It's bad enough for the Washington Wizards that all-star point guard Rod Strickland has an injured right thumb.
An even bigger problem for the Wizards is how Strickland suffered the injury. He damaged the thumb while pounding the face of teammate Tracy Murray in a hotel room last week.That sort of thing, for some reason, tends to kill team momentum. The Wizards, perhaps the biggest group of underachievers this NBA season, were on a four-game winning streak before the Strickland/-Murray fracas. They've lost three straight since.
Strickland, who got the better of Murray in the bout, has been the worse for wear. He's played tentatively with his thumb heavily taped. The stitches above Murray's eye, meanwhile, haven't been a major problem.
While Washington has had its recent troubles, the Utah Jazz are wary. The Jazz face the 9-14 Wizards tonight at 5:30 in the new MCI Center in our nation's capital. The Jazz have had troubles all season on the road, even against teams with far less talent than the Wizards.
Utah has been solid this season at home, but the Wizards were one of the two teams this year to leave the Delta Center with a victory. Washington beat the Jazz, 90-86, in the third game of the season behind the 26-point, 13-rebound effort of forward Chris Webber.
"Washington is huge, they're quick, and they have some difficult players for us to defend against," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "Strickland is a great player and has always been difficult for us to guard. Juwan Howard and Web-ber, of course, are extremely talented players. It's enough to give you a headache thinking about it."
The Wizards will attempt to remain unbeaten in their new home. After playing for years in suburban Landover, Md., the Wizards now have a place not too far from that big white house on Pennsylvania Ave. where Bill, Hillary and the as-yet-to-be-named puppy live. The Wizards started the season in Landover, where they went 0-5, but they're 4-0 at home since making the move to D.C.
Webber is the team leader in scoring (averaging 21.2 points) and rebounding (9.5), but ex-Michigan Wolverine teammate Howard isn't far behind (19.9 points; 7.1 boards). Strickland leads the NBA in assists, averaging 10.7 to go along with his 15.9 scoring average.
"Everybody who watches basketball and knows the NBA is surprised with their record compared with the talent on the team," said Jazz forward Adam Keefe. "They have very gifted athletes, they have big guys, and they have all-star players at three positions. We've got to be ready to play."
Ready or not, the Jazz's first game of their first extended road trip begins tonight.