Game 18 - Wizards @ Hornets
Hamilton leads the way as Wizards beat Hornets.
November 22nd, 2001 | by NBA.COM
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November 22nd, 2001 | by NBA.COM
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Wizards trade for Steve Kerr.
Wizards trade Tyrone Nesby for Steve Kerr.
November 23rd, 2001 | by espn.com
With news of Chris Whitney injuring his wrist in the warm-up before the Bucks game, we spoke about the lack of depth the Wizards had at point guard. After receiving X-Rays last night, it turns out Whitney has broken his right wrist. Which means he will miss minimum 4 weeks.
Being that it's also his shooting hand, it may not be a straight forward recovery either. Whitney has been solid but unspectacular this season for the Wizards. Averaging 7.5 assists a game has been the high point. His scoring is a paltry 4.4 points per game though. Tyronn Lue is the only available backup, so the Wizards absolutely had to make a move.
With Scottie Pippen out with a strained ankle for 4 weeks, the Trailblazers needed to add some depth at the wing. The stellar play of Blazer backup point guard Rick Brunson made Kerr surplus to requirements having only been traded to Portland in June. Nesby has not seen the court very much for the Wizards either this year, but can be a capable backup behind Ruben Patterson. Patterson has grabbed the starting spot at small forward this season from Pippen, having only signed from the Sonics in the offseason.
Kerr now reunites with his Bulls teammate Jordan, and will hope to get some good playing time in the next few weeks with Whitney out. Jordan and Kerr have quite the history, winning 4 championships with the Bulls. Kerr famously hit the winning shot in the 1997 NBA finals against the Jazz. In the final seconds of Game 6 with the score tied at 86, he took a pass from Jordan and hit the title-winner.
Jordan and Kerr also had a famous fight in training camp in 1995 where Kerr punched Jordan. After that Kerr earned Jordans trust, which is not an easy thing to earn. Jordan and the Wizards will need to trust Kerr's playmaking and shooting over the next few weeks. They add another dependable veteran to an ever aging squad. Jordan seems to be foregoing youth and athleticism in Nesby for experience and shooting in Kerr. Lets see if this pays off, as the Blazers and Wizards meet tomorrow night. Its unclear if Nesby and Kerr will suit up for their new franchise tomorrow night.Comment
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Re: Wizards trade for Steve Kerr.
Interesting trade for Steve Kerr ... looks like Jordan is surrounded himself with guys he knows and trusts. If the Wizards get to the playoffs, it'll be worth it, but if the veterans start to break down, it's another question entirely.Comment
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Games 19 thru 25.
Jordan, Wizards go 6-2, extend lead at top of Eastern Conference.
December 7th, 2001 | by NBA.COM
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Around the NBA - December 2001
In
Around the NBA - December 2001
October 31st, 2001 | by slammagazine.com
Well turn's out Jordan and the Wizards are for real this season. The Wizards lead the Eastern Conference with a solid 17-8 record. Its their home form, 8-3 that has them in this great position. Despite Jordan being on a minutes restriction most of November, players like Rip Hamilton, Patrick Ewing and Christian Laettner rallied and dragged them over the finish line.
This is what Jordan wanted all along. Develop the roster, get guys like Rip Hamilton to take the next step, and change the medias perception of the franchise. The Nets are hot on their tails, though with Jason Kidd out injured, it may be difficult to sustain the race over the next 3 weeks. Almost as a big a surprise as the Wizards has to be the Bulls sitting in third place. Led by a mixed bag of players like Eddie Robinson, Ron Artest, Brad Miller and rookie Eddy Curry, the Bulls have been a tough matchup for pretty much everyone so far this year.
Last years beaten NBA finalists, the Pacers are nicely positioned to take advantage when the Bulls fall back to earth. Reggie Miller and Jermaine O' Neal know they have what it takes to go far in the playoffs and may be coasting through the season so far. The Knicks, Hornets, Raptors and Bucks are the sleeper teams in the East. But the biggest shock of all is the Philadelphia 76ers who are fourth last with an awful record of 8-16. Injuries to Aaron McKie, Eric Snow and Matt Harping have really destroyed any run the Sixers could make to start the season.
They need to right the ship quickly or somebody like Mutombo could be on the move again. The Sixers added Mutombo this offseason, but has made very little impact so far, in fact the team has taken a step back. In the rookie of the year race, Jason Richarson has taken the lead over from Pau Gasol. Richardson hit a career high of 52 against the Wizards and has been an athletic freak this year. He leads the rookies in scoring with 17.0ppg. Richardson has been aided by a fellow rookie Gilbert Arenas who has shown the way forward for the lackluster Warriors.
Pau Gasol has been the all around best rookie in my books still, with 15.7 ppg, 8.5rpg, 2.6apg and 1.2bpg. The Grizzlies have taken a step back, but thats not on rookies Gasol and Battier who have brought it every night. The #1 pick Kwame Brown has not produced great numbers, but is top 3 in rebounds with 8.3, top 7 in assists with 3.0 and also top 7 in blocks with 1.0 per game. Solid but unspectacular numbers for the high school phenom.
Out West the Lakers have managed to get their act together and are back at the top of the conference. There is a real fight for 2nd place with the Timberwolves, Blazers and Mavericks are all only 1 game back. The Wolves have lost Kevin Garnett for 2 weeks, and the Blazers have lost Scottie Pippen for a month, so the Mavs could take advantage here. Sacramento will also look to close the gap as their uptempo offense looks to get back firing on all cylinders. The Clippers and Sonics prop up the bottom of the West but they aren't too far adrift yet.
The Sonics, now owned by Howard Schultz will have some decisions to make around the trade deadline. If they keep playing like they have been, its very hard to see them keeping 48 million in commited contracts for Vin Baker and Gary Payton. It might be time to move on and build around promising forward Rashard Lewis and rookies Earl Watson and Vlad Radmanovic.Last edited by RMJH4; 07-03-2018, 08:55 AM.Comment
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Re: Around the NBA - December 2001
Oh man, the Wizards are off to a hot start in the regular season. Got to keep the momentum going till the All-Star break ... I hope everyone can stay healthy, looks like the East will see some chaos once big names start coming back.Comment
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Re: One Last Shot: Jordan's Final Chapter.
Even in video games the Hornets find a way to break my heartComment
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Re: One Last Shot: Jordan's Final Chapter.
Yeah it'll get tougher when 76ers and Nets etc get back to full health. Win when teams have stars injured, and that will hopefully give me some breathing space. Well need a full bill of health, the Jordan ankle scared me!
Yea but they are playing well at the moment, not far off the top of the East! Baron Davis is at his best, hopefully that's a nice throwback. Stay tuned for developments about the Hornets!Comment
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Re: One Last Shot: Jordan's Final Chapter.
Looks like MJ is surrounding himself with a bunch of shooters with mullin and Kerr nice tradeRetro Redemption - Starting over with a oldschool PowerBone Offense
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Re: One Last Shot: Jordan's Final Chapter.
Yep, plenty of shooting gives me more options. Wizards had little to no shooters bar Hamilton, Whitney and Lue. Now with Whitney out, i had to get another shooting PG. Kerr is a good fit, even as a 2nd or 3rd string pg when Whitney is back. Mullin has been pretty good for me, great option as a spot up shooter.Comment
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Game 26 - Wizards @ Clippers
Jordan's 30 sinks the Clippers in LA.
December 9th, 2001 | by NBA.COM
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Re: Game 26 - Wizards @ Clippers
Yep, the Clippers are gonna Clippers ... they were always an easy out around this time, it took them a few more years before they finally put it altogether. Jordan again dominating and he got just enough help to make it seem like it was a team effort -- Laettner was missing a lot of shots but he at least he got boards; him and Kwame both did work.Comment
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Game 27 - Wizards @ Nets
Its MJ time. Jordan hits 27 to lead Wizards over Nets
December 12th, 2001 | by NBA.COM
With MJ back fully fit, it's time to roll back the years. The New Jersey Nets and Wizards are competing for the top spot in the East. But without Jason Kidd, Jordan knew he had to make sure the Wizards took advantage. They certainly did. Jordan was unstoppable shooting 6-13 from the field, but most importantly 4-5 from three.
The Wizards reverted back to shooting more threes, 18, but Jordan (4-5) really set the tone. An unexpected big scoring night from Courtney Alexander was welcomed, along with another 15 points from Rip Hamilton was difficult to match for the Nets. Anthony Johnson started at the point, but ended up playing only 11 minutes, as Kerry Kittles had to handle PG duties.
Kenyon Martin was a beast down low and gave the Wizards fits with his athleticism. His 27 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks really set the tone inside the paint. Todd MacCulloch was equally strong with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Laettner and Ewing only had 10 points each. Kwame Brown was assigned to Martin, but it was man vs boy, as Brown finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks. Not a bad statline, but it was dwarfed by K-Mart.
Steve Kerr started at point guard for the first time tonight, and he was solid again. He played 30 minutes, and kept the ball moving, set the pace and always provided a shoooting threat if left open. Kerr has fit in really well with the Wizards so far, and was well worth giving up Tyrone Nesby.
The Wizards now face the Grizzlies, Clippers and Cavs before meeting the Nets again. They are heavily favored to win all 3 of those before meeting the Nets again. If they beat the Nets they could be well clear at the top of the East heading into the Christmas period.
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