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December
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Juwan Wants The Ball - Big Surprise There!
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This one does not have the markings of working out well. Perhaps the rumors that there is infighting on the club is correct. But Juwan Howard (with support from Chris Webber) had some comments following the Phoenix loss that would shake most teams.Said Howard: "Truly, I was upset about what went on in the fourst quarter. I feel the ball should be in my hands more. But I'm just going to continue to play."
Why did he feel that way? Well, during the final minutes of the game when the Bullets didn't score a point, Strickland missed two jumpers, Muresan committed two turnovers, Jaren Jackson missed two three-pointers, and Howard missed a jumper. This just capped off a second half where the Bullets shot 16 for 54.
Yes, Juwan should probably get the ball more in crunch time. As CWebb said: "I just wish he [Juwan] would have touched it in crunch time. Especially when you have guys on the bench. I'm glad Rod had the ball. At that time, I think it should be in Rod and Juwan's hands. Maybe the [Suns] denied him. I'm just saying, crunch time, we need the ball in players' hands. Please don't make it seem to be anything negative, because it's not. But he needed to touch the ball."
Maybe these guys have a point. But I think this is an indication that something deeper may be going on. This team doesn't have an acknowledged go-to guy, but they need someone to shoot. And lots of guys want to shoot the ball.
But I watched this game, and I didn't see Howard doing a lot to try to get himself situated to the get the ball. In particular, when they run the pick-and-roll, Juwan needs to set the pick. It's something he doesn't do any more. (I guess he's too big for it.) But if he were to set a good pick (instead of slipping out before contact is made), I'd bet either he or Rod would have a wide-open medium range jumper available. And that's a good shot for both of them.
So, Juwan, stop complaining and start making something happen. And then you should get the ball when it matters.
wtf 20 December 1996
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Bullets Finish Ice Cold As Suns Finish Red Hot | Bullets Hot And Cold, But Nip Clippers In The End |
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