, a team with such little relevancy and accomplishment talk as if they are some kind of contender. What a bunch of assclowns, haven’t they been embarrassed enough? The Cavs better deliver a serious knockout punch on Wednesday and send these goons back to the cave they crawled out of.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Why would they mock Moondog? lol
Are either Jamison or Butler free agents next year? Either one would sure look good in wine and gold.
April 28th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I didn’t think it was possible for a seven-footer to have a napoleonic complex, but Brendan Haywood is walking proof that such a funny paradox does indeed exist.
I feel a little bad (but not too bad) for Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. They’re consumate professionals who play hard every night and they’ve had no part in any of this silly trash-talking and posturing by their teammates. Yet they’re about to be sent home after the first round for the third straight year thanks in large part to the motivational tactics of Haywood, Stevenson and Arenas.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
As GM of the Wizards, I apologize to Jamison and Butler for surrounding them with a roster of idiots.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
yeah, jamison is unrestricted…he made around $20 mil this season though, hes out of the cavs price range and you know washington would not consider working a sign and trade w cleveland. if the cavs tried to sign and trade for anyone we should wait and see what happens w the elton brand situation in la. another classy wizards player is antonio daniels. oh and haywood is just mad cause he feels relevant for the first time in his career and hes still about to go home early again
April 28th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Come on, give Haywood a break. All of his talking has been in a humorous manner. He’s making light of the whole thing, not throwing gas on the fire (a la Lebron and Mike Brown). Even you Cav’s fans have to admit that the idea of tough guy Lebron pointing at the boo boo on his elbow and whining to the refs is kind of funny. Its not hockey. You don’t get more foul shots if there’s blood.
And Lebron should quit saying that Stevenson hit him with a closed fist. Its a lie. Check the photos. And then retract the comment.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Tough talk from a guy who isn’t even a top-10 center in this league.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Nice Job Windy. That’s why you’re the best in the business.
Go Cavs!!!
April 28th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
I didn’t hit Queen with a closed fist. I’m saving my fist for Miley Cyrus…woohooooo gonna be tight!
April 28th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
bowiemd1 if you check the actual quote, lebron said his teammates said deshawn hit him w the fist closed.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
bowiemd1: LeBron isn’t crying or complaining at all. He’s just matter-of-factly stating that these type of tactics aren’t going to work against him. The more he gets hit, the more aggressive he becomes. He just keeps going to the basket over and over.
I personally don’t blame the Wizards for the hard fouls. I’d probably instruct my team to do the same thing if I was Eddie Jordan. Where the Wizards are at fault is with their ridiculous trash-talking before and during this series. The talk has gotten them nowhere.
April 28th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Haywood you know your team is down 3-1 right? I bet when they lose they will still talk. The refs better be ready in Game 5 because I have a feeling some nonsense will happen. Jamison and Butler we would love to have you guys on our team! They just go out and play and I respect that. Bye Washington thanks for letting us beat you again! BTW Boaton lost again and the series is tied 2-2! Go Cavs!!
April 28th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Yeah, now Boston has found themselves in what’s essentially a 3-game series with a Hawks team that believes it can win. I’m sure the Celts will still advance, but if we can close out in Game 5 at least we’ll have an advantage when it comes to rest.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Wow, I’m not so sure I wouldn’t rather play Boston after seeing this Hawks team tonight. What a game by both Johnson and Smith.
April 29th, 2008 at 3:13 am
exactly how old was hayward when MJ was still in the league and how many games did hayward actually see? but let’s look at the flip side of this:
- MJ has been quoted as hating cleveland particularly for how cleveland fans cheered after he received a hard foul and was still lying on the ground;
- david wells has been quoted as hating cleveland because of how heckling fans would say stuff about wells’ mother - to the point where there was no way wells would have ever come to the tribe as a free agent;
the point - it work both ways, nobody has a lock on gracious behavior. but given how lebron more or less lives in a fishbowl and has taken quite a bit of crap, he’s represented the cavs and city of cleveland pretty well.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:15 am
LeBron is a sensational young talent that Cleveland is very proud of,all this moronic talk came from the Wiz,their game plan,foul,stop,LeBron,29.5pts.,7.5brds,7ast.,I guess all they are is talk,even on their own Wash Post sites their fans are sick of all their blatant disrepecting,unprofessional attitude. But if fans,true fans of the game not bowiemb1,still want to insult are HERO that’s OK,but I’m always amazed at the non-factual manner in which they do it.Anyone who has never advanced in the Playoffs past round 1,from any year talks trash about individuals,they’ve talked about their team or their individual game but never singled out a SUPERSTAR.
This is why they have no Class,Rude,and an EMBARRASMENT to the game and their city.OVERRATED that is the only assessment you can make for ARENAS and STEVENSON,all mouth no game,have they ever been past rnd 1 and hasn’t ARENAS been hurt all year and last year when it mattered,and this guy is gonna talk,well I guess he wins it all in the VIDEO GAME,so now he’s confused!
STEVENSON,mental patient or what a lousy role player,his strenght is a defender,best on his team,LOOK at LB’S numbers and that sums up STEVENSON,all MOUTH no GAME!
Haywood,well nothing to say.because he’ NOTHING.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:19 am
Hasn’t Haywood been called “Brenda” throughout his career because he’s soft? The only reason he’s playing reasonably well is because he’s a free agent at the end of the season. He’ll go back to his Brenda persona once some dumb GM gives him a big Jerome James-like contract.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:24 am
“bowiemd1 if you check the actual quote, lebron said his teammates said deshawn hit him w the fist closed.”
Dan, that would mean that this weenie would have to actually read. No time for that. Plus, the fact is that when he started his wind up for the block (ROFL), he indeed was making a fist. And whining? Please, washington and it’s fans are the biggest whiners in the league outside of Detroit. The funny thing is that they don’t even whine very well.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:58 am
When it’s all said and done these LOSERS will crawl back under
the rock from whence they came,and the CAVS will advance
again,STEVENSON will go back to his job at the HOT DOG
BRUSHLESS CAR WASH,where all his piers will think he’s
great,HAYWOOD will go back to his job at the NAIL SALON
where he belongs,ARENAS will go back to the Bipolar ward
and everybody in Cleveland will be gearing up for the
biggest SNOBS on the planet, the Boston faithful,and life will
be good.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Thank you Washington Wizards for waking up the fans of Cleveland. Thank you Brenda Haywood for still talking before Game 5. Now the scene is set and it will be a raucous atmosphere down at the Q. I can’t wait to see the Wizards sent packing for summer vacation again. I only hope in their desperation that they don’t resort to further thug tactics on LBJ.
http://clevelandchamps.blogspot.com
http://lebron2010.com
April 29th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Michael Jordan got calls if, (a) he was breathed on too hard, or (b) he wasn’t breathed on but missed a shot within 18 feet of the basket in the last 10 minutes of a game.
And old school teams like the Knicks, Pistons and Celtics were tough and would foul hard, but they didn’t swing their arms like clubs at the other team’s star player. I don’t remember Bird or Magic taking shots like that.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Lebron’s message to Haywood should be: Instead of working on your mouth, work on your game. Instead of hitting defenseless people in mid-air, start hitting the boards so the Wizards don’t get outrebounded so bad because the knucklehead you , a 7-0 starting center could only grab 6 a game. Pay Ben Wallace to teach you in the off season - he is about 7 inches shorter yet he grabs far more rebounds and is able to clog the middle without playing dirty.
Maybe then, the Wizards can get out of the first round with loudmouth Haywood patrolling the middle. Or better yet, avoid meeting the Cavaliers in the play-offs which is easier.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
This is great. Here is an example of MJ telling the media that the Pistons were trying to hurt them. I wish the sports media would pick up on this. I’m sure Haywood never actually watched many MJ games, except ESPN highlights and ESPN classic games. Here you go…
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB3267B7363861B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
April 29th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Great find, Dunbar. So much for that bs talking point, Brenda and wiz fans.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Wow, HELL OF A FIND, DUNBAR!
April 29th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Very nice find. If anyone pays the 2.95 you should post it here.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
There’s even more in the SI archives…
April 29th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Where are the haters? AGAIN…
I’m having flashbacks to last season, all over again. All the naysayers seem to have vanished into thin air, almost like having fallen into a coma or something…?
Anyone else notice Boston looking mighty beatable last night? The Old 3 looked a little tired chasing the Hawks up and down the floor. The East looks to be there for the taking, AGAIN…
Some people never learn, right Washington Generals??
April 29th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
They can insult Mike Brown and LeBron all they want, but they’d better not say anything bad about Moondog!!!!
April 29th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
I bust my a$$ every night and I have to put up with Brenda and Deshawn “Overrated” Stevenson. Just feel sorry for me when Deshawn jacks up contested 30 footers when we’re down by 15 in the third quarter or when Gilbert turns the ball over 4 times in the first quarter. I can’t put up with this sh!t anymore
April 30th, 2008 at 12:36 am
josh, if you’re referring to folks like the tuck and doc, i’m sure they’ll be out in full force whenever the cavs next lose. but you’re right about the celtics, who alan likes to throw in everybody’s face along with that moronic writer simmons. hell if atlanta could take 2 games (or more) from them, why couldn’t the cavs take more if they finish off washington?
as for delonte west, i think the biggest thing the trade brought us was 100% more “thuggishness” in the forms of delonte and ben wallace. (not to mention Tri-C has a new teacher for their ebonics course next semester if Delonte accepts). though wally world somewhat messes it up with his preppy scott bakula imitation.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Another opus column from Tom Knott in the Washington Times this morning. I wonder if he really believes what he writes. If he does, that is truly frightening. I’d be curious to find out Windhorst’s take on the Washington media, because to me they are the most disgraceful bunch of vindictive homerish writers that I’ve ever seen. (Detroit and Boston included)
Amazing!
Time to give the Wiz the Old Yeller treatment tonight.
GO CAVS!!!
April 30th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Wow, the Knott piece was hilarious. I mean Jordan never complained about fouls. Nor Kobe. Those guys have “charisma”. You would think that logical topics for a basketball beat writer covering a team that is about to get knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the same team for the third year in a row would be to examine said team for reasons why it keeps happening. Like criticizing Eddie Jordan. Or calling Agent Nothing a ballhogging, wannabe upper echelon player. Or expressing embarassment over the whole Deshawn fiasco…… or you could write a ridiculously sophomoric piece about how the other team’s superstar is a “crybaby” and how “delusional” Cleveland fans are to think he might end up being one of the greatest players of all time. I mean, there’s nothing like bringing up Wilt Chamberlain stats from 1960’s to make your case that Lebron is overrrated. By those standards, pretty much everyone else who ever played in the NBA sucks. Just a joke article. DC fans have to be feeling just a little sheepish reading it.
April 30th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Now DeShawn is a proud Mike Vick fan. I think I’ve seen it all from this guy. Let’s pound this team tonight and put them out of their misery.
http://clevelandchamps.blogspot.com/
April 30th, 2008 at 10:33 am
doc, Knott knows what he’s doing. After all, you’re now talking about it, aren’t you? Even some of his competitors with the Post refer to Knott’s columns. There’s a substantial grain of truth to what Knott wrote, but the Times is a relatively new newspaper and strong hyperbole opinion sells.
Besides, if James had somebody on his team who would give what he gets, James wouldn’t get smacked in the face. And if he did, it would be just once, and that’s it. In Game 4 of the 1992 playoffs, that subtle dirty wimp Ferry gave it the ol’ college try by trying to take out Jordan. So the next game, when Ferry drove in for a layup, Stacey King did what had to be done and simply hammered Ferry in the melon.
Who on this team is willing to that? Nobody. Varejao will occasionally give one of those sneaky “What, who me???” Ferry brand of slimy cheapshots, but nobody on the team will overtly get physical. So even softer guys like Haywood can keep blabbing about it knowing nobody will ever get Mafioso on his ass. Why the hell isn’t Wallace standing up for James?
April 30th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
No dumb questions, right? Why was Brian’s column today datelined from Independance?
April 30th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Nancy
The Cavs’ practice facility is in Independence and that’s where the interviews were conducted.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Alan t:
At first I wondered about Wallace and why he wasn’t protecting LeBron also…..but I think it may just have to do with the fact that he’s a relatively new teammate. It’s not like Wallace’s days with the Pistons, where he had built comraderie with those guys. If Chauncey or Rip would have gotten hammered back then, I’m sure Wallace would have stood up for them. Perhaps in time that type of loyalty will come.
The closest thing we have to any type of enforcer is actually Z. He’s usually the first one to jump up and get in someone’s face if a teammate (particularly LeBron) gets hacked. But as the 2nd best player on the team, Z’s gotta watch to make sure he doesn’t get tossed from a game.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
thats where the cavs state of the art practice facility is
April 30th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I’m personally glad no one has retaliated beyond what has taken place. The Cavs don’t need any suspensions. Ask Phoenix what can happen if you just get a guy or two busted for leaving the bench in the playoffs. Whereas the half empty sees this as wimpy or spineless, the half full sees composure.
Any by the way, Stevenson didn’t hit ‘Bron with a closed fist - no one said that - he hit him with his forearm. But on the replay it is obvious that his fist is closed. There is no reason in basketball to make a defensive play with a closed fist. Ever. It deserved a suspension.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
I saw a lot of photos where it was open-handed.
However, it was still a dirty play. And Chris Webber was once suspended two games for doing the throat slash.
But by league standards, Pierce, Garnett, Kendrick Perkins and Marvin Williams should have all sat a game and none of them did.
Boston is definitely beatable. Just make them work for rebounds and run the floor a bunch.
April 30th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
just watched tape on Game 5…. LeBron was fouled and did not travel. There for the foul lebron got on the final shot should have been called.
Now as for Caron Butler… he took three full steps going to the basket. I guess there was contact but usally when they dont call a tavel they will allow contact.
Now if you look even close.. he takes 4 or 5 steps because he is dragging his foot on the ground. I believe if the foot touches the ground its considerd a step.
Yes this game was not lost on the final play.. but it still makes a hell of a lot different if maybe the refs would not give the wizards all the benifit of the doubt in the final 2 minutes.
Joe Smith never commited that phantom foul on the flop by Daniels.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:42 am
wow really nate, really? The team of lebron and varejao complaining about traveling and flops?
Also there was a foul on lebron’s last shot, you’re correct. It was Big Z pushing songaila with a low elbow, a la the 76ers win.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:44 am
[...] Brian Windhorst of the Akron Beacon-Journal quotes Brendan Haywood: Brendan Haywood to the media today after hearing LeBron James’ quote that the Wizards were trying to hurt him: “C’mon man, this is the playoffs. He wears 23 and he wants to be Michael Jordan. I respect that because he’s a great player. But look what Mike went through. Mike got fouled way worse than this. You know what I’m saying? Nobody is trying to hurt him. Everybody is trying to play basketball, trying to win, trying to play tough. Leave it alone.” Then an astute commenter on that same post dug up a story in which Michael Jordan once complained of the exact same thing James is complaining about. [...]
May 1st, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Anyone who knows a thing about basketball knows that this series has gone far beyond hard playoff fouls. It has been a bush-league series (mostly on the part of the Generals) and will continue to be until it is over… hopefully Friday night.