Wizards beat Cavs; Bears get Cutler

In case you missed the game last night, like I did, the Wizards surprisingly beat the Cavs 109-101. For the first time all season, Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, and Brendan Haywood all suited up for the same time.

In a balanced attack, Butler scored 25 points, Jamison had 19 points (and a sick dunk), Haywood scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Arenas had 11 points along with 10 assists and six rebounds. The bench also chipped in; Darius Songaila had 17 points and six rebounds, while Nick Young scored 10 points.

Again, while I did miss the game, it's evident that the Wizards played hard and wanted to show the league that, when healthy, they can still hang with the league's best. Though it's just one game, beating the (now 61-14) Cavs for the second time this season is still pretty nice in an otherwise bittersweet season.

Also, apparently a game between these two teams can't go by without LeBron James doing something controversial (crab dribble, anyone?). Michael Lee from Wizards Insider explains:

Did anyone notice what LeBron James did with 15.3 seconds remaining and Gilbert Arenas at the foul line? After Arenas made his first free throw to give the Wizards a 107-101 lead, James informed a referee that he had blood on his jersey, leading to an officials' timeout that broke up Arenas's rhythm. Arenas missed his next free throw attempt, one of three misses on the night for him, and gave the Cavaliers a little life.

... But Arenas said something felt fishy last night. 'Instead of calling a timeout, he said he had blood on his jersey," Arenas said, rolling his eyes. "It's always something, right?

Not the worst thing in the world -- but still pretty odd. Maybe James just likes to mess with Arenas when he's shooting free throws. Oh well. James still had a solid game in the loss -- 31 points, nine rebounds, six assists -- but he also had six turnovers.

It doesn't matter a whole lot now, but if the Wizards hadn't blown an 89-82 lead with 1:32 left in the fourth quarter during the first Wiz-Cavs meeting on Christmas day, Washington would be 3-0 against Cleveland this season. Then again, I doubt that the NBA wanted King James to have a poor holiday season. "Would have ruined my Christmas," James said after the win. We wouldn't want that to happen.

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

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It's old news now, but earlier today the Chicago Bears acquired quarterback Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos along with a 2009 fifth-round pick in exchange for two first-round picks (in 2009 and 2010), a 2009 third-round pick, and quarterback Kyle Orton. Regardless of who won the trade (probably the Broncos), each team gets what it wanted: Denver gets a fill-in quarterback and draft picks to help fix a terrible defense, and the Bears get a potential franchise quarterback.

Meanwhile, the Redskins continue to show no desire in sticking to any kind of plan. Daniel Snyder and company apparently made a strong push to trade for Cutler, but things didn't work out, and now they're back to pretending that they're fine with Campbell leading the offense. And, pulling no punches, Michael Wilbon doesn't understand what Washington's front office is doing:

I would say it's amazing the Redskins were even contemplating a deal, but it really isn't. This is Snyder's M.O.: Go for the stars; covet and acquire. That's why the Redskins are a six-time NFL paper champion.

Draft and develop? No interest. You mean you can actually use those first- and second- and third-round draft picks the way the Steelers and Patriots and Giants do -- on kids who'll, one day, become famous?

It's not that Cutler isn't good; it's just that the move didn't make sense for the Redskins.

Say, for instance, the Redskins made the same offer as the Bears (with Campbell thrown in instead of Orton) and gave up two first-rounders and a third-rounder for Cutler and a fifth-rounder. Great, now what would the Redskins do to address the offensive line, defensive line, and linebacking corps (among other needs)? If that move were to be made, the Redskins would have had zero picks in the first FOUR rounds.

Again, the Redskins didn't trade for Cutler. But if it happened, it could have been a complete disaster, which is probably why Wilbon gave his column the title, "Lucky Strikeout." You got that right.

By the way, Wilbon's column is also worth reading just to see Campbell's comments on the whole mess. If some people were questioning his attitude or leadership before this situation, they have to be convinced that he'll do anything it takes to earn the respect of anyone who doubts him -- especially the Redskins' front office.

It's a pretty sad day when a team's fans have to root against its own front office on a consistent basis hoping that the team stays on the right path.

Redskins pursuing Cutler? (I hope not) (updated)

According to Jason La Canfora and Jason Reid on The Washington Post's Redskins Insider, the Redskins are trying to trade for Broncos' quarterback Jay Cutler.

Though there doesn't appear to be any concrete evidence yet, the two Jasons do cite the ever-popular "NFL source" on the matter:

One source said the Redskins are trying to complete the deal as quickly as possible although at least two other teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets, are also reportedly interested in acquiring Cutler. The two-year starter became available today when the Broncos announced they would trade him. Denver officials could not be reached for comment tonight.

The Redskins declined comment.

The source said Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder has been pushing for the trade in an attempt to finally solve the team's decades-long pursuit of a franchise quarterback.

Another NFL source said a high-ranking Redskins official contacted one NFL team today about the possibility of trading quarterback Jason Campbell for a second-round pick in the upcoming draft. That source said he interpreted the Redskins' overture as an attempt by Washington to put together a package to acquire Cutler.

Why did they put the "M." in there? Is there some other Daniel Snyder running the Redskins we should know about?

Anyway, such a trade would make sense for the Jets or the Bucs; they don't really have anyone else to play quarterback. And as Mr. Irrelevant explained earlier today, Jason Campbell isn't really that far behind Cutler in terms of talent. Just look at the numbers -- he's getting better!

There's also the whole added benefit of already having a full year in head coach Jim Zorn's offense. Trading for Cutler would make no sense, which is why it would fit Snyder's frequently bizarre offseason decisions. Throughout the offseason, everything from the organization, especially Vinny Cerrato, has been about how the upcoming season would be Campbell's first opportunity to play in the same offensive system for the second consecutive season. So, of course Snyder would randomly want to try to make the big splash by trading for a quarterback who not only refuses to believe he could be expendable on some level, but also fails to return numerous phone calls from his own team. That's the guy I'd want to build my franchise around!

No, I want the guy on my team who gives answers like this:

"I want to be here, I feel like there's a lot I want to accomplish and that's what I've been working to do, but you know it's not in your control," Campbell said. "All I can do is just keep doing what I'm doing, working hard and waiting to see what happens."

Sometimes a team doesn't need to seek out a franchise quarterback when a decent one is already on the roster -- especially when that same team has made so many poor decisions in the past.

How about sticking to a plan for once? Give Campbell the 2009-2010 season. See how he does. If he doesn't perform, then make a move. That would make some sense. But don't keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

If the Redskins do make the move for Cutler, it's going to be even harder to defend the front office's decision-making. (Especially since a move for Cutler would possibly signal the end of Jim Zorn's reign as coach in favor of Mike Shanahan.)

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Update: ProFootballTalk has interesting updates here and here. This doesn't look good.