SB Nation DC: All Posts by Andrew Sharphttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48897/dc-fave.png2010-12-01T11:47:59-05:00https://dc.sbnation.com/authors/andrew-sharp/rss2010-12-01T11:47:59-05:002010-12-01T11:47:59-05:00Will Gilbert Arenas Get Traded To The Orlando Magic Soon?
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<p>Please please please please please.</p>
<p>Pretty please?</p>
<p>Put it this way: There couldn't have been a better game for Gilbert to have a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bulletsforever.com/2010/11/28/1840474/wizards-out-play-magic-but-fall-by-1-point">renaissance performance</a> than this past Saturday against Orlando, the only team for whom an Arenas trade actually makes sense.</p>
<p>And for what it's worth, if<a target="_blank" href="http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2010/12/1/1847994/source-orlando-magic-discuss-gilbert-arenas-trade-with-washington"> the report from Orlando Pinstriped Post </a>comes to fruition, a <a target="_blank" href="../../nba/2010/12/1/1848646/gilbert-arenas-trade-rumor-magic-vince-carter-wizards">deal sending Andray Blatche and Gilbert Arenas to Orlando</a> would be an absolute Godsend.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/496504/gil.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Gil_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/496504/gil_medium.jpg" height="201" width="295"></a> <br id="1291220909833"></p>
<p class="extend-divide"><a name="storyjump"></a></p>
<p>The Wizards take back Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter, sure, but it brings them a step closer to rebuilding with a foundation that actually makes sense. According to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/magic.jsp">Sham Sports</a>, Vince's deal is un-guaranteed for 2011-12, meaning his ghastly deal comes off the books after this season. As for Lewis, his deal would continue through 2011-12 at max-level salary, but by 2012-13, he becomes a trade asset, or he can be bought out for $10 million of the $22 million he's guaranteed.</p>
<p>Two quick points to emphasize looking at the big picture with all this:</p>
<ol>
<li>A backcourt with Gilbert Arenas and John Wall has not worked. A lot like the problems the Heat are having in Miami, actually. The few times they've shared the court, rather than work together, it feels like Gil and Wall end up trading possessions where they're in control. That's not fatal as far as this season's concerned, but if you're the Wizards and thinking long-term, what's the point of playing this game? They want Wall to be the face of the franchise, not Gilbert. And Gilbert deserves to go somewhere where he can thrive without people asking whether his success stunts the growth of a teammate. In this case, a trade makes sense for everyone involved.</li>
<li>Andray Blatche has been terrible. Back when he signed his contract extension a few months ago, a lot of folks took me to task for <a target="_blank" href="../../hamsandwich/2010/9/24/1708718/andray-blatche-wizards-etc-this-wont-be-coherent">hating the deal</a>. And if anyone wondered about my skepticism then, it's been borne out by the first month's play from Blatche. He's the worst defender on the team, he's lazy, he's overrated on offense, and he's also legitimately fat. As long as he's in Washington, it delays the search for a long-term big man that makes sense. Any trade where the Wizards get rid of Andray Blatche and his four-year contract extension is a step in the right direction. <br>
</li>
</ol>
<p>So, in other words, we're talking about one year of Vince Carter and 2-3 years of Rashard Lewis in exchange for a do-over on the two worst contracts the Wizards have signed in five years. Wizards fans, does that sound like something you'd be interested in?</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/washington-wizards/2010/12/1/1848729/gilbert-arenas-orlando-magic-tradeAndrew Sharp2010-10-29T10:28:08-04:002010-10-29T10:28:08-04:00Charles Barkley Explains John Wall's Relationship To His Wizards Teammates
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<div class="entry-body">↵<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/473968/96653246.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="96653246_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/473968/96653246_medium.jpg" height="200" width="294"></a></p>↵<p>From last night's halftime show, talking about John Wall's Wizards teammates. "You know how we used to say <strike>LeBron</strike> Dwyane Wade was Michael Jackson with a bunch of Titos on the Heat? The Wizards... They don't even have Titos. They got a bunch of Randys." And I'm like... DAWG! THAT'S SO FRESH.</p>↵<p><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/578886/randy_jackson.jpg"><img alt="Randy_jackson_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/578886/randy_jackson_medium.jpg" height="332" width="296"></a></p>↵<p>Does that mean Andray Blatche is the Randy Jackson of NBA players? Maybe? DAWG!</p>↵<p>(Photo <a target="_blank" href="http://tv.popcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/randy_jackson.jpg">via</a>)</p>↵</div>
https://dc.sbnation.com/washington-wizards/2010/10/29/1781629/charles-barkley-explains-john-walls-relationship-to-his-wizardsAndrew Sharp2010-09-27T10:19:26-04:002010-09-27T10:19:26-04:00A Note To Washington Redskins Fans
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<p>Dear <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins">Redskins</a> Fan,</p>
<p>It doesn't have to be like this. There's a way out. You don't have to keep doing this to yourself. Doing what? Oh come on. You know damn well what. You're miserable this morning. Why?</p>
<p>Because... The Redskins.</p>
<p>Every weekend, you tell yourself it'll be different. "Maybe we'll just stick to running the ball this weekend. We're going to avoid turnovers this time. No dumb penalties." And on and on. Then you wake up on Monday morning, and it's the same old story. Drowning in a sea of self-loathing, feeling beaten and battered by life. And you ask yourself: Is this how everyone lives? Is this what life's supposed to feel like?</p>
<p>During yesterday's game, Dick Stockton said at one point, "The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">Rams</a> are really starting to feel it right now." At that, one of my Redskins-obsessed friends cried out, "WHY CAN'T I FEEL ANYTHING?"</p>
<p>But it doesn't have to be this way.</p>
<p>If you share your pain with others, then together, you can transcend the struggle. Ask your higher power for the grace and serenity to not care when Donovan overthrows a receiver, or when Coach Shanahan abandons the running game. Or when the "rejuvenated" Redskins lose to probably the worst team in the NFL.</p>
<p>Join <a target="_blank" href="http://www.funnydanny.com/">Danny Rouhier </a>at Redskins Anonymous today, and you, too, can beat this terrible disease. A pot of bad coffee, a group of good people, and one terrible, terrible football team...</p>
<p>Sounds like a recipe for healing.</p>
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<p>Get help before it's too late. 2010 was supposed to be different.</p>
<p>But then, don't you say that every year?</p>
<p>Sincerely,<br> Sharp</p>
<p>P.S. Yes, I'm a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/2010/8/18/1629324/john-wall-likes-the-cowboys-redskins">Cowboys fan</a>, but remember, we gloat because we care.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/washington-redskins/2010/9/27/1714591/redskins-fans-rams-lossAndrew Sharp2010-07-27T16:11:58-04:002010-07-27T16:11:58-04:00A Brief Response To Max Talbot's 'Douche' Allegations At Ovechkin
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<p>So, I don't watch much hockey beyond Capitals games, and even there, my knowledge is half-baked at best. But I enjoy it, and especially love Alex Ovechkin, who's maybe my favorite athlete in any sport.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/508468/ovi_turkey.jpg"><img alt="Ovi_turkey_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/508468/ovi_turkey_medium.jpg" height="190" width="281"></a></p>
<p>So when I saw that <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/2010/7/27/1590819/max-talbot-on-alex-ovechkin-douche">some character named Max Talbot called Alex Ovechkin</a> a douche... Well, we sort of have to respond, right?</p>
<p><b>1. Rockstars Can't Be Douchebags. </b>Would you ever call Don Draper a douche? Lil Wayne? Keith Richards? No. They've all behaved in reprehensible fashion at one point or another, but "douche" just isn't applicable. A**hole, perhaps. But even then—they're rockstars, so what do you expect? Look at that photo of Ovechkin. Is that a douche? No. Douches are people who take themselves too seriously and look down on others. Alex Ovechkin is too busy being awesome to take himself seriously, and he doesn't really care what you think. That makes him a rock star.</p>
<p><b>2. Max Talbot Is French-Canadian. </b>So he's probably a douche.</p>
<p><b>3. This, Apparently, Is Max Talbot. </b><strike>Probably</strike> Definitely a douche.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/508495/madmax6.jpg"><img alt="Madmax6_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/508495/madmax6_medium.jpg"></a></p>
<p>Glad we got that cleared up.<a href="http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Best-of-the-Burgh-Blogs/Pulling-No-Punches/June-2010/madmax6.jpg"></a></p>
<p>(Ovie photo <a target="_blank" href="http://alexovetjkin.blogspot.com/2010/06/ovechkin-on-vacation-in-turkey.html">via</a>, Talbot via <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Best-of-the-Burgh-Blogs/Pulling-No-Punches/June-2010/madmax6.jpg">Pittsburgh Magazine</a>)<br id="1280261283999"></p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2010/7/27/1590892/max-talbot-is-a-douche-ovechkins-a-rockstarAndrew Sharp2010-06-24T09:51:05-04:002010-06-24T09:51:05-04:00John Wall And Kevin Durant At Barry Farms? 'That's Where We Find Out'
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<p>The day after the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/2010/5/19/1478262/this-is-what-it-feels-like-to-win-the-lottery">Wizards won the lottery</a>, I said on Twitter that now, the only thing left to happen is Kevin Durant vs. John Wall at the Goodman League, at Barry Farms in Southeast D.C. Fast-forward to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/23/AR2010062304862.html">this morning's Washington Post</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"He'll be really big for this city," said Miles Rawls, the commissioner of the George Goodman League at Barry Farm in Southeast, the District's outdoor-run answer to New York's Rucker Park. "The streets are talkin' 'bout him. ... Basically, the whole town is buzzin' about him."</p>
<p>Sam Cassell, the Wizards' assistant coach, might bring Wall down to Berry Farm on Monday to show him the atmosphere, the half-smokes, the card games inside the chain-link fence, and a summer pick-up run like none other, where Kevin Durant was scheduled to play Wednesday night.</p>
<p>"He know: The next stop after he gets drafted is inside them gates," Rawls said. "That's where we find out."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Who knows whether it'll happen next week, next month, or next year, but bottom line—at some point, John Wall's going to go "inside the gates" at Barry Farms. Maybe it's not so much a proving ground for the Wall, the player, but it's a definitely a way for D.C.'s newest superstar to profess his loyalty to his new home.</p>
<p>After the jump, check out some video from the Goodman League last summer.</p>
<p>Here, Miles sets the scene for a showdown last July:</p>
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<p>We'll talk more about Barry Farms as the summer unfolds, but until then... Just know the dream for D.C. basketball fans is alive and well. John Wall, Kevin Durant. Barry Farms. And like that, it's "Welcome to the Big Show" for Wall. "Move 'em!" as Miles would say.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/2010/6/24/1534110/john-wall-kevin-durant-barry-farms-washington-dcAndrew Sharp2010-05-19T17:13:05-04:002010-05-19T17:13:05-04:00This Is What It Feels Like To Win The Lottery
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<p>The Washington Wizards have been mired in bad luck with bad management for decades, but even for the Wizards, the 2009-10 campaign was cartoonishly bad. But you know what comes after something horrible? Something good. And John Wall is really, really good.</p> <p>Well, it worked. The food poisoning really worked.</p>
<p>As I <a href="../../2010/5/18/1477169/the-2010-nba-lottery-david-kahn" target="_blank">mentioned</a> on Tuesday afternoon, I spent the entire weekend in the hospital, chained to a bed by an IV, enduring all sorts of treatments and tests that I didn’t expect to face ‘till my late 50s. Just miserable in every sense of the word. When I first checked in, after doing some tests, they told me my intestines had collapsed and they’d need to do surgery. With that, they wheeled me away and told me they’d check back in the morning. How is someone supposed to sleep after that?</p>
<p>The next morning, the doctors realized they had misdiagnosed me, and that it was likely just a case of really bad food poisoning. From there, alternating between a doubled-over grimace and a morphine-induced glaze, I sat in the hospital another 36 hours, just waiting for the misery to subside. And even after getting out, it didn’t, really. The antibiotics were their own kind of nightmare, and it’s taken a week for me to get back to anything resembling "full strength."</p>
<p>But those things happen. Everyone gets food poisoning somewhere along the line.</p>
<p>I mentioned it Tuesday not to court sympathy, but as an explanation. After that, something good has to happen. It just does. It’s karma. And that’s why, going into Tuesday, I had a good feeling. My Washington Wizards were going to win the NBA Draft Lottery, draft John Wall and change the trajectory of one of the most downtrodden franchises in sports. It just had to happen.</p>
<p>AND IT F—KING HAPPENED!</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/360745/wizlottery.jpg"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/360745/wizlottery_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Wizlottery_medium"></a></p>
<p>To understand exactly how much this means to the Washington Wizards, there are really three different factors that need to be explained, but we may as well start with the franchise itself. Skip this if you're familiar with what's happened, but the full narrative's not complete without some back story.</p>
<p>And for years, it's been the same story. The nickname "Clippers East" is a good indication of where the Wizards have been for the past few decades, but even that doesn't capture it completely.</p>
<p>The Clippers are bad because they've got terrible ownership and it trickles down to the court. The Wizards? We had one of the most respected owners in the NBA, and we still lost. In some cases, we lost<i> because</i> Abe Pollin was so great.</p>
<p>As I wrote <a href="../../2009/11/25/1173331/remembering-wizards-owner-abe-pollin" target="_blank">at the time of his passing</a>, Abe was a victim of his own virtue. If he trusted someone, he believed in them through thick and thin—and that meant sticking with Wes Unseld as a general manager for years after he proved incompetent. It meant keeping guys around who may not have been the best option for the team. And more recently, it meant giving Gilbert Arenas about $15 million more than anyone else was offering. Why? Because Gilbert was loyal, and he gave Abe’s franchise a heartbeat right after the greatest player in NBA history had driven a stake through its chest.</p>
<p>If that reads like an indictment, it's not. Wizards fans wouldn't have wanted anyone else running the team but Abe. And as a Wizards fan, I couldn't have been prouder to have Irene Pollin as the one to represent the team last night. But even so, the Pollin loyalty hurt us to some degree. Most years, the Wizards were just irrelevant.</p>
<p>But to the few who paid attention? Well, let's see. A incomplete list of Washington's more crushing disappointments, in no particular order...</p>
<ul>
<li>Acquired Bernard King about three years too late. </li>
<li>Traded for star point guard Mark Price, only to have injuries ruin his one.</li>
<li>Missed drafting Reggie Miller by one spot. Drafted Muggsy Bogues instead.</li>
<li>Traded Rasheed Wallace and Chris Webber too early.</li>
<li>Signed Juwan Howard to a franchise-crippling $105 million contract, and he immediately faded to mediocrity, while Webber and Wallace shined for Sacramento and Portland, respectively. </li>
<li>Unearthed Ben Wallace from the basketball netherworld ... and then traded him for Ike Austin, and watched him anchor Detroit's defense for the better part of a decade. </li>
</ul>
<p>And that's before the failure began to really get biblical. That began to take shape when Michael Jordan arrived to save us from ourselves. In theory, at least, he lent a sense of nobility to a franchise that had been a running joke for my entire life. Problem is, Jordan's nobility became its own kind of curse. His petulant, gargantuan ego engulfed the whole franchise. So when, the media was teeming with loving Jordan tributes back in September for his Hall of Fame induction, I had to recount his <a href="../../2009/9/7/1019538/best-hof-class-ever#my-complicated-history-with-mike" target="_blank">tenure on the Wizards</a>. Read the whole thing if you want to watch me call the Greatest Player of All Time a jerk, but his last NBA game really epitmoized the whole experience:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Wizards showed a 5 minute highlight reel that was 90 percent Michael Jordan on the Bulls. No lurching post-up game, dominating the ball for 10 seconds, before he'd invariably settle for an 18-foot fall away on the baseline; this was <i>the</i> Michael Jordan. The stadium lights were dim, and when they came back on, I was crying a little bit. It was that special.</p>
<p>And then Wizards owner Abe Pollin and Michael Jordan met at center court, where Pollin presented a large charitable donation on Michael's behalf. Pollin took the microphone and spoke to the crowd, thanking Michael for all his contributions to the team, and his hard work in building the franchise. Then, we figured, Michael would take the microphone and thank us, too, for supporting him with sold out games and undying affection. Instead, he waved to the crowd, bowed his head, and left the court without saying a word.</p>
<p>And that's what Michael Jordan will always mean to me: a player that was so good he could literally make you cry, but up close and in the flesh, a pretty cold-hearted guy.</p>
<p>Michael Jordan may have been the greatest player of all time, but as a Wizards fan, I'll take Gilbert Arenas any day.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>... Which brings us closer to present day. Nine months ago, that Gilbert Arenas line didn't seem quite so ridiculous. Since then, Wizards fans have watched their one true superstar—after years of getting superstars too late, or giving them up too early, the one guy that truly <i>belonged</i> to this city—suffer one of the more spectacular falls from grace for a superstar in recent sports history.</p>
<p>After <a href="../../2010/1/4/1229378/gilbert-arenas-washington-wizards" target="_blank">emerging as a savior</a> in a vacuum of disappointment, one day, it all stopped. He got injured, then he became angry and insecure. Then he was injured again, and we signed him to a $100 million contract. Then he was injured <i>again</i>, and this year, he got himself suspended for the entire NBA season. Yeah, that whole bringing-guns-to-the-locker-room thing. Put it this way, over the course of a few years, the facade was crumbling on Gilbert's reputation.</p>
<p>But when Gil turned the Wizards into a legitimate laughingstock throughout sports and beyond, the myth of "Gilbert Arenas, Superstar" came crashing down like a 1,000 bricks.</p>
<p>Seemingly overnight, the whole franchise had turned to rubble. Our owner had passed away, our superstar was facing jail time, and when we traded Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, the "Clippers East" label really became unfair. To the Clippers.</p>
<p>In the span of a decade, the Wizards had been trampled over by the greatest player ever, picked themselves up, lucked into a superstar, built a team around that superstar, and then watched the whole thing come crashing down in spectacular, embarrassing fashion. Where do you go from there?</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/459387/nba_g_draft_lottery_580_medium_medium.jpg"><img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/459387/nba_g_draft_lottery_580_medium_medium_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Nba_g_draft_lottery_580_medium_medium_medium"></a></p>
<p>WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!</p>
<p>(hold on... let me try that one more time.)</p>
<h2>WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!</h2>
<p>That's where you go from there.</p>
<p>It's tough to overstate <a href="../../2010/5/17/1475403/nba-draft-lottery-good-luck-charms-history">just how important luck is when building an NBA team</a>. That's the second aspect that needs to be explained in all this. To win in the NBA, you need a superstar. To win a championship, you usually need two superstars, but to enter the conversation, you need at least one.</p>
<p>And for the worst teams in the NBA—real, honest-to-God, losers-in-life like the Wizards have been over the past 25 years—it takes the force of a bona fide superstar to change their fortunes. With someone good enough to dominate on a nightly basis, it lifts everyone. Look no further than Arenas for proof. When Gil was <i>good</i>, he made flawed players like Larry Hughes and Jamison look like all-stars, the Wizards played to sold-out crowds, and the whole league took the Wizards seriously.</p>
<p>With a superstar around, everyone has a little extra confidence, and the effects are tangible. In the players, in the fans, even the owners, who suddenly become a little more willing to spend money.</p>
<p>Imagine putting Kevin Durant or Derrick Rose on any of the other 28 teams in the NBA. No matter how bad the roster, how dire the financial situation, and how apathetic the fans, put one of those guys there, and suddenly, everyone looks better. Imagine Derrick Rose on the Timberwolves, for instance. Overnight, Al Jefferson goes from a flawed franchise player to a perfect second option. Ryan Gomes becomes a nice spot-up forward for Rose on the drive-and-kick, and Kevin Love's impeccable rebounding and outlet passes suddenly mean something.</p>
<p>Or take Kevin Durant from Oklahoma City and put him in Memphis. With OKC, the Thunder are left with Russell Westbrook as their best player, a point guard that can't shoot and can't really play the point. That, and Jeff Green becomes the most inconsistent, flawed second option in the history of second options. Even with some of the other great prospects in Oklahoma City, there's no way that team wins 35 games next year. Over in Memphis, though, Durant immediately makes O.J. Mayo his Russell Westbrook, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph become a deadly low-post combo as teams pressure Durant on the perimeter, and Rudy Gay becomes one of the better second options in the league. With Durant on board, Memphis becomes a legit contender in the West.</p>
<p>Simply by showing up, a great player can transform a roster from incomplete to intriguing.</p>
<p>But it doesn't just <i>happen</i> to teams. It takes a lot of luck to unearth the kind of player that can transcend years and years of bad karma simply by suiting up. That's why Arenas was such a windfall for Washington, and why his subsequent disgrace left fans so crestfallen. <i>We had one</i>... And then we had to watch him destroy his career, step-by-step.</p>
<p>But now?</p>
<p>It's like the Basketball Gods have given Washington a much-needed mulligan. A chance to start from scratch with someone legitimately worthy of the throne.</p>
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<p>Now, if you think I'm about to dial back the hyperbole on John Wall, then you clearly haven't been reading me for very long. And honestly? I'm okay with it. All the hype, all the expectations, all the pressure. Wall can handle it. Some people are just built to win, and with Wall, it's obvious. That's why I'm assuming the Wizards take Wall over Evan Turner or anyone else. Players like Wall just don't come along very often.</p>
<p>Before he'd even played a college game, I wrote <a href="../../2009/11/16/1159832/john-wall-kentucky-freshman-star" target="_blank">a column just gushing with hyperbole</a> over what he'd do this season in college basketball, and beyond. As I wrote way back in November:</p>
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<p>...it's incredibly rare for a point guard to leave fans shaking their head in disbelief. More common are the Steve Nash, Jason Kidd-types, who methodically dissect the opposition with a series of pinpoint passes and efficient offense. And that's pretty great, and the sort of stuff that any true basketball fan can appreciate.</p>
<p>But John Wall plays a style that's liable to make heads explode. Whether you're a novice or an expert, John Wall does things that'll amaze you. The moments in sports that prompt fans to audibly gasp are rare; football has a few, occasionally a walk off home run will do it, and let's throw in the odd hockey goal just for fun.</p>
<p>On the whole, though, those "gasp-worthy" moments are what makes basketball attractive to average sports fans. ... A true hoops addict will watch just about anything--but the majority of basketball fans are there because they want to see something that takes their breath away. Something to leave us just plain dumbfounded. Whether it's a buzzer beater, a jaw-dropping dunk, or an ankle-breaking crossover on a fast break, in no other sport will you hear crowds audibly gasp as often as you do in basketball.</p>
<p>And John Wall will take your breath away more than most.</p>
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<p>That article published on the afternoon of Nov. 16. That night, Wall hit the game-winning shot in his first game at Kentucky. You can say the hype's overblown, but Wall has exceeded his considerable billing every step of the way.</p>
<p>In December, I went to Kentucky and experienced this firsthand. Afterward <a href="../../2009/12/7/1188752/the-basketball-cathedral-kentuckys" target="_blank">I wrote</a>, "He's not so much a freshman as an NBA player playing college basketball. Carolina's Larry Drew vs. John Wall was like pitting a golden retriever against a cheetah. It's not the dog's fault when that fight turns into a slaughter. It's just... nature. Do you ever wonder what it would have looked like had Lebron gone to college? This is it."</p>
<p>His play leveled off as the season went on, mainly because the college rules made it easier for teams to guard him, he still can't hit a jumper consistently, and on a nightly basis, teams geared their defense around stopping him. But that's the thing that has me most excited about all this: the NBA's completely different. Where college rules may have constrained him toward the end, the NBA will unleash him like never before.</p>
<p>It's a point guard's league these days. The rules in recent years—a crackdown on hand-checking, relaxed rules on moving screens—have made it even easier than ever for players like Derrick Rose and Deron Williams to bully their way into the lane, and suddenly, calling point guard the "most important position on the floor" is no longer a tired cliche from CYO ball. Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo ... These are some of the best players in the entire NBA. And John Wall's got a chance to be as good as any of them. Or better.</p>
<p>He may not make the Wizards into immediate contenders, but to even the most stone-faced NBA scouts, there's really no debate that the ingredients are there for Wall to be really, really special.</p>
<p>And suddenly, the rest of the Wizards roster—once reduced to rubble—now looks kind of intriguing. They've got eons of cap space for either this summer or next, they've got a few talented young players like Andray Blatche that they can either keep or get rid of, and even Gilbert Arenas suddenly looks like an asset again. Not in the superstar mold we'd once cast for him, but maybe as the Larry Hughes to John Wall's Gilbert.</p>
<p>Simply by showing up, Wall transforms the Wizards from one of the league's truly hopeless destinations into a real-live NBA team. We may actually sign a free agent this summer!</p>
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<p>And it's perfect, really. Because after something bad happens—the Wizards' 2009 season or my food poisoning, whichever you prefer—something good has to happen. That's not always the way the world works, but that's the way it <i>should </i>work. And Tuesday night, it worked. </p>
<p>The Wizards won the chance to draft the best pro prospect in America, and one of the better prospects to emerge over the last decade. It won't make us winners automatically, but 24 hours ago, "winning" seemed a long, long ways off. Now? Not so much. After careening off the rails and over a cliff this past season, the Wizards are suddenly on a track that a lot of NBA teams would envy.</p>
<p>Who knows whether John Wall will turn out to be the superstar Washington expects, or, even if he does, whether that'll translate to a winning team in D.C. Those are questions that can't be answered for years. What do I know now?</p>
<p>Food poisoning was totally worth it, and being a Wizards fan just became a million times more fun.</p>
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https://dc.sbnation.com/2010/5/19/1479421/this-is-what-it-feels-like-to-winAndrew Sharp