Nick Young: Great Dunker, Bad Starter

Young Wizard Nick Young got the surprise start over Roger Mason Saturday against the Kings, and gave it an encore performance Wednesday against Chicago. Unfortunately for Young, an encore wasn't what Washington wanted -- he followed Saturday's foul-restricted 7 point, 1 assist night with a 1-for-10 effort against the Bulls as the top point guard. (Mason himself only recorded 1 assist in both games combined, but he's shot well and avoided turnovers.)

The blogdome is blessed with many an astute Zards fan -- Prada from Bullets Forever among them. Like his D.C. brethren, he's sung screamed the praises of Young's electric moves all year. But he's had enough of the experiment.

For all the exciting things he's done this year, the major reason Young has impressed us all is that he's been used in such short spurts. Such stints highlighted his strengths (instant offense) and downplayed his deficiencies (passing, bogging down the offense, etc.). I'm not one to subscribe to "energy players," but Nick Young, as he stands right now, was an energy player.

Prada accuses Eddie Jordan of overcoaching -- the purported reason behind starting The City over Mason was so that Young wouldn't be counted on to lead a second unit full of fellow raw kids. That sort of rotation decision is sound theory, but deserves evaluation if it isn't working. It's a tough position regardless -- no offense to Rog or new addition Mike Wilks, but no healthy point guard on this roster inspires much confidence. Forget Gilbert Arenas; D.C. is counting the days until Antonio Daniels gets healthy.