On one side of the locker room there was new and improved Gilbert Arenas, who recently vowed to leave the drab, monosyllabic responses behind, in favor of the old effusive, “Agent Zero”.  Sure, Gilbert didn’t have the greatest of games (6-of-22 from the field, 18 points and eight assists), but a talkative Areans trumps the muted one any day.

On the other side of the locker room there was Antawn Jamison playing his first game of this young regular season.  Jamison’s play (31 points and 10 rebounds) had led the Wizards to victory over the previous streaking Cavaliers, and he was seemingly the logical player for me to choose given that fact.  But as nice of guy as Jamison is, as a writer covering a team, you sometimes want the flair over the substance because it makes for a better story.

That line of thought would lead you to believe that I chose Arenas over Jamison, and I did…kind of.

I initially went over to talk to Arenas, and who is the first person he wanted to talk about? Antawn Jamison.

“It was great having him back out there, especially for me, because they can’t key on me as much because, you know, most of my pick and rolls are involving Antawn, ” Arenas observed as he was flanked by reporters.  “He came off stroking it early, and he dominated that first quarter.”

Once Arenas said that, I immediately realized that I made the wrong decision on who to talk to during the post game.  I ended my visit at Arenas’ locker and went to stand in front of Jamison’s area.  He was still a couple of minutes away from being ready to talk, but I wanted to be in prime position to speak to the star of the night.

By the time Jamison was ready, there were at least 20-30 people around him, and the questions came at a rapid pace.  I patiently waited for the opportunity and then I asked him about his right shoulder.  Jamison had injured that shoulder during a preseason game with the Cavaliers back on October 14, and even though both he and the training staff had declared the shoulder fit for contact after a month of rest, Jamison had on a protective sleeve for this game.

Still, Jamison said the shoulder was no problem at all.

“My shoulder’s been fine, and it’s been fine for awhile, ” Jamison explained in his trademark quiet tone. “It’s just getting the proper rest and making sure I didn’t come back too early.  It was good to get back in those positions that they[team doctors] were kind of skeptical about as far as how I would react to it.  I think Delonte [West] blocked my shot and it got[my shoulder] in that position, and then diving on a loose floor and knowing my shoulder was involved lets me know that it’s behind me.”

Before this victory over the Cavaliers, the Wizards had been in midst of six game losing streak, which included small flashes of great play, but mainly frustrating stretches of inconsistency.  After one particularly bad loss in Indiana, where the Wizards scored just 86 points and committed 19 turnovers, Jamison, who was still in street clothes at the time, cursed his teammates out for their listless play.

After last night’s victory, Jamison hinted that his presence in the lineup was a bit more influential than his behavior out of it.

“It’s different when you’re out there trying to direct the troops in suit, and you’re trying to get them up and things of that nature, ” Jamison reflected.  “But when you’re out there competing and they see you sweating and leading by example, those are things that I missed, and it felt good to go out and do that tonight.”

Wizards Coach Flip Saunders seemed to be especially happy about Jamison’s return.  Prior to the game, Saunders had mentioned that Jamison’s presence as a leader was sorely missed the first few weeks of the season.

After Jamison’s performance, Saunders sung his praises once again.

“Jamison is as professional as you can get,” Coach Saunders said after the game.  “I said all along that when Antawn comes back, he’s going to loosen things up for everybody.  He makes the offenses look so much better because he spreads the floor and it becomes easier for everybody.”

Even LeBron James, who rarely says anything complimentary about the Washington Wizards, took some time to briefly praise the play of Jamison.

““I’ve always been a fan of Antawn.  He is a real good competitor.”

After about eight or nine minutes of Jamison’s press conference had gone by, I began looking around the locker room for someone else to interview.  I felt like I had gotten all the quotes from him that I needed and now wanted to look for Caron Butler, so I could wrap up the night and begin writing my game notes.  As I began to walk away, I heard someone ask Jamison if this big victory would springboard the Wizards into a more successful season.

At first I casually listened, and then I heard something that reinforced my decision to go talk to him in the first place.

“I’m not going to say everything is fixed.  We did what we set out to do and we defended our home court, ” Jamison cautioned.  “Now we got two pretty teams that play well at home (Oklahoma City on Friday, San Antonio on Saturday) that play well at home, so now we have to find a way to get it done on the road…but let’s not kid ourselves, we gotta lot of room for improvement.”

Spoken like a true leader.  Welcome back, Mr. Jamison.

-Before the game, Coach Mike Brown went into detail about why Shaquille O’Neal would not be playing. “I’ve pulled him out out practices so far..a couple of practices, and it might be because he has a little ding here, a little ding there, so I’ll just say, big fella’ sit down,” Brown explained.  “And that’s what this is. Does he have a ding? Yes. It’s early in the year, we all have a better comfort level than we had in game one, game two, game three, and so in my opinion, its an opportune time to let him get some rest and let him get his body back.”

-When Coach Saunders was asked about O’Neal’s absence, he didn’t sound like a man who was relieved,  ”They still have Illgauskas who in some ways makes it more difficult to defend LeBron James…he’s more of a perimeter type player who takes 15, 16 foot face up shots, and it opens the floor for LeBron to get to the rim.”

-I tried to talk to Delonte West prior to the game, and told me he really didn’t want to talk at length. He said he was handling his legal issues and right now he wanted it to be all about basketball.  The journalist in me wanted to probe deeper and ask him more pointed questions, but it just didn’t seem like the time nor the place.  People from Michael Wilbon to Lisa Salters (from ESPN) were coming up to him and offering words of encouragement.  For me to do anything to the contrary just would have been irresponsible.  I’m sure I’ll wrestle with that decision later.  As I walked away, West stopped me and said, “No hard feelings man, we’re cool right?”.  I said of course, shook his hand and walked away.  There’s a world class article to be had with Mr. West, and I hope to one day nab it.

-When I talked to Phoenix Suns coach Alvin Gentry about when he thought it was fair to judge how good his team was, he explained that the 25 game mark was an effective barometer.  When Michael Wilbon asked Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown that same question, he had a different take.  “I’d like to start to peak and keep heading that direction right around the end of February, that’s the time I like to say, let’s get busy and lets continued to do this, ” Coach Brown explained.  “Before then, you know for me personally, you don’t like to lose games, but sometimes when you have a good team, you need to get hit in the mouth.   Guys, including myself as a head coach, we just full of ourselves and it brings you back down to reality and it helps you understand this is a process.”  At the conclusion of tonight’s game, Wizards coach Flip Saunders was asked that same question, and he had his own unique take on the matter.  “It usually takes 20 games, I think almost every coach you talk to, or anyone considered an expert like you guys[the media] are would say probably 20 games.”

-Antawn Jamison played his first game of the season after suffering a subluxation of the right shoulder in a preseason game against the Cavaliers, and then battling the flu last week.  When I spoke with Andrew Pearle, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery’s Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service in New York about the risks associated with a subluxation, he mentioned that rest is important, but the threat of a re-injury depends on the person. According to Dr. Pearle, Candace Parker and Chris Webber had more severe cases of this injury, and they eventually needed surgery.  Dr. Pearle also added that if Jamison’s shoulder came out of socket again after this month of rest, then surgery would be a must and he’d most likely miss six months. Jamison, who wore a protective sleeve, did not show any ill effects from the injury during the game.  When I asked him how the shoulder felt after the game, he had nothing but good things to say.

-The “I’m Lebron James” moment came with four minutes left in the third quarter. LeBron James came down and drained a three.  Then the Wizards went down the court, and Gilbert Arenas attempted a three pointer as well, but it was bricked off the backboard.  The Cavs went back down the court, and James hit yet another three to put the Cavs up by six, and Coach Flip Saunders immediately called a timeout. James stared down the Wizards bench, then we back to his own as if to say, “That’s right ladies and gentlemen, that is why I’m LeBron James.”  LeBron finished 34 points and nine assists, but even was not able to lead his team to victory on this night.

-The stat sheet will show that Arenas shot 6-for-22 from the field, and even in person, there were times when he forced the issue and tried to shoot his way out of his slump.  In the first half he shot just 1-for-9, and he had six points.  But in the second half, he played a bit better and found his stroke.  Even Arenas noticed this inconsistency,  “I just can’t find two halves to match right now. I just gotta get it together…I had one bad half, and I figured the second one would get better.”  What will not show up in the stat sheet is his solid defense on Mo Williams.  Williams who is widely considered to be the second best player on the Cavaliers squad scored just six points in 36 minutes.

-The lineup of Caron Butler, Mike Miller, Andray Blatche, Earl Boykins and DeShawn Stevenson played nearly nine minutes in  fourth quarter and took  the Wizards lead from three to as much as 18 points.  This lineup faced both the first and second teams of the Cavaliers, and they were still able to stand firm and thwart any comeback the Cavs tried to muster.  Butler and Miller did most of the scoring with a little help from Boykins., and Stevenson and Blatche did the “meat and potatoes’ (as Coach Saunders called them) to keep the Wizards afloat.  During this time, Jamison, whose conditioning is not yet where it needs to be, was able to rest, and Arenas was able to ice his knee.

-Last year when the great Hubie Brown came to Verizon Center, I was never able to talk or formally introduce myself to him, because he was on the run, and I was timid.  This time around, I saw Hubie in the Cavs locker room, I introduced myself to him, and he shook my hand and asked me what I thought about today’s game.  I told him the Wizards would win, and he should say that on television.  He looked at me and laughed and said, “Nice try, kid.”  Rejection never felt so good.

-Gilbert Arenas summed this night up perfectly when he said, “He[Jamison] dominated that first quarter, Mike Miller dominated the second, I dominated the third, Earl Boykins and Caron finished up the fourth, we just had an all balanced performance tonight.”

But with Tyrus Thomas out a couple of weeks with an injury the talented rookie has become an important role player and energy guy in the Chicago’s starting five. While his stats aren’t flashy - 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game - he’s become a valuable role player that Vinny Del Negro can rely on.

Last week I had the chance to chat with Gibson about his role with the Bulls this season, the toughest parts of playing in back-to-back games and how he goes about guarding a non-traditional big man like Andrea Bargnani.

The first six years of Hill’s career with the Detroit Pistons included All-Star games, playoff appearances, endorsements galore and comparisons to Oscar Robertson.  The next seven years of his career with the Orlando Magic, were filled with injuries, premature comebacks, surgeries, a near-death staph infection, and concerns about whether he would ever play again.

Starting with the last year in Orlando, and continuing with now his third season in Phoenix, Grant Hill is finally healthy–but he’s no longer that dominant player who can average 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists on any given night.  Now the 37-year-old Hill averages 12 points and seven rebounds, and although he still shows flashes of his younger days, he is mainly a consistent role player who defers to All-Stars Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire.

So the question remains, is the career of Grant Hill a tragic one?  Based on my brief conversation with him, my answer would be a resounding no.  Prior to our conversation, I watched Hill warm up in the locker room, joke around with teammates, give teammate Jason Richardson advice on how to guard the Wizards’ players, and he looked like a man who was at peace with himself.

During our conversation, Hill discussed what Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas is going through as he recovers from knee surgery, he discussed the importance of his website, and he talked about working with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Rashad Mobley: Can you talk a little about what Gilbert Arenas may be going through?  You’ve come off a couple of major surgeries, and you have had to recover from them.  What do you think he’s going through as he tries to get his legs back?
Grant Hill: You gotta  find your rhythm and find your timing.  The key thing I guess is you’re not where you once were–and just from my own experience, I haven’t watched him enough to know–and not to get frustrated with where you are.  But also to not get satisfied.   There’s sort of that fine line not to be satisfied and just to continue to gather days, weeks, months of health.  And as you do that, you’ll start to do things that you did prior to the initial injury, and it’s just a feel.  He’s good enough that at 70-80 percent, he can still go out and play at a very high level and go out and score and all those things.  But it might be in March when he can all of a sudden make a move or defensively do something, and he’ll just think, wow I haven’t done that in three or four years, and you get that confidence.  They key though is to continue to stay healthy, continue to move up and just put together consecutive months of health.

RM: Is that something you continue to struggle with?
GH: For me last year was certainly a confidence boosting season.  There were times when I made a move and I was like wow I haven’t done that since I was in Detroit almost 10 years ago.  So it happens and hopefully he doesnt’ have–well my ordeal was a little more complicated than his–but he’s still young enough and talented enough to where he can still I think regain his game to the level he as was before he got hurt.

RM: Let me switch gears a little.  I looked at your website this morning, and I wondered what made you start that website.  And how much input do you have in terms of what goes on there, how much interaction do you have, and how important do you think that is?
GH: Wow.  We started that back in ‘95 during my first year in the league.  At the time, I didn’t really understand the whole concept of the World Wide Web.  It was new, and I wasn’t on the computer or using the Internet, but people I worked with were suggesting I do so.  And they actually set up a whole kind of scavenger hunt on the website, where every week, it had a trivial question of some sort.  And we ended up having a grand prize where the winner got a chance to go to the All-Star game.  GM supplied a truck and everything, and we just did a lot of things on the Internet back in the 90’s.  Certainly things have changed in that regard, but its a way to communicate with the fans.  And now I control everything, I want to talk about art, talk about some health tips and show some of the things off the court from a business standpoint.  You know I want to give the people a feel for what I’m doing on and off the basketball court.   A lot of guys do that, and its great, its a great vehicle.  If you want to join a mailing list or find out something about somebody, I’m sure you can go on their website and at least get some good information.  Its just a great vehicle whether its a website, guys have twitter and facebooks.  I don’t do ALL that, but certainly, there’s a way to have constant communication with the fans and really give the fans access.  That’s the most important thing.

RM: While I was on your website, I read about your involvement with Kareem’s project/documentary.  Can you talk a little about that experience?
GH: Kareem is a real interesting guy.  I had the opportunity to sit down with him and I have a fascination with African-American Art and this project that he’s involved with is really well put together and done.  You know I have a small involvement in the whole thing, but I certainly wanted to support him.  I think the story of the Harlem Rens is important and as someone who is a lover of that period of time in African-American history, I think its important to tell all different types of stories; especially stories people don’t know, like the historical significance of a team like that and what they were able to accomplish.  So you know, I’m honored I’m involved in a very small way and I look forward to the finished product.

During these podcasts, we hope to discuss various issues around the NBA, bring you insightful audio clips, and share our unique perspective as individuals who cover the NBA full time.  We also encourage you the readers to contact us and provide us with feedback as to what you want to hear discussed.

In this initial Hoops Addict podcast, Ryan and I discussed Grant Hill’s comments about Gilbert Arenas, Allen Iverson’s future, our favorite memories while covering the NBA, and Scoop Jackson’s article on Carmelo Anthony.

- Prior to the game, Coach Flip Saunders mentioned that Mike Miller’s return from a shoulder injury would spread the floor and help Arenas and others get open shots, and for most of the game he did just that. Miller scored 20 points, and was able to knock down several open shot, which helped Arenas, Earl Boykins, Andray Blatche and Caron Butler get excellent open looks from the outside. But during a crucial point towards the end of the game, at the 2:34 mark of the fourth quarter, Miller was removed from the lineup with the Wizards up two points. During the next two minutes of the game while Miller was out, and the lineup of Butler, Blatche, Haywood, Arenas and Boykins were in the game, the absence of Miller was noticeable. On two separate occasions the floor spacing was terrible, and both Boykins and Arenas took contested, rushed shots. The lead disappeared with Miller on the bench, and the Pistons went up by two points. With 48 seconds left, Miller returned, but the Wizards never led again.

- Coach Saunders mentioned that he expected newly acquired guard Earl Boykins to play about 10-15 minutes tonight. When asked how Boykins was grasping the system, Saunders mentioned that he was not worried about that at all. “He understands everything, he’s pretty knowledgeable, guys that have been around the league a long time–you know we played against him a couple time in the playoffs, and when you play against a team in the playoffs you know them so well, you know their sets, their plays.”

- Boykins ended up playing 31 minutes tonight, and he scored 20 points–11 of which came in the second quarter. After the game, a disappointed Boykins discussed his performance: “It feels good to be back, but more importantly, its going to take me time before I feel comfortable.”

- Boykins also discussed his comfort with playing with Arenas as they were teammates at Golden State during the ‘02-’03 season: “It’s easier playing with Gil, because he’s someone that I know, but I have to develop the same type of chemistry with the other guys.”

- Randy Foye, who was out with an injured ankle, was definitely missed during tonight’s game. His primary role was to be both a sidekick and a backup to Gilbert Arenas, and tonight that was sorely missed. Despite the brilliant play of Boykins, there was a point in both the third and fourth quarters, where he simply ran out of gas. And on the defensive end of the floor, Pistons’ guards Will Bynum and Ben Gordon seemed to be getting into the lane at will, and that is also an area where the 6′4″ Foye could have been much more effective than the 5′5″ Boykins. And with Arenas admittedly still trying to find his rhythm on both ends of the floor, Foye would have been perfect.

- Coach Saunders raved about the game of Will Bynum during his pregame media session, and he mentioned that his potential was the catalyst for the Pistons trading Chauncey Billups early last season. Tonight, all of Bynum’s attributes were on the display. He got into the lane at will, he was a disruptive force on the defensive end of the floor when Boykins and Arenas attempted to bring the ball up, and he even attempted to throw the ball down over Brendan Haywood. He finished with 20 points, six assists and eight rebounds. Even Arenas had to marvel at Bynum’s play after the game: “Everybody in this league is here for a reason, and he’s good at pick and roll and getting in the lane.”

- The Pistons signed free agent Charlie Villaneuva and Ben Gordon during the offseason to give their team more scoring options to compliment Rodney Stuckey, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. With Hamilton and Prince out due to injury, Villanueva and Gordon were thrust into prominent roles for tonight’s game, and neither one disappointed. Villanueva, despite fouling out of the game, had his inside/outside game on display all night. He scored 25 points, which included 4-7 shooting from the 3 point line, he grabbed seven rebounds, and he proved to be a difficult matchup for the Wizards all evening. Gordon was 5-8 from the three point line en route to 29 points, and he hit some big shots both in and out of the lane down the stretch. I’d say that trade is paying dividends, and will continue to do so when everyone gets healthy.

Final score: Pistons 106 Wizards 103

I know it’s a Saturday night, but I hope you will be able to listen.